Nicolai Højgaard highlights Thomas Bjørn's “huge” influence in his bid for the Olympics – Article

Nicolai Højgaard praised European star Thomas Bjørn as a “huge” influence on him after winning a medal in the men’s golf event at the Olympics on Saturday.

The three-time DP World Tour champion was outstanding in the third round at the Golf National de Paris, shooting a bogey-free, 9-under 62 to tie the course record and adding an eagle and two birdies in his final five holes.

The result left Hoegaard three strokes behind defending gold medalist Xander Schauffele and Ryder Cup teammate Jon Rahm going into the final round of the 72-hole individual stroke-play tournament.

With compatriot Bjorn, who captained Europe to the Ryder Cup title in this week’s host city in 2018, as captain, Hojgaard made no secret of his help for Hojgaard and Danish teammate Torbjorn Olsen.

“It means a lot,” he said of Bjorn’s arrival. “We had a lot of fun. Having fun is important. But he’s been a big part of my golf life and a big part of Torbjorn’s golf life. So to have him here, he’s obviously a big deal. He was very successful in 2018.”

“Yeah, it's good to have him around. He brings some good stuff and yeah, it's cool to have a good round in front of him.”

Bjorn himself was a delighted observer for most of the match and made no secret of his pride in Højgaard’s outstanding performance.

He said: “Today’s performance was the best I’ve seen in a long time and for a 23-year-old it was a fantastic performance.”

However, when asked how much credit Bjorn deserves, the 15-time DP World Tour player played it down.

“I took him to a restaurant he loved yesterday,” he said with a smile, “and that's all I can take credit for.”

It was a great day for both Danes this week, with Olsen also climbing to the top of the leaderboard with a 66 that included six birdies and one bogey.

Asked which restaurant the Danish team visited on Friday, Bjorn replied: “It's the French bistro Le Limousin that we always go to when we play, when we play the French Open.”

“They wanted to get out of the hotel last night and have a more normal night than usual. It was a good night for both of them and Thorbjørn played really well.

“The atmosphere between the two of them, their caddie group and our small group is really good. These women [Emily Kristine Pedersen and Nanna Koerstz Madsen] Arrive tonight and then we will have a nice dinner with them.”

Hoijgaard is no stranger to the Albatros course on the outskirts of Paris, having played at the FedEx French Open in 2019 and 2022, but he admitted that his performance in the tough final sprint was particularly pleasing.

“I struggled a little bit on the finishing holes the last two days,” he said, “so it was a big win for me today to see myself hitting the fairway and hitting two nice iron shots on the last two holes.”

After two straight 70s in the opening two days, Hoijgaard now believes he is in the “best position” to challenge for a medal.

“I think I just felt like we had nothing to lose, we were so far behind,” he recalled. “We were playing aggressively and trying to hit some good shots. I felt like I gave myself a good chance the first three or four holes and was 1 under. So, I felt like I might have caught up a little bit.”

“Hit a couple of birdies early on (three in a row starting at the fourth hole),” Hoegaard continued. “It makes the next few holes easier so you can relax a little bit going into the next round.

“I played better today, hitting the ball into the fairways and the greens, and that's the difference on this golf course, hitting the ball into the fairways and getting it on the greens. I had it under control today and felt pretty good.”

Hoijgaard made his Masters debut earlier this year and, with his experience from the Ryder Cup, feels he is well-equipped to handle the inevitable pressure that comes with being at the top of the leaderboard.

“Every time you’re out there, playing in a week, it doesn’t matter,” he said. “You’re always going to be nervous, but that’s what we practice and play for. So, it was awesome to see a match like that and I was happy to convince myself again that I could do it in the final moments of Round 3.”

“But tomorrow is a completely different situation. We're going to go out there and the medal is in sight. We're going to go out there and try to do the same thing and be patient. Sunday is always a bit tough.”

But with Bjørn’s expert guidance, Højgaard could hardly have hoped for a better guide ahead of what could be the most important day of his career to date.