Neergaard-Petersen sets sights on Ryder Cup spot

Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen cemented his status as one of golf’s most exciting prospects last year, capturing three Challenge Tour titles and claiming the Road to Mallorca Rankings crown - becoming just the fourth Dane to earn that honour.

His exceptional form earned him an automatic promotion to the DP World Tour, where he impressed by finishing 111th in the Race to Dubai despite limited starts on the global circuit.

That standout year caught the eye of European Ryder Cup Captain Luke Donald, who selected Neergaard-Petersen for last month’s Team Cup in Abu Dhabi - a tournament essentially regarded as a warm-up for the Ryder Cup.

Although the Continental Europe side fell short, the young Dane bounced back impressively with a superb final-round 66 the week after at Emirates Golf Club, earning a top-10 finish at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic. However, he faced a setback the following week, missing the cut at the Ras Al Khaimah Championship.

Now, the 25-year-old is preparing for his debut at the Bahrain Championship, eager to push on from his fantastic 2024.

Gulf News caught up with the 2024 Road to Mallorca champion ahead of the event at Royal Golf Club to learn more about Europe’s next rising star.

How have the last 12 months been for you?
It's been a crazy 12 months, a crazy start to my professional career, really. The last 18 months have gone so quickly, but I feel like I'm ready. It was nice to have a little bit of time off in the UAE in December to kind of settle down a little bit. It was quite a busy finish to the year for me, so I just settled down and got to work on some things that I wanted to work on for a while.

Was there anything in particular you were looking to improve in your game?
I just kind of want to get better all around. I felt like my game last year was pretty good all around, but there were too many weeks where I was either driving the ball really well or hitting my irons really well – it just didn’t really happen at the same time. So, it’s just about trying to be a little bit more consistent across both. I’ve also been in the gym as I’m trying to gain a little bit more distance.

How have you found the step up from the Challenge Tour to the DP World Tour?
I think probably one of the biggest differences is the courses we play on week in, week out – they’re more of a ‘big boys’ golf course. They offer a little more of a test; you're hitting more drivers, the rough's up, and there's a finer line between a really good shot and one that gets you in trouble. So, it’s about managing that and just keeping up what I have been doing – obviously, it’s gotten me here. There's no point in trying to reinvent myself; I’ve just got to improve on what I’m already doing well.

The Challenge Tour is often regarded as a launching pad for success, with players like Justin Rose and Brooks Koepka starting their careers there before going on to win Major Championships. Do you see yourself achieving a similar level of success in the game?
Absolutely, I have the utmost belief that I can reach that level. Even just the guys who graduated from the Challenge Tour the year before I played there have gone on to become DP World Tour winners already, so I’ve told the graduates from last year that we need to try and go one up on them. The Challenge Tour was a nice stepping stone, as I felt like I learned a lot last year on a week-to-week basis by practicing from Monday to Wednesday and then entering tournament mode. In that sense, it’s similar to the DP World Tour. Obviously, the setups out here are way bigger, but I felt like I learned a lot, and it’s nice to have a full DP World Tour schedule.

Jesper Svennson and Matteo Manassero both graduated from the Challenge Tour and secured PGA Tour cards the following year. Is your goal to follow in their footsteps this season?
That is the main goal for me this year. I want to see if I can win and get my hands on one of those ten PGA Tour cards. That’s the goal, for sure.

You were arguably a surprise inclusion in last month’s Team Cup. How did you find out you had been selected to take part in the Ryder Cup warm-up event?
It’s actually a good story. I was in Australia for the first event there, and then I got a text from Kelly Brian, who told me the Vice Captains had reached out to him for my number. Next thing I know, I get a call from Luke, which was pretty surreal. I thought maybe there was a chance to get a pick with the season that I’d had, but to actually get it was incredible. It was a great opportunity to not only go out there and compete for Continental Europe but also to be around all the legends in Abu Dhabi and soak up knowledge from them.

There are many parallels between you and Ludvig Åberg, both in turning professional and finding immediate success. He went from being an outside contender for the Ryder Cup to making his debut in Rome in 2023. Could you see yourself following a similar path and earning a spot at Bethpage this year?
I could. Obviously, there’s a long way to go until September, and to put myself in that position, there’s a lot of good golf to be played. For now, I’m just concentrating on the coming weeks and performing as well as possible.