NEW ORLEANS, LA (March 26, 2026)—Danish twins Rasmus and Nicolai Højgaard, who have both played on winning European Ryder Cup teams, will compete in this year’s Zurich Classic, announced Steve Worthy, CEO of the Fore!Kids Foundation, producer of the tournament.
“Both Rasmus and Nicolai have international experience in team play, and they finished second here last year, ” said Worthy. “They know how to win, as each has multiple victories on the DP World Tour,” Worthy added.
Together, The Højgaard brothers have nine international titles between them, five for Rasmus and four for Nicolai. They are the first brothers in the history of the DP World Tour to win titles on consecutive weeks.
They became the first twins to compete in The Open Championship in 2023.
They are also the first set of twins to play together in the Masters and the first brothers since Eduardo and Francesco Molinari played together in 2012. Nicolai received a special invitation and Rasmus qualified via the top 50 on the 2024 year-end Official World Golf Ranking.
One of the other brother pairs in Masters history was Jay and Lionel Hebert of Lafayette, LA, who played in the same Masters from 1956-1968, the longest streak of any brother duo.
Both Nicolai and Rasmus excelled as amateurs, with Nicolai reaching number five in the World Amateur Golf Rankings. The brothers turned professional in 2019 after leading Denmark to that country’s first Eisenhower Trophy in the World Amateur Team Championship. They played Foursomes together for Europe in the 2018 Junior Ryder Cup.
Rasmus became the first player born in the 21st century to graduate from the European Tour Qualifying School. He claimed his first European title right after that, winning the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open in his fourth start at 18 years and 271 days old.
His five international titles include the European Masters in 2021 and the Amgen Irish Open in 2024. His Irish Open victory moved him into the top 10 of the DP World Tour, earning his PGA Tour card. Playing parttime on the PGA Tour in 2022, he scored two top-10 finishes, with a sixth in the Corales Puntacana Championship and a tie for tenth in the Genesis Scottish Open.
So far this season, his best finish was a tie for ninth in the Cognizant Classic . Last year, in addition to his second place in the Zurich Classic, he also posted a tie for third in the Sanderson Farms Championship and a tie for 12th in the WM Phoenix Open in 2025.
He was a member of the 2025 European Ryder Cup team that defeated the Americans at Bethpage Black in September of last year.
A week after Rasmus’s third European victory, his brother Nicolai took his own first title at the Italian Open. A last-minute wild-card entry, Nicolai birdied the final hole to finish one stroke ahead of Tommy Fleetwood.
This season Nicolai has posted a tie for third in the WM Phoenix and a tie for sixth at the Cognizant Classic. In only six starts, he has four top-25 finishes.
Last season, he tied for fourth in the Genesis Scottish Open then went on the next week to tie for 14th in The Open Championship. Earlier in 2025, he took eighth alone in the Mexico Open.
Nicolai played on the victorious 2023 European Ryder Cup team. In November of that year he won the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai, firing a 64 in the final round. He has won four times on the DP World Tour.
Both brothers have represented Denmark at the Olympics. Nicolai finished seventh in the 2024 Paris Olympics after tying a course record with a 62 in the third round. Rasmus tied for 38th in the 2020 Tokyo games that were played in 2021 with a smaller, no-cut field due to the Covid epidemic.
About Fore!Kids Foundation:
Since 1958, the Fore!Kids Foundation has raised money to fund children's service organizations through golf events like the Zurich Classic of New Orleans and several charitable golf tournaments.
In 2025, the Fore!Kids Foundation generated a record $3.6 million in charitable giving for children’s charities in the New Orleans and Baton Rouge metro areas. Charitable contributions have been rising in recent years:
- $3.6 million in 2025
- Over $24.6 million to charities in last 10 years
- Over $55 million to charities since inception
More information at http://www.forekidsfoundation.com.
About the Zurich Classic of New Orleans:
Zurich Insurance has sponsored the Zurich Classic of New Orleans for 22 years, one of the longest title sponsor relationships on the PGA Tour. The Zurich Classic is the only team tournament on the PGA TOUR season. Since launching the team format in 2017, the Zurich Classic of New Orleans has drawn some of the highest-ranking fields for any regular-season tournament on the PGA TOUR.
The Zurich Classic has over a $59 million annual economic impact to the regional economy. With 51 hours of total television coverage on Golf Channel and CBS, a total of 20.94 million viewers tuned in to watch the tournament.
Internationally, PGA TOUR coverage of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans is available across 148 countries and territories via local broadcast partners, and garners $33 million in positive national and international media exposure for both the city and state throughout the year beyond the days of professional competition.
The tournament will be played April 20-26, 2026 at TPC Louisiana in Avondale. Purse for 2026 totals a record $9.5 million.
All tickets to the 2026 Zurich Classic will be mobile entry only. Day-specific grounds tickets are only $45. In addition, the Best of the Zurich Class Pass offers a variety of dishes from some of New Orleans most famous restaurants at three locations across the TPC course starting at $185 per day. The Walk-On’s Back Nine Club offers close-up viewing at the 17thhole in the only two-story, air-conditioned tent on the course. Additional ticket options are available by calling the Tournament Office at 504-342-3000 or online at www.zurichgolfclassic.com.