Marco Penge Crowned Champion of the Spanish Open and Secures a Place in the Masters
English golfer Marco Penge won the Spanish Open after defeating his compatriot Daniel Brown in an exciting playoff. This victory earns him a place in the prestigious Masters and the Open Championship next year. Penge, who had maintained a four-stroke lead, finally secured the victory with a birdie on the first playoff hole, thus adding his third European Tour title so far this year.This edition of the national tournament offered the winner an automatic spot for the Masters and The Open for the first time. Penge, excited about the opportunity to play in the Masters, expressed his enthusiasm. “It’s a golf course I’ve always wanted to play on, because I feel my game suits it very well.” Penge, with a card of 72 strokes (+1) on Sunday, tied with Brown with a total of 15 under par for the tournament. Brown, celebrating his 31st birthday on Saturday, started the day five strokes behind, but rallied with a final round of 67 (-4). Despite dealing with a right shoulder ailment that required treatment, he managed to force a tie with a birdie on the last hole. Penge, 27 years old, also achieved victories in the Danish Golf Championship and the Hainan Classic. Girrbach (69) started the day four strokes behind the leader and finished third in the tournament with 14 under par. The local favorite, Jon Rahm, who was seeking his fourth title at the Spanish Open, was not in contention at the start of the final round, but closed with an impressive round of 65 (-6), tying for ninth place. Shane Lowry, like Rahm, returned to action after his participation in the Ryder Cup in New York last month, but failed to make the cut at the Club de Campo Villa de Madrid.“Dan and Joel Girrbach played incredibly well today. They were sinking putts, and I just couldn’t get it in the hole. I felt like I was really up against it,” Penge commented. “But I felt like I managed myself very well, and I think from tee to green, I played very solid. Never mind the putts; I think I used them all yesterday, but obviously sinking that one was worth the wait.”
Marco Penge
