Marco Penge: England’s rising golf star chasing Rory McIlroy in the Race to Dubai

At just 27, Marco Penge is making 2025 the year of his career. After years of climbing the professional golf ladder, the Englishman has exploded onto the DP World Tour, winning three tournaments in one season, including the recent Open de España, and vaulting to 31st in the Official World Golf Ranking.

But is Penge just a late bloomer, or a future world-class golf star ready to challenge the very best? His journey suggests the latter. After a standout amateur career, he turned professional in 2017, progressing from the EuroPro Tour to the HotelPlanner Tour, where he claimed the Open de Portugal and Rolex Challenge Tour Grand Final in 2023, securing promotion to the DP World Tour.

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This season, Penge has already won the Hainan Classic, the Danish Golf Championship, and most recently the Spanish Open, proving he can compete at the highest level. His stats tell the story: 5th in driving distance (297.89 yards), 6th in Greens in Regulation (71.65%), 8th in putts per greens in regulation (1.73), and 4th in scoring average (69.48)—all huge improvements from 2024.

Reflecting on his season, Penge said: “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. To do it by winning this tournament is just amazing. I’m so grateful for the opportunities I’ve had and for making the most of them.”

Now, with the Race to Dubai heating up, Penge trails Rory McIlroy by just 400 points, setting up a possible showdown in the season’s final events. He’ll also tee off at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship and the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai, giving him more opportunities to prove himself against the best.

“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,” Penge said.

With his power game, consistency, and growing confidence, Marco Penge is emerging as one of the DP World Tour’s standout stars of 2025. Whether he can catch McIlroy in the Race to Dubai remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: the world of golf is watching.