Marco Penge will have his sights set on promotion to the DP World Tour when he tees it up at the Swiss Challenge at Golf Saint Apollinaire, following a breakthrough win last week.
The Englishman secured a maiden European Challenge Tour win with a dominant four stroke victory in the Open de Portugal at Royal Óbidos three days ago, a result which saw the 25-year-old climb into the top 20 of the Road to Mallorca Rankings for the first time this year.
Penge, who will seal his place on Europe’s top tier if he remains inside the top 20 at the conclusion of the Rolex Challenge Tour Grand Final supported by the R&A at Club de Golf Alcanada, is hoping that he can continue his good form for the final four tournaments of the year.
“A lot of doors are open, but I still need to get myself through those doors,” he said. “I’ve moved up to 19th in the Rankings, I’ve secured my place in China to play the second to last event, and I’ve guaranteed my place at the Grand Final too, so I have a real chance.
“With golf anything can happen. I know just that having been 84th in the Rankings five weeks ago to now being 19th.
“For me and a lot of the guys out here, it doesn’t matter where you are right now, it’s where you are at the end of that Grand Final, so the goal is to keep pushing on and try to do as well as I can.”
Penge missed most of the 2021 season due to injury, but returned last year to finish 39th in Rankings. One year later and after his breakthrough win, he admits confidence is at an all-time high.
“It was a new experience, winning on the Challenge Tour,” he added. “I’ve won in the past as a junior, amateur and in the third tier of professional golf, but to win last week was an unbelievable feeling.
“It gives me a lot of confidence winning at this level because the standard on the Challenge Tour is so good. It means I must’ve played pretty well.
“Me and my team have always said that if I get better every year, who knows what can happen. That’s the priority as a golfer, becoming better year on year, so at the end of the season we can say that I’m a better player than I was at the start.
“This year has been quite a tough one. I’ve had to stay really patient and the reward has come now.”
Penge joins a strong field in France that includes Road to Mallorca Number Two Casey Jarvis, four-time DP World Tour winner Matteo Manassero and two-time DP World Tour winner Tom Lewis.
The first round of the Swiss Challenge gets under way on Thursday at 7:50am local time with Penge teeing off alongside Jarvis and 2017 Swiss Challenge winner Joel Girrbach at 8:30am.
