There are examples from across world sport of highly successful sporting siblings dominating in their arenas. Immediately, you might think of the Williams sisters in tennis, or the Charlton brothers in football, but it would be remiss to ignore the elite level kin that tee it up on the professional golf tours.
In this article, we explore six sets of golf's famous families and leave you to decide who wins in the ultimate sibling rivalry...
1. Nelly and Jessica Korda
How can we not start here! The Korda sisters have been huge names in the women's professional game for quite some time, with 15 LPGA Tour wins between them. Interestingly, despite having six fewer years on the tour, it's actually younger sister, Nelly Korda, who has had the most success to date. Nelly (9) outranks Jessica (6) in terms of LPGA wins, and also has a Major Championship to her name – as the winner of the 2021 Women's PGA Championship.
The sisters have also played on the same Solheim Cup team twice, in 2019 and 2021, winning two out of three matches when paired together.
2. Francesco and Edoardo Molinari
We move from arguably the most famous golfing sisters still to play the game, to one of the most famous sets of brothers. Francesco and Edoardo Molinari have shared a long and successful career, with 20 professional wins between them. Francesco is undoubtedly the most accomplished of the pair, winning 10 times including the 2018 Open Championship and two PGA Tour titles.
Both Francesco and Edoardo were appointed vice-captains by captain Luke Donald for the 2023 Ryder Cup, supporting Team Europe to take the trophy in Rome.
The Molinari boys also won a team event as players, taking the 2009 Omega Mission Hills World Cup for Italy, after fighting off a strong challenge from a Northern Ireland team including a certain Rory McIlroy.
3. Nicolai and Rasmus Højgaard
From what might be described as the 'old guard' of male golfing siblings to the 'new kids on the block', we move on to Danish twins Nicolai and Rasmus Højgaard.
This pair came out of the traps hot, turning professional in 2019, and two years later becoming the first brothers to win in back-to-back weeks on the European Tour. It was Rasmus who won first, becoming the third youngest winner on the European Tour. Rasmus secured three titles by the time Nicolai picked up his first, but since then their fortunes appear to have flipped.
After his first professional win in 2021, Nicolai has gone on to collect a DP World Tour Championship title and a place on the victorious 2023 Ryder Cup team. While both brothers sit on four professional wins, Nicolai (30) has now leapfrogged Rasmus (70) in the Official World Golf Rankings and shows no signs of slowing down. At just 22 years old, this will hopefully be a sibling rivalry we can enjoy for many years to come.
4. Ariya and Moriya Jutanugarn
Another pair of LPGA sisters now, and with 15 professional wins between them, Ariya and Moriya Jutanugarn are looking to give the Kordas a run for their money. Similarly to Nelly and Jessica, it's the younger sibling in this duo who has been more successful. Ariya Jutanugarn has an impressive 12 LPGA wins, including two Major Championship titles, while Moriya currently has two.
The pair have competed together four times for Thailand in the International Crown, winning the event in 2023. Despite turning professional two years later, it is clear that former World No.1, Ariya, holds the bragging rights in this one.
5. Min Woo and Minjee Lee
The only brother and sister combo on this list, Australian's Min Woo and Minjee Lee have got to be the most exciting cross-tour pairing in world golf. With 17 professional wins between them, it's older sister Minjee Lee that has had the more distinguished career to date.
10 LPGA Tour wins, including two Major Championships, has seen Minjee Lee rank inside the top-10 in the world rankings for the past six years. Min Woo on the other hand has grown in stature on the DP World Tour in recent years, securing three wins including the 2023 Australian PGA Championship in his home country.
6. Matt and Alex Fitzpatrick
We finish with the Yorkshire pair of Matt and Alex Fitzpatrick, who despite an apparent gulf in professional accolades represent an exciting potential Ryder Cup pairing for the future.
Matt Fitzpatrick has had eight more years than Alex as a professional, and that is evident when you look at their records. Matt, who won the 2022 US Open, currently has ten professional wins, while Alex currently holds a single Challenge Tour title.
The pair teamed up at the 2023 Zurich Classic of New Orleans, finishing in tied 19th after an opening 62 to sit one off the pace.
Alex's potential is emphasised by his meteoric rise up the world rankings, moving from 2503rd to 120th in the space of two years. While he still sits 112 places behind his big brother, it certainly looks like we could be seeing further success for Alex Fitzpatrick in years to come.
