Jonathan Gøth-Rasmussen produced a closing birdie to seal a second HotelPlanner Tour title in dramatic fashion at the Danish Golf Challenge.
The Dane signed for a final round five under par 67 at Bogense Golf Club, to go with rounds of 66-70-66 for a 19 under par total, finishing one shot ahead of Scotland’s Calum Fyfe who had led after each of the opening three rounds.
Gøth-Rasmussen, who won his maiden HotelPlanner Tour title in Cadiz 12 months ago, started the final round three shots back of Fyfe but made up ground thanks to three front nine gains.
Further birdies on the 12th and 14th saw the Dane pull two clear of the former Tartan Pro Tour man, however the Scot got within one thanks to a gain on the 17th. After both players found the 18th green, Gøth-Rasmussen holed his birdie putt to seal a one shot victory.
“It feels very nice. It was a tough grind out there today and I am really pleased about getting it done,” he said.
“I was most proud of my putt on 18. I played really well all day and stayed present, in the moment, and managed to hit some quality shots.”
With Fyfe in close on the 72nd hole, the 27-year-old was relieved to see his birdie attempt hit the back of the cup.
“It was a tricky putt because it was downhill after the hole and I didn’t want to have a three footer coming back, so I had to sneak it in there,” he added. “I thought it was short, but it just dropped.”
With several players, including Irishman Liam Nolan and Frenchman Julien Sale putting pressure on the leaders, Gøth-Rasmussen was aware of what was required as he made the turn.
“I was keeping up to date with the leaderboard and I knew I could play the par fives on the back nine well,” the 2024 Challenge de Cadiz winner added. “When I saw I was leading I knew I had to take care of those and see where it would take me.”
The 27-year-old, who is the son of former HotelPlanner Tour winner Jacob Rasmussen, was well supported by his family throughout all four rounds in Bogense.
“It was great having my family here, they were cheering me on all the way around,” he said. “I’ve had a really rough start to the year, so it was good to get going and I am looking forward to the rest of the season.”
Fyfe ends the week in solo second on 18 under par, two shots ahead of Nolan, with Sweden’s Christofer Blomstrand one shot further back on 15 under par.
The top four places in the Road to Mallorca Rankings remain the same, with South African Daniel van Tonder still occupying the top spot. Gøth-Rasmussen has catapulted himself 196 places in the Rankings to 11th, while Calum Fyfe now sits inside the top 20 after his performance in Bogense.
The HotelPlanner Tour returns for the Challenge de Cadiz at Iberostar Real Golf Novo Sancti Petri from May 29 – June 1.
