DP World Tour star shares hilarious story about Abu Dhabi practice round

You often hear the stories of PGA Tour pros playing massive money games in practice rounds ahead of tournaments.

Thousands of dollars are on the line while bragging rights between friendly rivals are, too. Yet, pros place bets on the course not because they have a gambling problem. They do so to try and simulate tournament pressure before the shots begin to count. Nothing compares to the heat of competition, so having something to play for helps ramp that pressure up.

But sometimes, players will play for more than money, as was the case between Nicolai Højgaard, Rasmus Højgaard, and Matt Wallace before the DP World Tour’s first playoff event, the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.

“There was more than money at risk, and that’s probably why it got so competitive,” Rasmus Højgaard said on Tuesday.

“So we were playing a birdies game, so whoever makes the most birdies. I made what was equivalent to six birdies, Matt three, and Nicolai two.”

But what did the final results of that birdie game equate to?

“The birdies meant that every birdie you were behind is a minute in the cold plunge,” Rasmus further explained.

Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images

“Obviously, we had a little extra game out there. So it turned out that Nicolai had to do three minutes, and Matt had to do two minutes. Matt’s probably already done it. So I didn’t get to see it, but I’m definitely watching [my brother] Nicolai.”

A trip to the ice bath is never fun, but it undoubtedly motivated Rasmus to play well on Tuesday.

But this strong play is nothing new for Rasmus. He has played well all season on the DP World Tour and arrives in Abu Dhabi ranked third in the standings, trailing only Rory McIlroy and Thriston Lawrence. If you recall, Rasmus held off McIlroy at Royal County Down, birdieing the final three holes to eclipse the hometown hero by one.

The Dane now looks destined to secure one of the 10 PGA Tour cards up for grabs at the end of the DP World Tour Championship, a new pathway created a year ago. The top 10 finishers in Dubai—not otherwise exempt—receive cards to play on the PGA Tour in 2025, and Rasmus finished 11th in these rankings in 2023.

“Sitting there last year on that Sunday was a bit rough. I was obviously very, very happy to see Nicolai win the [DP World Tour Championship], but for myself, it was tough that I missed out by one spot on a card for the PGA Tour,” Rasmus said.

“I was very motivated to come out this year and play some good golf. I’ve managed that in stretches during the year. So yeah, it’s been a great year. I’m happy where I’m at and try to squeeze the last bit out of these two events.”

One year later, things look much better for Rasmus. He is off to a strong start in the Middle East this week—so much so that he playfully sent his brother to the ice bath, much to his dismay.

Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.