October 12, 2025 – Marco Penge battled resiliently to claim his third DP World Tour victory of the season by beating countryman Dan Brown in a play-off at the Open de España presented by Madrid 2025.

Brown brilliantly shot 67 despite repeated delays for treatment to his right shoulder and neck, finishing level on 15 under par with Penge who had begun the day four shots clear and posted a closing one over 72 at Real Club de Campo Villa de Madrid.

But the long-time leader birdied the first play-off hole to seal his third win on the 2025 Race to Dubai, following April’s Hainan Classic and the Danish Golf Championship in August, and earn a place in both The 154^th Open and the Masters Tournament next season.

Joel Girrbach, the third member of the final group, finished one shot behind in third.

Overnight leader Penge started the day by finding the trees off the first tee which led to a bogey, while Brown set about closing the gap by holing a combined 87 feet of putts in going birdie-eagle at the third and fourth.

Brown dropped a shot at the next and Penge moved to two over for the day with a bogey at the seventh, with the leaderboard becoming bunched and Girrbach going under the radar and at one point moving into a share of the lead.

Penge picked up his first birdie of the day at the 12^th while Brown started to find discomfort in his shoulder, which required treatment, but showed no signs of slowing down with birdies at the 13^th, 15^th and 18^th to tie the lead and force a play-off with his playing partner unable to get up and down from the greenside bunker.

The English duo both missed the green on the first extra trip down the par four 18^th, but Penge played a clever chip before going on to roll in the birdie putt for his third DP World Tour victory.

He secured his spot in both the 2026 Masters Tournament and The 154th Open via the exemptions on offer, while also moving to second place on the Race to Dubai Rankings and just 392.8 points behind leader Rory McIlroy.

Girrbach’s third place sees him jump 49 places to 60^th on the Race to Dubai, while Northern Irishman Tom McKibbin finished fourth on 12 under par. Frenchman Ugo Coussaud, Sweden’s Joakim Lagergren, Dane Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen and South African Jayden Schaper finished in a tie for fifth on 11 under.

RESULTS

Marco Penge: It was a strange day for me, I kind of had in my head that the golfing gods were against me.

Dan and Joel played great today, they were holing putts and I just couldn’t really get it in the hole, it felt like I was really up against it.

But I felt like I managed myself really well and I actually think tee to green, I feel like I played really solid. It doesn’t matter the putts, I think I used them all yesterday, but obviously holing that one there was worth the wait.

After missing out on the Ryder Cup, my next goal was to get into the top 50 in the world and earn a place in the Masters. I was fully aware that the winner here got in, and I felt confident that I’d earn enough points to qualify anyway, but to do it by winning this tournament is just amazing. To play the rest of the season knowing I’m in the Masters, having won the Spanish Open, three wins this year, and playing The Open Championship, I’m just so grateful for the opportunities I’ve had and for making the most of them.

Royal Birkdale is about an hour from where I live, so The Open next year will feel like a big local event for me. I’m pretty sure I’ll be in all four majors next year, and I never would’ve thought that six or seven months ago. But I’ve done it, and now I need to enjoy the celebrations without taking my foot off the pedal. I want to keep going for more. That’s just the person I am, I love playing golf, I love competing, and I love challenging myself. Hopefully, I can win again before the end of the year and maybe even catch Rory. He’s probably the best player of his generation, so it’s a tough one, but you never know.

October 10, 2025 – Marco Penge proved patience is a virtue as he manoeuvred into the Open de España presented by Madrid lead after two rounds at Real Club de Campo Villa de Madrid.

The Englishman has his sights set on becoming the first three-time winner on the 2025 Race to Dubai and posted a bogey free four under 67 to reach nine under par, one clear of Canadian Aaron Cockerill, Switzerland’s Joel Girrbach and Denmark’s Jeff Winther who shared second on eight under.

The 27-year-old, who won his maiden title at the Hainan Classic before tasting victory for a second time in 2025 at the Danish Golf Championship in August, waited for his scoring chances in the Spanish capital and his patience was rewarded with an impressive finish.

The Race to Dubai Number Three parred the first seven holes of his second round before moving into the red with a birdie from six feet at the par four eighth. He then rolled in a ten footer to move within one of the lead at the par three 11^th, before parring the next five.

The 2023 Road to Mallorca winner stuck his tee shot to two feet on the par three 17^th to move to three under for the day and level with the then-leaders, before showcasing the power he’s known for on the closing par four 18^th.

He hit his final drive of the day 325 yards to the middle of the fairway on the upslope to the green, before pitching his second to six feet and then converting a closing birdie and securing the 36-hole lead.

Winther posted an impressive bogey-free 64 to continue his recent good form, and the trio in second place sit one stroke ahead of six players in a share of fifth, including in-form Joakim Lagergren, from Sweden, French duo Julien Guerrier and Alex Levy, Englishman Dan Brown, America’s Patrick Reed and Austrian Bernd Wiesberger.

Young Spaniard Angel Ayora remains the leading home hope in a tie for 11^th on six under, while two-time Major winner Jon Rahm bounced back from his opening one over 72 with a classy five under 66 to sit five back of the lead.

Marco Penge: Very patient day, nice to have a bogey-free round. I played pretty solid, still a couple of bits there that I can improve on but all in all it was a steady round of golf.

I think if you’re not patient, it’s going to catch you out. It’s so tricky and a little bit fiddly and if you’re not fully focused or concentrating over every shot, you’re going to make bogeys.

I wasn’t really focusing on my score out there, it was mainly just to stay as patient as I could and see what the round gives me. I finished with two birdies there, when you are patient you do get rewarded so I did get that today.

Aaron Cockerill: I played really solid tee to green. Made a couple of good putts when I needed to and a couple of birdies at the end of each nine. Overall, very happy today.

It was gusty at points. When it was probably at its windiest, we were playing a par five downwind, so that was fantastic for me. It’s tricky out there; some greens are firm and some are more receptive. But the course is playing great, you’ve got to drive it well, the rough is up, and it’s firm.

Jeff Winther: Very steady after the first five or six holes. I was a bit up and down early on, but then I got going. I hit a lot of fairways, which is crucial out here, and even rolled a few putts in, which was great.

I always tell the guys the first three holes are my warm-up… but bloody hell, today the first five were my warm-up. I’ve been playing some great golf lately, just haven’t been able to put four good rounds together. Shot eight under in the first round last week, shot eight under in Paris and then got sick, so I feel like it’s coming. Winther is coming.

Joel Girrbach: It was very solid, really pleased with my game today. Especially after a tough week last week in tough conditions, it’s good to get it back. The game has shown some good signs, so I’m very happy about that.

I just stayed really calm, to be honest. Can’t really say what clicked, but everything from the long game to the putting was very solid, and I just kept it going.