Nicolai Højgaard was happy to get back to his natural game as a second-round 65 put him right in the mix heading into the weekend at the 2022 Ras Al Khaimah Championship presented by Phoenix Capital.
The Dane won his maiden DP World Tour title at last season's DS Automobiles Italian Open, with a runner-up finish in Portugal and a tie for fourth at the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai helping him finish inside Europe's top ten at the age of just 20.
He missed the cut at the opening two Rolex Series events of 2022 but after rounds of 67-65 left him just two back after 36 holes at Al Hamra Golf Club, Højgaard was once again feeling good about his game.
“After those last two weeks, I put in some good work," he said.
"I felt like my thoughts and swing were a bit blocked up, I couldn’t free up so I’ve just been trying to free up a little bit, play golf with my skills and let my talent take over instead of trying to overthink things.”
Part of Højgaard's talent is his distance off the tee, something he showed off as he drove the par-four 13th and then hit a booming drive to reduce the 582-yard next to a routine two-putt birdie.
“My length was definitely a big advantage off the tee," he said. "Today I hit some key drives, on 13 and 14 and there are a few bunkers I can carry, so if I can hit it straight the length is definitely an advantage.
“It was a good day, I played some nice golf, felt like I was driving it a bit better than I have for the last couple of weeks so I put myself in some good spots to hit it close to the pins.
"It was a very nice day to shoot a good score again so I’m looking forward to the weekend."
