By Mathieu Wood
Nurturing talent and providing a structure to enable success is the goal of any nation in sport. When it comes to golf, Denmark is punching above its weight.
The smallest of the five Nordic countries, which has a population of almost six million, has become the envy of many over the past decade.
With Thomas Bjørn, a 15-time winner on the DP World Tour and fellow stalwart of European golf Søren Kjeldsen at the tail end of their careers, others have taken on the mantle of continuing in his footsteps. Countryman Thorbjørn Olesen is a household figure who has competed in all of golf’s biggest events, while twins Nicolai and Rasmus Højgaard are regarded as generational talents. Alongside them, much is expected of Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen, a two-time winner on the European Challenge Tour so far this season. In truth, there are many others.
But it is the success earlier this year of another up-and-coming player that further underlines the work behind the continued progress in Danish golf. After his victory at the prestigious Amateur Championship in June, several are already tipping Jacob Skov Olesen as the latest who is destined for a successful career.
A month on from making the cut on his Open Championship debut last month at Royal Troon, the 25-year-old amateur is one of 23 Danes teeing it up at this week’s Danish Golf Championship on the DP World Tour.
While playing opportunities are increased for home hopes in what is essentially a national open, those numbers only highlight the depth in the Danish game.
Bjørn, who is the Tournament Chairman of the newly-named Danish Golf Championship which is celebrating its tenth edition, says Danish golf is in a "dreamworld".
"The amount of players that we have at all levels is pretty unique for a country of the size that it is," he exclusively tells the DP World Tour.
"It's obviously led by extreme talents at the top, especially in Rasmus, Nicolai and Thorbjørn. They are huge talents and set a great bar and standard for the group behind.
"It seems like the federation (Dansk Golf Union) are in a place where they just constantly produce new players, constantly deliver on all amateur levels, and we will enjoy it while it lasts."
Rasmus Højgaard became the first home winner of the Danish Golf Championship last year, and the early indications on the leaderboard at Lübker Golf Resort suggest it would be no surprise if history was to repeat itself this weekend.
Should it happen, it would be another feather in the cap of the unsung work behind the scenes in Danish golf.
It was only earlier this month at the Olympic Games that Denmark had both its male representatives – Nicolai Højgaard and Olesen – firmly in the mix for medal honours heading into the final round at Le Golf National. For a country generally known for its Olympic success in team sports such as handball, producing a medallist in an individual sport like golf would be huge. Maybe in Los Angeles that moment will come.
Someone who is keenly involved in Danish golf is ex-DP World Tour player Morten Backhausen, who alongside Bjørn was an influential presence in the team behind the team at Paris 2024.
For Backhausen, the Dansk Golf Union Chief Executive Officer, the success stories are a result of long-term planning and collaboration between clubs, coaches and the backing of the national federation as participation in the sport has boomed since the Covid-19 pandemic.
“First of all, we are very good at working together in Denmark. We’re a small country," Backhausen said.
"The club coaches speak a lot to the national team coaches.
"We have a lot of good education for volunteers at the clubs, for volunteers at the federation, and we work closely together with all our partners surrounding talent development in Denmark. We are all aligned and that is proving quite fruitful.”
While the achievements of the men have garnered the most attention in recent years, there is also strength in the women’s game. Emily Kristine Pedersen and Nana Koerstz Madsen are both recognisable players on the LPGA Tour who have hopes of featuring in the upcoming Solheim Cup.
So, it asks the question – what underpins the success?
“I can’t mention one thing,” added Backhausen. "Talent development is hard work. There are so many small elements that you need to take care of.
“When I speak to other countries, I can see that our collaboration between clubs, coaches and the federation is very strong. We don’t have many conflicts around the players.”
Furthermore, another asset in the Danish game is how the structure of tournament golf is largely overseen by a few central figures. One of those is Flemming Astrup, who is the promoter of the Danish Golf Championship.
“From the national team to the (Denmark-based) Ecco Tour to the Challenge Tour, DP World Tour, we are maybe the only country where all this is within very few hands," Astrup said.
Talent development is hard work. There are so many small elements that you need to take care of.
From junior golf through to the elite level, there are a range of opportunities to foster a competitive mindset for all levels.
“When we're looking at a long-term development plan for a player, it's very important that they can play a tournament where they have a good chance of winning, but also they can play tournaments where they will not win, maybe finish in the middle or the low end of the field," Backhausen said.
“We think that is very important.”
But there is still room for progress.
“We only have it on the men's side as it is right now,” Backhausen added. “We would love to have it on the ladies’ side as well. So that's a development thing for the future.”
The stars of the future are ultimately inspired by those who have impressed before them and that in itself is an instrumental factor in the ongoing development of Danish golf.
Still to this day, the Højgaard twins are a regular presence in terms of supporting the next crop of talent at national training camps, alongside their female counterparts.
Nicolai Højgaard, who first joined the Denmark development programme in 2013, reflected: “Looking back, it's probably still my favourite time playing golf.
“You're part of a team, you're with your friends and you're involved in practice games and you get together every week.
“A really special time and a time where we really got to develop our game. We have got some of the best coaches in Denmark and the platform they create for us is amazing. Without them we probably couldn't create what we've done in the last few years.
“Thomas was the start of it all and slowly we have been on a great curve. The last six to seven years have been great for Danish golf. Hopefully we can keep delivering the way we have... It is exciting times.”
Denmark is rightfully a very proud golf country, but one that appears intent on maintaining its progression.
