About a year ago, Marco Penge was outside the world's top 400 and had just earned his European Tour card after sinking a decisive putt on his final hole. The past 12 months have been a whirlwind for him. The European Tour suspended him for two months for placing minor bets on tournaments he didn't enter, before he completed the tour's integrity program. Penge accepted his mistake and vowed not to repeat it. Instead, he won his first European Tour title in China, finished runner-up at the Scottish Open, won in Denmark, and captured his third title at the Spanish Open.
This puts him in pursuit of Rory McIlroy in the Race to Dubai ahead of the final two events of the season, sitting 441 points behind McIlroy in the HSBC Abu Dhabi Championship.
“I’m still a little incredulous about my situation,” Penge said Tuesday in Abu Dhabi. “Not because I don’t think I’m good enough, but because of how quickly everything has happened.”
Furthermore, he has already secured his PGA Tour card, which is awarded to the top 10 players on the European Tour, commercially known as the DP World Tour. Amid rumors of potential interest from LIV Golf, Penge and his wife have moved to the United States to look for a home for next year.
This week is crucial not only for the Race to Dubai, as Penge is currently ranked 29th in the world and valuable points are at stake for next year. The PGA Tour's top events, with a $20 million purse, require players to be ranked in the top 30 in the world. “I’ve looked at the schedule and I’m aware that if you’re in the top 30 in the world going into a major event, you can qualify,” he explained. “I’m a numbers guy, so I’ve done the math on where I want to be.”
Penge will play the first two rounds in Abu Dhabi alongside McIlroy and Tyrrell Hatton, marking his first time competing with McIlroy, who is aiming for his seventh European number one ranking and fourth consecutive title. “There’s nothing to be afraid of. I just want to enjoy the moment and the experience of being in this position and playing with the best in the world,” he said.
Return to Lake Merced
The LPGA Tour will return to Lake Merced in San Francisco for a unique team event in golf. It was announced that the Hanwha Lifeplus International Crown will be held at Lake Merced in 2027, marking the second consecutive year it has been hosted in San Francisco. Thailand won at Harding Park in 2023. South Korea-based Hanwha has its AI center in San Francisco, and its co-brand, Lifeplus, has sponsored the San Francisco Giants since 2014.
The LPGA held the Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic at Lake Merced from 2014 to 2016 and had a four-year run with the LPGA Mediheal Championship. Lydia Ko has won three times on the Alister MacKenzie design. Previous U.S. courses that have hosted the International Crown include Caves Valley near Baltimore and The Merit Club in the Chicago suburbs.
Unexpected plans
James Morrison, who spent 15 years and 438 starts on the European Tour, had been relegated to the development circuit now known as the HotelPlanner Tour. At 40, he had decided it was time to retire. However, an unexpected twist occurred on his path to retirement. With a 65 in Saturday's round, he took the lead and held on in the final round with a 70, winning the season-ending Rolex Grand Final. This moved him up 30 places in the points standings, securing him a European Tour card for 2026.
During the trophy presentation, he acknowledged the other 19 players who also earned tour cards, saying, “First of all, I’m the oldest player in the field this week and I beat this group, so you guys have something to work on.” He combined humor with pure emotion, especially having his 13-year-old son, Finley, as his caddie that week. “When I said this was going to be my last event, I really meant it, at the 100%,” he remarked. “This has completely ruined those plans.”
The new season will begin in three weeks in Australia. “I don’t have a tour bag. I don’t have a caddie,” Morrison said. “I’m going to have to work some things out.”
Walker Cup practice
Jackson Koivun, a sophomore at Auburn and the world's number one amateur, is one of 18 players invited to a practice session next month for the 2026 Walker Cup in Lahinch, Ireland. The practice session will be held at Seminole, Jupiter Hills, and MacArthur in South Florida. Koivun has already secured a PGA Tour card through the accelerated qualification program for undergraduates but decided to remain in school. The Walker Cup will be moved to even-numbered years, so it will be played in consecutive years.
It will take place the first weekend of September, and Koivun can still decide to take his PGA Tour membership in June, after the NCAA Championship concludes. Accepting the practice sessions does not affect that decision.
Divots
Sergio Garcia is hosting his fourth annual charity event, “FORE Kids ATX,” in Austin, Texas, this week, with the help of his Fireballs teammates at LIV Golf. Garcia and his wife, Angela, will host the event, which has already raised more than $7 million for children's charities in Texas. Friday's tournament will feature Abraham Ancer, David Puig, and Josele Ballester.
The UCLA duo of Jake Knapp and Patty Tavatanakit return as defending champions of the Grant Thornton Invitational mixed team event in December. Other teams include the Canadian pair of Brooke Henderson and Corey Conners, the Florida State duo of Luke Clanton and Lottie Woad, and Nelly Korda alongside Denny McCarthy.
In this week's world rankings, the top 10 include six Americans and four British players.
Statistics of the week
Women's British Open champion Miyu Yamashita became the third LPGA Tour player to surpass $3 million in earnings this year. Ten years ago, Lydia Ko earned the title with $2.8 million.
Final word
“Probably a nine out of ten. It would have been a ten out of ten if I’d been picked for Bethpage.” — Marco Penge, three-time European Tour winner, when asked how he would rate his year.
