Nicolai Højgaard made the perfect start to his week at the Hero Indian Open as he won the Hero Shootout at DLF Golf and Country Club.
The Dane beat Italy’s Guido Migliozzi in the final of the pre-tournament event on Tuesday, which tested players on their accuracy when pitching to specific yardages.
The eight-person field also included Hero Indian Open defending champion Stephen Gallacher, fellow Scot Robert MacIntyre, 2018 Ryder Cup captain Thomas Bjørn, Indian duo Shiv Kapur and Manu Gandas, and Dr Pawan Munjal, Chairman and CEO of Hero Motocorp.
The Hero Shootout held ahead of the Hero Indian Open 2023, was a massive hit with Dr Pawan Munjal also getting into action. #HIO23#HeroIndianOpen pic.twitter.com/buQIbyRca4
— Hero Indian Open (@TheOfficialHIO) February 21, 2023
Players were given a minute to hit a maximum of nine shots towards the pin on the ninth green, with circles marked at four, eight and 12 feet offering 10, 25 or 50 points, while a slam-dunk would earn 100 points.
Højgaard, Migliozzi, Gallacher and MacIntyre progressed from the first round, before players then tried to accumulate as many points as possible from 115 yards with six shots and no time limit.
The final saw Højgaard outperform Migliozzi from 120 yards, once again with six tries and no shot clock.
After four years away due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Hero Indian Open is returning to the schedule this week for its sixth edition as a DP World Tour event.
Hero MotoCorp, one of the world's leading manufacturers of motorcycles and scooters, has already given its support to the Hero Cup and Hero Dubai Desert Classic, a Rolex Series event, this year.
