Don’t look now, but a pair of Danish twins have officially taken over the European Tour

Wait, you might be thinking, didn’t Højgaard win on the European Tour last week?

Indeed, one did. A week after his twin brother Rasmus won in Switzerland, Nicolai Højgaard made history on Sunday, dropping a short birdie putt on the final hole to capture the DS Automobiles Italian Open at Marco Simone Golf Club. That gave the Danish duo the distinction of being the first brother tandem to win consecutive events on the Euro Tour.

Nicolai, whose previous best showing was a second-place finish at the 2019 KLM Open (when he finished just behind Sergio Garcia), shot an even 71 to hold off Tommy Fleetwood and Adrian Meronk for the title.

Højgaard admitted his nerves were getting to him as he stood over his final putt, a short-and-straight 3-footer.

“I’ve been nervous many times before but nothing like this. I almost couldn’t move the putter to be honest, so I was really nervous,” he said. “But you’re trying to get yourself a chance to win and I gave myself a chance today. … I’m really happy and can’t wait to celebrate.”

The winning moment & celebrations #DSOpendItalia pic.twitter.com/K3Igrir58u

— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) September 5, 2021

While Nicolai was tapping in the winning putt, brother Rasmus stood just off the 18th green with each of the brothers’ girlfriends. It marked an incredible stretch for the combo — Rasmus’ win in the Omega European Masters at Crans-Montana was his third on the Tour.

And Nicolai admitted after Saturday’s round that he was using his twin’s victory as inspiration.

“Seeing Rasmus win is a big motivation. I’m just trying to follow in his steps a little bit,” Nicolai said.

Højgaard held the lead after 54 holes and was in good position until making a pair of bogeys on the 14th and 15th holes. He responded with good looks on both 16 and 17 but failed to capitalize before and approach on 18 gave him a short putt for the win.

“To finish it off with an up and down, it’s perfect, it’s what I’ve dreamed of. It’s what I’ve been working on all my life so I’m really pleased with it,” Højgaard said.