Made in HimmerLand: The debrief

Rasmus Højgaard celebrated making history in front of home crowds after a dramatic climax to the Made in HimmerLand, three players booked their spots at The 151st Open and a pair of Scots mastered HimmerLand Hill as the host venue bid a fond farewell.

Here is everything you need to know from the 2023 Made in HimmerLand.

Danish delight as Højgaard wins at HimmerLand

Rasmus Højgaard defeated Nacho Elvira on the sixth play-off hole to claim his fourth DP World Tour title as he became the first Danish winner at the Made in HimmerLand on Sunday.

The Dane, who trailed by six shots going into the final round, carded a closing six-under-par 64 to set the clubhouse target at 13-under.

He then watched on as Richie Ramsay made a double bogey on the par-four 18th – the toughest hole all week on the Fortinet Threat Score – to drop to 12 under, before Elvira bogeyed to ensure extra holes.

Højgaard, who himself had birdied the 18th in regulation, and Elvira both made par five times on the tough finishing hole, before he sealed victory with a par as the Spanish overnight leader double bogeyed.

The 22-year-old had come into the week with low expectations after a recent rib injury forced him to take a couple of weeks off but he appeared inspired by the chance to play in front of home crowds as he returned to the winner’s circle for the first time since his victory at the Omega European Masters in 2021.

The win lifts Højgaard up 55 places to 12th on the Race to Dubai Rankings in Partnership with Rolex, 85th on the Official World Golf Ranking and fifth on the European Points List for the Ryder Cup.

“It means everything,” he said. “It’s a childhood dream come true.

“Ever since the tournament got to become a part of the schedule, we’ve always wanted a Danish winner out here. To be the first one is so cool.”

Trio book spots at The 151st Open

The Made in HimmerLand was the penultimate event of the Open Qualifying Series, with three places in the field for The 151st Open on offer to the leading three players, not already exempt, who make the cut.

With Højgaard already exempt for Royal Liverpool, Elvira was able to console himself with the fact he will make his Major Championship debut later this month after coming close to his second Tour win.

The Spaniard is joined by Kalle Samooja and Marc Warren after they finished in a tie for fourth alongside Robert MacIntyre and Alexander Björk, both of whom had already qualified.

For Samooja, it will be the Finn’s first experience of playing at The Open, while Warren is returning to golf’s oldest Major for the first time since playing on home soil at Royal Troon in 2016.

HimmerLand bids farewell

As dramatic finishes to tournaments go, the final few holes on Sunday provided a thrilling climax to HimmerLand’s time as host venue of Denmark’s home event.

MacIntyre began the back nine with the advantage, before fellow Scot Ramsay appeared set to win his second Tour title in as many years as he moved into the lead with two holes to play.

But he faltered on the 18th, finding the water hazard with his second shot before he missed a six-footer for a bogey which would have seen him fall into a play off.

Back-to-back birdies for Elvira at the 16th and 17th then put him into pole position for victory, but he mishit his third shot from just off the back of the green with an awkward stance as a two-putt bogey was the best he could do.

The play-off was evenly contested, with both doing well to get up and down from bunkers early on, before an errant second shot from Elvira opened the door for Højgaard to celebrate victory to the delight of the home crowds and his brother Nicolai.

“It isn’t that long ago that I was one of those kids trying to get balls and signed gloves,” he said. “It’s awesome to see them out here supporting us.”

Pair of aces at HimmerLand Hill

HimmerLand Hill, the signature short par-three 16th, has seen several holes-in-one since it first hosted this tournament in 2014.

Among a number of memorable moments to have happened there over the years, Danish former pro Andreas Hartø proposed to his partner Louise after birdieing the hole in 2015.

This time around it was a pair of holes-in-one from Scottish pair Sandy Scott and Grant Forrest that will go down in the archives.

Scott, who is playing in his rookie season, and Forrest both saw their tee shots spin back into the bottom of the cup – located at the front of the green and at a distance of 94 yards.

“You can sort of see it, you can’t quite see the bottom of the hole from the tee but you know from the crowd’s reaction," Forest said.

"His was perfect, one bounce, a little bit of spin and just trickled down.

There was even time during the final round for Simon Forsström to almost make it three in one day as his tee shot stopped just short of rolling back into the hole. Wait for it…

There have now been 29 aces on Tour so far this season. Could we see 30 this week at either the Genesis Scottish Open – the year’s third Rolex Series event – or stateside at the Barbasol Championship?

Squeaky ducks raise funds for sick and vulnerable children

Another unique feature of HimmerLand is the squeaky sound often heard around the greens to recognise good shots.

During the week, spectators were able to buy rubber ducks named Benny the Birdie, Eddie the Eagle and Andy the Ace which squeak when squeezed.

The proceeds from the sales went to the KidsAid charity which supports sick and vulnerable children in Denmark as well as their families.

Southgate falls short of 59

Matthew Southgate came close to recording the second 59 on the DP World Tour during a sensational finish to his week.

After firing ten birdies over his opening 17 holes on Sunday, the Englishman required a closing birdie to match Oliver Fisher's feat at the 2018 Portugal Masters.

However, Southgate found water off the tee on his way to a bogey as he settled for a nine-under-par 61 that saw him finish in tenth place, having begun the day in a tie for 57th.