Hojgaard and MacIntyre give Donald Ryder Cup positivity on both sides of the Atlantic
EYES ON THE PRIZE: Robert MacIntyre, of Scotland, gauges his putt on the 16th hole during the second round of the BMW Championship golf tournament Friday, Aug. 15, 2025, in Owings Mills, Md. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
Rasmus Hojgaard delighted the home fans and boosted his Ryder Cup push by opening up a two-shot lead at the Danish Golf Championship.
Hojgaard added a seven-under-par 64 to his opening 66 at Fureso Golf Klub to take the lead at the halfway mark of his home tournament.
The 24-year-old Dane is currently eighth on Team Europe's Ryder Cup points list, just outside the automatic top-six spots, with Luke Donald making six captain picks after the Betfred British Masters on August 24.
"You feed off each other a little bit," Hojgaard, the 2023 champion was quoted as saying on the DP World Tour website about the Danish fans.
"I was obviously feeling good out there. Trying to make as many birdies as possible and with them cheering me on, I just wanted to keep it going for as long as possible.
"It died a little towards the end when I made that annoying bogey at eight, but it was a great atmosphere out there."
Hojgaard, who started at the 10th hole, began with six straight pars before backing up a birdie at the 16th with an eagle at the par-five 18th after hitting his approach shot to three feet.
A run of five birdies in the opening six holes on his back nine gave him breathing space at the top.
Hojgaard's solitary bogey at the eighth cost him the outright course record, instead matching Marco Penge's first-round score on Thursday.
"I didn't try to do too much out there," said Hojgaard. "I was just striking the ball well, had an idea of where it was going and set up a lot of chances."
Englishman Penge is two shots adrift on 10-under after a 68 consisting of six birdies and three bogeys, while Canadian Aaron Cockerill sits in third, three strokes further back.
Across the Atlantic there was further positive vibes for Donald as Robert MacIntyre continued his surge at the BMW Championship in Maryland. The Scot, who was a breakout performer on the 2023 European team in Rome, followed his superb opening 62 with a faultless six-under 64 to move a whopping seven clear of the field at the second event in the FedEx Cup Playoffs.
Out early for second-round duty, MacIntyre set a daunting task for the rest with Hideki Matsuyama closest in the clubhouse on seven-under. Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry were among the later starters with Lowry one-under for his round and the tournament at the turn but his compatriot two further back after an ugly double-bogey stalled his progress.
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
