Nicolai Højgaard’s Kobe Bryant-inspired stamping on his Callaway Jaws high-toe lob wedge. (Courtesy GolfWRX)
Nicolai Højgaard, the 22-year-old from Denmark and three-time DP World Tour winner, is teeing it up at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am alongside amateur playing partner and local businessman Geoff Couch.
Højgaard finished second at the Farmers Insurance Open, his only start so far in 2024.
On Tuesday prior to the event, GolfWRX caught up with Højgaard to see what equipment he has in the bag.
Nicolai Højgaard’s raw Callaway Apex MB irons. (Courtesy GolfWRX)
Højgaard’s eye-catching setup features a set of raw Callaway Apex MB irons, which have gathered plenty of rust over the past couple years that he’s had them in the bag. For some, the rust may be off-putting visually, but Højgaard likes the look and feel they provide at impact. Uniquely, Højgaard has a 10-iron in the bag, which as he explains, is actually just a pitching wedge with a different denotation.
Nicolai Højgaard’s Callaway Apex MB 10-iron. (Courtesy GolfWRX).
“I’ve played (these irons) for a couple years now; I played them the whole of last season, and keep playing them this year,” Højgaard explained. “I love them; they’re rusty and got a great feel. The pitching wedge, actually, 10-iron…it’s the same club, except there’s a ten on it.”
In his chase to capture his first PGA TOUR victory, Højgaard, who’s a big NBA basketball fan, looks to channel the “Mamba Mentality” of the late-great, five-time NBA Champion and Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant. Højgaard keeps a Bryant-inspired stamping on his Callaway Jaws high-toe lob wedge as a constant reminder.
Nicolai Højgaard’s Kobe Bryant-inspired stamping on his Callaway Jaws high-toe lob wedge. (Courtesy GolfWRX)
“I’m a huge Kobe fan, and if you feel like you’re struggling a bit, you can always look down at your lob wedge and get inspired,” Højgaard told PGATOUR.com on Tuesday at Pebble Beach Golf Links.
According to a famous Kobe Bryant quote, the “Mamba Mentality” is a “constant quest to try to be better today than you were yesterday, and better tomorrow than you were the day before.”
At the 2023 Gensis Scottish Open, Højgaard also began channeling the success of fellow PGA TOUR players Rickie Fowler and Wyndham Clark, when he switched to an Odyssey Jailbird Mini putter. In case you forgot, Fowler and Clark both started using a Jailbird putter in 2023 and found the forgiving head and design to improve their performance on the greens.
At the 2023 Genesis Scottish Open, Nicolai Højgaard switched into an Odyssey Jailbird Mini putter. (Courtesy GolfWRX)
“I tried it out, and I loved it,” Højgaard said at Pebble Beach on Tuesday. “It’s been in the bag ever since [the Scottish Open]. I obviously got inspired by Rickie Fowler and Wyndham Clark last season, winning with the putters. I thought it’d be a good idea to try and it’s been working pretty well ever since.”
Nicolai Højgaard switched into a Paradym Ai Smoke Triple Diamond 16.5-degree 3-wood this week at Pebble Beach. (Courtesy GolfWRX)
Although Højgaard hasn’t yet upgraded into a new Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke driver, he did switch into a Paradym Ai Smoke Triple Diamond 16.5-degree 3-wood this week at Pebble Beach. He noted the high launch and great feel as his reasons for the switch.
