Thorbjorn Olesen goes low to claim eighth DP World Tour title

Denmark's Thorbjorn Olesen runs away with Ras Al Khaimah Championship.

28 Jan 2024

Thorbjorn Olesen goes low to claim eighth DP World Tour title

Thorbjørn Olesen claimed his eighth DP World Tour title in dominant fashion as he won the Ras Al Khaimah Championship by six strokes.

The 34-year-old overcame a nervy start at Al Hamra Golf Club as he went on to card a five under par final round, finishing six strokes clear of compatriot Rasmus Højgaard and winning his second title in less than 12 months.

Olesen's four-stroke overnight lead over Højgaard was slowly chipped away as he carded a double bogey on the second, cancelling out birdies on the first and third, with Højgaard drawing level on 22 under par after he carded four birdies on his opening seven holes.

But the youngster’s momentum was halted after a bogey at the eighth, with Olesen striking a sublime five wood to set up a six-foot eagle putt, which he converted for a three-stroke swing and a three-shot lead at the turn.

He restored his advantage to four strokes after a birdie on the tenth and two further gains on the 14th and 18th saw him finish six clear of Højgaard, who carded a final round 69 for a 21 under par total, with Frederic Lacroix of France recording a career-best result on the DP World Tour, finishing one stroke further back on 20 under.

Olesen said:

"This is very special. Standing here with Cooper (son) makes it a little more special. It was still a battle out there. It got close and you have one of the most talented players right behind you. I knew it was going to be tough, we were tied for the lead very quickly. But I played some nice golf coming in and holed the right putts at the right time.

"I didn’t get off to the best of starts. You’re always going to have some bad stretches in tournaments. I had it there and I was just trying to be patient and hopefully start hitting some good shots. That five wood on eight was very special and being able to hole the putt also put me in a good position. It was still a battle.

"I said a couple of days ago, the last few weeks I’ve been putting really well – not quite as good as this week, but I’ve been rolling it really well. I had a few days where pretty much everything went in. Then on 17 it could have easily been a two shot swing, but I managed to hole that putt. I would like to just keep rolling it like this."

In a share of fourth place on 17 under par were the German pair of Max Kieffer and Yannik Paul, Japan's Keita Nakajima, Callum Shinkwin of England and South Africa's Brandon Stone.

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