Marco Penge (-15) has won the Open de España, as could have been suspected on Saturday. However, the truth is he struggled immensely to clinch the victory, considering that, having started the final round with a four-shot lead over his closest pursuer, he was forced into a playoff with his compatriot Daniel Brown (-15), who had carded a 67.
On the first hole of the playoff, the current English sensation in world golf (with due respect to Luke Donald, Hatton, Rose, and Fitzpatrick, the recent Ryder Cup winners) managed a birdie on the 18th at the Club de Campo in Madrid to secure his third victory of the year and his career on the DP World Tour, as well as earning a spot in the Masters Tournament, taking advantage of the newly granted privilege that Augusta National has bestowed upon the Spanish Open, whereby the tournament winner would receive such a coveted invitation. A few weeks ago, he narrowly missed out on the Ryder Cup team, which many considered almost an injustice. Today is a time of redemption for Marco Penge, without a doubt.
What matters least is that today the Englishman didn’t have much or almost anything go his way, especially compared to the majestic standard of play he has shown throughout the year (note: this is his third victory in the last 16 tournaments he has played). He struggled in almost every aspect of the game, and his putter didn’t bail him out of trouble as it has on other occasions, despite being one of the best putters in the world currently, although he did sink that victorious putt from about two metres away on the first playoff hole to defeat Brown. The fact is that this victory also takes him to second place in the Race to Dubai, only behind Rory McIlroy, whom he will surely challenge for the final title of ranking winner.
Moreover, Penge joins another exclusive club. To date, only 39 players in the history of the DP World Tour had managed to win three or more times in a single season. He is therefore the fortieth. The last to achieve this was Collin Morikawa in 2021, when he won the WGC Concession, the PGA Championship, and the Dubai Finale. In this list, for example, there were only eight English players until today, which are now nine with Penge’s entry into the club. They were Oosterhuis, James, Faldo, Bembridge, Westwood, Donald, Wallace, and Sullivan.
Penge also definitively becomes Great with his entry into the top 50 in the world for the first time in his career, a destiny that many of his peers had predicted for this player, such is his prowess. Daniel Brown, his main rival until the end, also deserves full credit, although he is not currently on par with his compatriot, with whom he embraced once the outcome was decided. But his progress is sure and steady, and moreover, if we delve into specifics, he had to play the final part of the round with severe discomfort in his right trapezius, to the point of needing treatment from a physio during the game (a player can consume up to fifteen minutes of attention throughout a round).
Brown was also seeking his third victory on the European circuit, but it must be emphasised that he is a player with a clear and upward trajectory, so we shouldn’t have to wait long to see him contending for a win again. For now, this second place has propelled him in the Race to Dubai and placed him within the quota of the ten PGA Tour cards that will be distributed at the end of the season.
