Marco Penge captured his maiden DP World Tour title with a win at the Hainan Classic, held at Hainan Island, China. The 26-year-old finished with rounds of 68, 71, 65, and 67 for a total score of 17-under-par (271 strokes).
With the win, Penge secured a place in the PGA Championship scheduled to be held from May 15-18 at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina. He also made a significant move in the Official World Golf Rankings, climbing to World No. 194. Meanwhile, inq the Race to Dubai standings, he moved to 11th position.
Meanwhile, Brooks Koepka, a former World No. 1 and current LIV Golf member, is ranked 315th in the world. Cameron Smith, another LIV golfer, stands at No. 135.
The Hainan Classic marked Penge’s seventh start of the 2025 season. He began the year at the Magical Kenya Open presented by Absa, finishing T20. He later finished third at the Investec South African Open Championship and tied for 19th at the Joburg Open.
Penge also competed at the Porsche Singapore Classic, finishing T69, and the Volvo China Open, where he recorded a T26 result before his win in China.
At the weekend, Penge also joined the list of HotelPlanner Tour graduates who have gone on to win on the DP World Tour. His victory comes 17 months after he clinched the Rolex Grand Final, where he topped the Road to Mallorca Rankings to earn his DP World Tour card.
Marco Penge returned to form after a two-month suspension
In December 2024, Penge was suspended for two months after it was found he had placed bets on multiple golf tournaments, violating the DP World Tour’s integrity policy.
According to Penge, 68% of the bets were placed before he completed the tour’s integrity course in March 2023. He stated that he never bet on himself or on any event he was playing in. His average bet was around £24, with total winnings of about £250.
“This was all a genuine and honest mistake that I have taken full responsibility for, and I will never, ever make the same mistake again,” Penge said at the time, as reported by NBC Sports.
He was fined £2,000. After serving his suspension, Penge returned to competition and has now secured his first DP World Tour victory.
“This obviously means the world to me. It’s something that I’ve always dreamt of achieving, winning on the biggest stage. After my time off, it was the thing that I wanted to really prove to myself and prove to everyone, to show what a player I am…What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger,” Penge said after the win.
Penge has previously dealt with injury setbacks in his career. He underwent a major knee surgery in 2021 and later topped the Challenge Tour’s Order of Merit in 2023, earning a promotion to the DP World Tour.
alt=”Sonali Verma” height=”72″ width=”72″>
Edited by Pratham K Sharma
