No one in their right mind would have backed Marco Penge to make the cut just a few hours ago. The defending Spanish Open champion was on the ropes at +5, with two double bogeys in his first four holes and a Real Club de Campo course that seemed to have delivered its verdict. But the Englishman refused to give up his crown without a fight. Three birdies on the trot changed the script and turned his Friday into a remarkable comeback story.
Penge began his second round on the 10th and things started going downhill from his very first shot. The trees hugging the lefthand side of the fairway blocked him out for his second and he ended up with an ugly 6 on his card. On the 13th he endured another double bogey. With two mistakes of that magnitude, making the cut looked impossible. Last year’s champion, who had finished Thursday at +2, was on the brink of elimination and needed something extraordinary to stay alive.
But Penge had not travelled halfway around the world to go home without a fight.
The Englishman arrived in Madrid after competing on the PGA Tour in Utah, last weekend. A nine-hour time difference, thousands of kilometres and barely any time for his body to recover before taking on one of the most demanding courses the Open de España has presented in recent years. On top of that came the cold, the wind and a particularly tough afternoon tee time on day one.
He could have withdrawn. He could have prioritised rest after an exhausting week. But Penge is the defending champion and wanted to be in Madrid to defend the title that changed his life. He did everything possible to get here, even knowing the journey might take its toll. His presence alone was already a sign of his commitment to the tournament, but what he has just done is a much bigger story.
Because after those two double bogeys, when the weekend seemed out of his reach, Penge reeled off three consecutive birdies on the 4th, 5th and 6th. The last two were particularly impressive as they came on holes that have been wreaking havoc throughout the field since early Thursday morning. The Englishman has gone from being virtually out of the tournament to having a genuine chance of playing more golf on Saturday and Sunday.
And he still had one more trick up his sleeve. After making par at the 7th and 8th, Penge birdied the 9th to close with an extraordinary two-under-par round, finishing level-par overall and securing his place for the weekend. Penge had produced a comeback when it looked like he would no longer be able to defend the crown that earned him an invite to play at Augusta for the first time in his career.
A few hours ago, it seemed impossible. But Penge travelled halfway around the world to play in Madrid and, now that he’s here, he just keeps fighting. The champion is still alive.
