Double vision: Denmark's Nicolai and Rasmus Hojgaard set to become first twins to play the Masters

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Rasmus Hojgaard and his identical twin brother, Nicolai, grew up playing golf in Denmark, occasionally pretending they were on the other side of the world at Augusta National.

“We would tell each other ‘this is the putt to win the Masters,’” Rasmus said, “and then try to compete with each other.”

This week they’ll both have a chance to fulfill that childhood dream — all while making Masters history.

The Danish duo will become the first set of twins ever to play in the Masters together. There have been 18 sets of brothers who’ve played here together, most recently Italy’s Eduardo and Francesco Molinari from 2010-2012, but none have been twins.

“I think we really started watching the Masters when we were about 10, 11 years old,” Rasmus said. “So 2012 when Bubba (Watson) won was probably the first real memory we have of the place. Yeah, it’s nice to be here now.”

This is Nicolai's second Masters.

He actually led last year's tournament for 10 holes in the third round, only to fall out of contention after shooting 74 and 76 on the weekend. He finished tied for 16th. It was Nicolai's best finish in nine majors, but not enough to earn an automatic bid to this year's tournament since only the top 12 are guaranteed a spot. He received a special invitation to play the Masters this year.

Rasmus is making his first Masters appearance, earning his way in after finishing in the top 50 in the world rankings last year. This will be his seventh major.

On Sunday, the 24-year-old twins toured the historic course together and Nicolai pointed out some tips to his slightly younger brother on how to navigate one of golf's toughest challenges this week since Rasmus has never played here. That preceded a joint news conference on Tuesday, where they inadvertently wound up “twinning” after showing up in similar outfits.

“Completely random,” Nicolai joked.

The twins would be nearly indecipherable if not for Rasmus' slightly longer hair.

There have been other twins in golf, but none quite as accomplished as the Hojgaards. Rasmus ranks 55th in the world and has won five times on the European Tour, two more than his brother. Nicolai ranks 82nd and was a member of the winning European Ryder Cup team in 2023.

They won’t be playing in the same group at the Masters on Thursday, however.

Nicolai will be in the second threesome on the course, while Rasmus tees off in the afternoon.

There was a time that might have been a good thing. Growing up, the twins were extremely competitive on the course and didn't always get along. When one brother beat the other they would often go days without speaking to one another.

“I don’t think we supported each other very much back then,” Rasmus said. “We would fight a lot more than saying congratulations.”

There are no regrets, though.

Nicolai said that fierce sibling rivalry helped shape and drive them to get to where they are today.

"That helped a certain amount, really wanting to beat each other and that competitive edge we both have,” Nicolai said.

Times have since changed somewhat, though.

The twins have matured and are now big supporters of each other's game and the successes that have come along with it. They can often be seen practicing together and helping each other as much as possible when their games veer off course.

“We got older and we can shake each other’s hand now and say congrats when someone is playing well — and be brothers as well and friends at the same time,” Nicolai said.

But the competitiveness will always be there.

So what happens if the other brother knocks off defending champion Scottie Scheffler and gets to wear the green jacket on Sunday?

“Probably be very frustrating,” Rasmus said with a long laugh. “No, I think it would be very cool. It would be very cool. If something like that happens, I think we’ll deal with it at the time, but I think it’s hard to sit here and try and explain what that would feel like."

“Agree,” added Nicolai.

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

Rasmus Hojgaard, left, and Nicolai Hojgaard walk to the tee on the eighth hole during a practice around at the Masters golf tournament, Wednesday, April 9, 2025, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Rasmus Hojgaard, right, and Nicolai Hojgaard walk to the green on the seventh hole during a practice around at the Masters golf tournament, Wednesday, April 9, 2025, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

ADEN, Yemen (AP) — Saudi warplanes have reportedly struck on Friday forces in southern Yemen backed by the United Arab Emirates, a separatist leader says.

This comes as a Saudi-led operation attempts to take over camps of the Southern Transitional Council, or STC, in the governorate of Haramout that borders Saudi Arabia.

Tensions between Saudi Arabia and the UAE rose after the STC moved last month into Yemen’s governorates of Hadramout and Mahra and seized an oil-rich region. The move pushed out forces affiliated with the Saudi-backed National Shield Forces, a group aligned with the coalition in fighting the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen.

Meanwhile, the Saudi ambassador to Yemen accused the head of the STC of blocking a Saudi mediation delegation from landing in the southern city of Aden.

The STC deputy and former Hamdrmout governor, Ahmed bin Breik, said in a statement that the Saudi-backed National Shield Forces advanced toward the camps, but the separatists refused to withdraw, apparently leading to the airstrikes.

Mohamed al-Nakib, spokesperson for the STC-backed Southern Shield Forces, also known as Dera Al-Janoub, said Saudi airstrikes caused fatalities, without providing details. The Associated Press couldn’t independently verify that claim.

Al-Nakib also accused Saudi Arabia in a video on X of using “Muslim Brotherhood and al-Qaeda militias” in a "large-scale attack " early Friday that he claimed sepratists were able to repel.

He likened the latest developments to Yemen’s 1994 civil war, “except that this time it is under the cover of Saudi aviation operations.”

Salem al-Khanbashi, the governor of Hadramout who was chosen Friday by Yemen's internationally recognized government to command the Saudi-led forces in the governorate, refuted STC claims, calling them “ridiculous” and showing intentions of escalation instead of a peaceful handover, according Okaz newspaper, which is aligned with the Saudi government.

Earlier on Friday, al-khanbashi called the current operation of retrieving seized areas “peaceful.”

“This operation is not a declaration of war and does not seek escalation,” al-Khanbashi said in a speech aired on state media. “This is a responsible pre-emptive measure to remove weapons and prevent chaos and the camps from being used to undermine the security in Hadramout,” he added.

The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen demands the withdrawal of STC forces from the two governorates as part of de-escalation efforts. The STC has so far refused to hand over its weapons and camps.

The coalition's spokesperson Brig. Gen. Turki al-Maliki said Friday on X that Saudi-backed naval forces were deployed across the Arabian Sea to carry out inspections and combat smuggling.

In his post on X, the Saudi ambassador to Yemen, Mohammed al-Jaber, said the kingdom had tried “all efforts with STC” for weeks "to stop the escalation" and to urge the separatists to leave Hadramout and Mahra, only to be faced with “continued intransigence and rejection from Aidarous al-Zubaidi," the STC head.

Al-Jaber said the latest development was not permitting the Saudi delegation's jet to land in Aden, despite having agreed on its arrival with some STC leaders to find a solution that serves “everyone and the public interest.”

Yemen’s transport ministry, aligned with STC, said Saudi Arabia imposed on Thursday requirements mandating that flights to and from Aden International Airport undergo inspection in Jeddah. The ministry expressed “shock” and denounced the decision. There was no confirmation from Saudi authorities.

ِA spokesperson with the transport ministry told the AP late Thursday that all flights from and to the UAE were suspended until Saudi Arabia reverses these reported measures.

Yemen has been engulfed in a civil war for more than a decade, with the Houthis controlling much of the northern regions, while a Saudi-UAE-backed coalition supports the internationally recognized government in the south. However, the UAE also helps the southern separatists who call for South Yemen to secede once again from Yemen. Those aligned with the council have increasingly flown the flag of South Yemen, which was a separate country from 1967-1990.

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Associated Press writers Bassem Mroue in Beirut and Fatma Khaled in Cairo contributed to this report.

Southern Yemen soldiers of Southern Transitional Council (STC) at a check point, in Aden, Yemen, Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025. (AP Photo)