Danish Golf Championship 2026 preview picks analysis

The DP World Tour returns after a four-week hiatus with a strong field in attendance at the Danish Golf Championship at Great Northern Golf Club.

Players such as Eugenio Chacarra, Bernd Wiesberger and Mikael Lindberg are joined by a strong home presence that includes Rasmus Hojgaard, Niklas Norgaard, Thorbjorn Olesen and Rasmus Nergaard-Petersen as well as two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson.

Hojgaard won his home tournament in 2023 and should have claimed a second title last year. Twelve months ago Marco Penge capitalised on Hojgaard's remarkable mid-round collapse to clinch his second DP World Tour title.

Hojgaard looked set to breeze to his second victory in this event in three years when he opened up a four-shot lead by the sixth hole. However Penge, who birdied the third and eighth, was in a share of the lead after the Dane dropped a shot at the seventh and double bogeyed the ninth.

The Englishman moved ahead when Hojgaard bogeyed the 10th and extended his lead to two with a brilliant birdie at the 13th. Penge left the door ajar with his only bogey of the day at the 16th, but instantly responded with a birdie at the penultimate hole to restore his two-shot advantage at 15 under.

Rasmus Hojgaard

(Image Credit: Kevin Diss Photography)

Hojgaard piled on the pressure with a clutch eagle at the par-five last to draw level, but Penge kept his cool to drain his birdie putt and triumph at Fureso Golf Klub.

"I've been playing so well this year," Penge said. "Coming back from my time off, to have won so soon [after that] and to achieve what I've achieved since I won. My main goal after I won was to not get complacent and drop off basically. My team have been a massive support for me, my family, everyone involved really.

"It's made me keep striving for more and this is amazing. And Rasmus, he's some player, to hit the shot he hit into the last and make eagle and basically make me have to win it was unbelievable."

Penge was incredibly unlucky to miss out on the Ryder Cup but did enough to gain a PGA Tour card. He has had a difficult season in America, struggling with his form, fitness and mental well-being.

Hojgaard has had mixed fortunes on the PGA Tour. There were five missed cuts and just two top 10s, including a fourth place at the recent Rocket Classic - but it wasn’t quite good enough to get him to the playoffs so he will be looking to get his car back on track with a win on home soil.

He enjoyed a prolific amateur career, triumphing at the 2018 Eisenhower Trophy for Denmark alongside identical twin brother Nicolai and John Axelsen. The twins also represented Europe at The 2018 Junior Ryder Cup. Hojgaard secured his card for the 2020 season at Qualifying School Final Stage, becoming the first player born in the 21st century to graduate from the Qualifying School.

At 18 years and 271 days old, he became the third youngest winner in DP World Tour history with a dramatic playoff triumph at the Mauritius Open in just his fifth start. The victory made him the fastest Dane to a DP World Tour title, beating 15-time DP World Tour winner Thomas Bjorn's record of 24 events. He then became the second-youngest player in tour history to record multiple wins after securing his second title at the 2020 ISPS Handa UK Championship, defeating Justin Walters in a playoff at the age of 19 years and 171 days.

Hojgaard won his third title at the age of just 20, winning the 2021 Omega European Masters, carding a final round 63 to claim a one stroke victory. The win contributed to an historic double on the DP World Tour, as twin brother Nicolai was victorious the following week at the Italian Open.

He became the first home winner of the Danish Championship in 2023 after a six-hole playoff against Nacho Elvira in the tournament’s last ever staging at Himmerland. He came from seven shots behind to force a playoff with the Spaniard and then improved his record in DP World Tour playoffs to three wins from three.

Even more impressively, Hojgaard held off Rory McIlroy to win his fifth DP World Tour title at the 2024 Irish Open at Royal County Down and finished second in the Race to Dubai, earning dual membership on the PGA Tour for 2025, just 12 months after missing out on one of the ten cards for the previous season by one place. He represented Continental Europe at the 2025 Team Cup and later that year followed in the footsteps of Nicolai by making his Ryder Cup debut in Europe's victory at Bethpage. He would rather be playing in the FedEx St Jude Championship this week but failed to finish in the top 70 in the FedEx Cup standings.

Tournament Winners:

It was won in 2015 by David Horsey, in 2016 by Thomas Pieters, in 2017 by Julian Suri, in 2018 by Matt Wallace, in 2019 and 2021 by Bernd Wiesberger, in 2022 by by Oliver Wilson, in 2023 by Rasmus Hojgaard, in 2024 by Freddy Lacroix and last year by Marco Penge.

The Course:

Great Northern is a par 72 measuring 7,314 yards and was designed by Jack Nicklaus. It features water hazards, rolling fairways, proper bunkers and undulating greens.

Form Guide:

Rasmus Hojgaard will be keen to contend once more on home soil.

Prize Money:

Total prize money is $2.75m, with 3,500 Race to Dubai points on offer.

How to Watch:

Thursday, August 13, Sky Sports Golf, midday; Friday, August 14, Sky Sports Golf, midday; Saturday, August 15, Sky Sports Golf, 11.30am; Sunday, August 16, Sky Sports Golf, 11am.