HotelPlanner Tour graduate Marco Penge secured a maiden DP World Tour title after cruising to victory at the inaugural Hainan Classic last weekend.
Entering the final round in a share of the lead, the Englishman signed for a closing 67 to finish on 17 under par, three shots clear of Norwegian Kristoffer Reitan and American Sean Crocker.
Penge earned promotion to the DP World Tour by topping the Road to Mallorca Rankings in 2023 and made sure of victory in his 47th start on golf’s Global Tour with an assured performance over the weekend.
Back in 2023, Penge found himself 81st in the Rankings with nine events to play, and kick-started his promotion bid by finishing sixth at the Dormy Open before securing a breakthrough win in the Open De Portugal at Royal Óbidos.
Starting the final round one stroke behind Englishman Andrew Wilson, Penge carded a two under par 70 to finish on 16 under par and four shots clear of a two-way tie for second. However, better was to come at the Rolex Grand Final supported by The R&A.
Penge began the week 24th in the season-long Rankings, and four places outside the promotion spots, but after posting rounds of 69-68-72 at Club de Golf Alcanada, he fired a closing three under par 69 to end the week six shots clear of Frenchman Tom Vaillant. Penge’s second career victory saw him become the 13th Englishman to top the season-long standings.
Having finished 110th in the 2024 Race to Dubai Rankings to narrowly retain DP World Tour playing privileges, Penge began 2025 with a third-place finish at the Investec South African Open Championship before placing inside the top 30 at the Volvo China Open.
Teeing it up in his 47th DP World Tour event in Hainan, Penge raced clear during the final round after carding three consecutive birdies between the 12th and 14th.
Penge’s third career victory moves him up to 11th on the Race to Dubai Rankings and the Englishman will now tee it up at next month’s PGA Championship at Quail Hollow after ending the DP World Tour’s Asian Swing in third.
HotelPlanner Tour alumni Reitan, Dane Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen and Frenchman Martin Couvra also enjoyed positive weeks in Hainan.
Reitan, who won the 2024 Rolex Grand Final in Mallorca, finished second. Neergaard-Petersen, last year’s Road to Mallorca Number One, followed up a tie for tenth at the Volvo China Open with a fourth place at the Hainan Classic. 2024 graduate Couvra posted his third top five finish of the season and was the only player in the field to shoot two under par or better in each round.
