The transition from prodigious amateur to successful professional is not always an easy one. For 18-year-old Rasmus Højgaard, who made the tough decision to turn professional and pursue his professional dream while still in his teenage years, it is a choice that has so far proved fruitful.
The Dane has already secured four top ten finishes on the European Challenge Tour so far this season, including a career-best second place when he finished joint runner-up to Antoine Rozner at the Challenge de España in May.
His early promise is surely a sign of things to come for the youngster who, alongside his identical twin Nicolai, enjoyed a decorated amateur career.
The 2016 Danish International Amateur Champion, Højgaard created headlines when he was selected alongside his brother to play in the Junior Ryder Cup, where he secured an impressive two-and-a-half out of a potential three points.
A sensational final day at the 39th Eisenhower Trophy to help Denmark secure their first World Amateur Team Championship title in 2018 is just one of several impressive achievements that ensured that Rasmus, and his brother, were billed as potential stars of the future when they announced their move into the professional ranks at the start of this year.
Hailing from the birthplace of LEGO, the Billund native is looking to follow in the footsteps of some of the game’s biggest stars, including Brooks Koepka, who also began his career on the Challenge Tour.
It’s so far so good for the youngster who came into the season without a full ranking on the Challenge Tour but has recorded several strong performances to climb up to ninth on the Challenge Tour Order of Merit and occupy one of 15 positions that would secure him his European Tour card come the end of the season.
