“I understand the decision, it was difficult to accept, but I understand why Luke Donald made the decisions he did…”. These are the words of Marco Penge. The Englishman, currently third in the Race to Dubai, has come to terms with the English captain’s decision not to take him to the Ryder Cup. However, it still stings and he admits it was tough to take. One could argue he deserved a place after a season with two DP World Tour wins and his PGA Tour card already sealed.
The admirable thing about Penge is that he decided to let his golf do the talking in the week when Lowry and Rahm return to the tour after their exploits in Bethpage. The Englishman is eager to prove to himself that he can go head-to-head with those two giants. His start at the Open de España presented by Madrid will go a long way to doing just that. A stunning 66 saw him leading when he signed his card, despite a final-hole bogey.
Marco has nothing but respect for the Club de Campo layout: “It’s a course that demands complete focus at all times. The fairways are narrow and the greens are quite small. But I think it suits my game well”. The Englishman crushes the ball off the tee, which together with his accuracy is the perfect blend for victory in the Spanish capital. The sixth longest driver of a ball on tour all-but tamed the Madrid course on Thursday to take an early lead.
Penge already knows that he will be crossing the Atlantic in a few months thanks to his shiny new PGA Tour card. He is third in the Race to Dubai, which is currently led by none other than Rory McIlroy. The Northern Irishman will be difficult to catch, but a win for the Englishman in Madrid would certainly spice things up by taking him to within 400 points of the lead. It is too early to be talking of victory; a lot can happen in 54 holes of golf. However, having destroyed the field at Club de Golf Alcanada in the Road to Mallorca Final two years ago, it looks like the 27-year-old has something of an affinity with Spain.
For the moment, everything Marco touches turns to gold. Until twelve months ago he had barely a top-ten finish to his name on the DP World Tour. This year he has two victories and two more top tens. It is undeniable that he has been one of the most consistent players in this season. Keep an eye on Penge – he is hoping to become the first Englishman to don the Spanish crown since Andrew Johnston in 2016.
