It is All to Play For on the DP World Tour as the Betfred British Masters hosted by Sir Nick Faldo marks the start of the Back 9 this week on the Race to Dubai.
In the first of a series of interviews with DP World Tour members, in-form Englishman Marco Penge reveals what provided the impetus for his spectacular breakout campaign, overcoming the disappointment of an enforced absence and how he is constantly re-evaluating his goals.
Ahead of each new year, it is often an opportunity to draw up a series of resolutions. For Marco Penge, one stood out: realise his potential.
“I sat down with my team at the start of this year and said I feel I am maybe at 25% of my potential and I am not enjoying that,” Penge told the DP World Tour.
“I said we needed to find a way to show more of my potential more often and get closer to my ceiling.”
In this sport, it can be difficult to draw grand conclusions, but Penge appears to now be delivering on his immense undoubted talent.
Victory on Sunday at the Danish Golf Championship was his second DP World Tour title of a breakout campaign, having claimed his maiden success at the Hainan Classic in April.
The 27-year-old sits second only to Rory McIlroy on the Race to Dubai Rankings and is at a career-high 73 in the Official World Golf Ranking.
“I definitely feel like I am working up that ladder towards my ceiling, but I feel like there is a long way to go if I do the right things,” added Penge in an interview with the DP World Tour in the days leading up to his victory in Denmark.
Touted as a player to watch since a young age, having represented England as a junior for the first time at 13, his progress through the ranks has been the source of great interest.
While he may not have been part of a Walker Cup, he was one of the leading lights in the junior and amateur ranks and represented England and Great Britain & Ireland across a series of international competitions with great distinction.
However, it was his win at the Scottish Amateur Stroke Play Championship at Moray Golf Club in 2015, in a field featuring a host of future DP World Tour winners, that was his stand-out amateur achievement.
Upon turning professional in 2017, he joined the PGA EuroPro Tour and landed his first title in the paid ranks two years later as he earned promotion to the HotelPlanner Tour for 2020.
While his talent was clear to see, a knee injury threatened to end his career in 2021, but after working his way back to full fitness he won two twice in 2023, including the Rolex Challenge Tour Grand Final to top the order of merit and graduate to the DP World Tour.
After holding his nerve to keep his card at the end of his rookie season, it is his mental approach which is due particular praise for his rise to wider prominence in recent months.
At the time Penge was drawing up his plan to make his mark, he was coming to terms with the disappointment of being banned by the DP World Tour for a betting breach.
It is often said that at your toughest times you learn the most about yourself, and Penge has bounced back from that roadblock in impressive fashion.
I am a competitor and love competing so I want to be playing against the best as much as I can
On his return to action in mid-February, he finished in the top 20 on three consecutive occasions, shortly before his breakthrough three-shot victory in China.
From there, he hasn’t looked back.
“I sat down with my team when I found out the news that I would not be able to play for a couple of months," he recalled.
“I said to them this was the situation, it’s happened now, how can we make sure we come back as strong as we can.
“We put together a plan for every department of the game where I could improve, getting an understanding of what I do well and how I do it well.
“It’s given me a blueprint and there are people who hold me accountable. It’s been the best year in my career."
His performances over the Asian Swing saw him earn a spot in the field at the US PGA Championship, where he finished in a creditable tie for 28th.
But it was on the Rolex Stage at the Genesis Scottish Championship, where he finished alongside McIlroy in a tie for second to confirm a long-held belief that he belonged among the world’s best. And to think, it was only through his win in China that he was in the field.
“To have a run at playing against the best players in the world and being able to plan and prepare for those events is why I play the game,” he reflected.
“I am a competitor and love competing so I want to be playing against the best as much as I can. You can’t take the opportunity for granted so you try to enjoy every moment of it.
“Not that I didn’t believe in myself, but it backed up some of my feelings, boosted my confidence and gave me the realisation that I am pretty good!”
After missing the cut at The Open, Penge spent two weeks at home with his wife, Sophie, and their son, Enzo, who turned one earlier this year.
Such a period in a gruelling campaign was rewarding, but it wasn’t long before Penge was eager to be back out on the course as he began the first of a six-week stretch at the Nexo Championship earlier this month.
“I have learned that I am playing the game purely for the love of competing,” he added.
And compete he did in Denmark, relishing the chance to perform again in front of the big crowds that were out in force to cheer on the home stars, including Rasmus Højgaard.
Trailing by four shots midway through the back nine in the final round, Penge remained patient and produced near faultless golf as a birdie-birdie finish saw him to a dramatic victory despite an eagle by Højgaard at the last.
But whatever pressure he faced over his three-foot birdie putt on the final green will have paled into comparison to the nerves he will have overcome to card a birdie to make the cut on the number and go on to keep his DP World Tour card at last season’s Genesis Championship in South Korea.
“Being around the cut mark and knowing I had to make the cut to have a chance to keep my card was probably the most nervous I have ever been,” he reflected.
“When I look back, it was probably the best thing for me. It has taught me a lot moving forward.”
Less than 12 months on, he finds himself assured of reaching the DP World Tour Play-Offs, on the cusp of earning dual membership with the PGA TOUR through the Race to Dubai and he is making good ground on trying to enter the world’s top 50.
Amid the highs he is now enjoying, he is always resetting his expectations in a bid to ensure he doesn’t become “complacent” or lose the intensity that fuels him.
He now arrives at the Betfred British Masters in the spotlight, but the renewed focus on him won't alter his approach.
“I am not one to get overawed by the fame,” he said.
“It doesn’t change me. I just see myself as a nice guy who loves his family, friends and appreciates the opportunities I have been given in my life. I realise how lucky I am.
“That’s the most important thing for me, remaining grounded and humble.”
After all, there is still so much left for him to achieve. Not just this season, but beyond.
