– Brilliant first day of the Danish Golf Championship on the demanding and interesting course at Fureso Golf Klub, on the outskirts of Copenhagen. The morning leader, Marco Penge (-7) ended up being the leader at the end of the day as well, because scorecards like his (64 strokes) are not going to be abundant this week. As already mentioned: the Englishman is not giving up on the Ryder dream and his performance was impeccable. He only missed sinking a medium or long-distance putt to have blown the course away.
– A day of rabbits coming out of the magician’s hat, whoever it was at each moment. In this sense, it is mandatory to highlight the two eagles signed by Nicolai Hojgaard (-3) on two par 4s, holing out from the fairway. The first on hole 12, from about a hundred metres, with a pronounced backspin effect included, and the second on 14, from about 130 metres. Before that, as if it weren’t enough, on hole 11, he hit another delightful wedge from about seventy metres to resolve a tricky situation and leave himself a great chance to save par, which he then converted. What a series. He was somewhat lost, two over par, and in the blink of an eye, he was two under… Rabbits from the hat. He will need a few more to get into the Ryder team, so this start of his is not bad at all.
– Alfredo García Heredia also worked his magic, albeit in a different way. The Asturian is in dire need of points at this stage of the season and pulled out his best score of the year 2025, a round of 67 strokes, four under for the day, which currently places him in the top ten, three off the leader and just one from second place. It wouldn’t be the first time in recent years that García Heredia manages to get his act together in this tricky stretch of the season, the last third, with the water up to his neck. He thrives on pressure. He has missed the last four cuts, but with the veteran Asturian, you never quite know when he might surprise.
– One of the five players tied for second place with a total of -5 is Rasmus Hojgaard, who at this rate could almost secure his goal of making it into the European Ryder team for the first time, and doing so in front of the Danish fans, who have turned out in large numbers. A lot of people on the course for a Thursday. If the Hojgaard brothers and a few other Danes, as there are, keep giving reasons, the weekend at Fureso Golf Klub could be packed.
– Francesco Molinari (-5) pulled the last two rabbits out of the hat at the end: he holed out for eagle on the 18th with a calm and delightful chip and, thanks to this success, signed a scorecard of 66 strokes, which in his case, just like Alfredo’s, is also his best score of the year 2025. He is no longer fighting to get into the Ryder team, but it never hurts to feel like a phenomenon again. Francesco was also playing in the same group as Nicolai, as Donald’s emissary. Magic in abundance.
– Good start also for Eugenio Chacarra (-2), who is surely eager to regain that brilliance from a few months ago that took him to the top of the Race to Dubai. His round was eventful, with some ups and downs, but with six birdies on the scorecard and also leaving behind very good chances. Joel Moscatel (-1) also managed to get the better of a course that, it must be noted, does not offer many facilities, very technical and with firm greens.
