Marco Penge held his nerve to say victory on the 2025 Open de España introduced by Madrid, defeating Dan Brown in a dramatic play-off after a tense remaining day that noticed wild momentum swings, harm struggles, and flashes of brilliance from all contenders.
Brown produced an excellent closing spherical of 67, regardless of repeated interruptions for remedy to his proper shoulder and neck, to hitch Penge on 15 underneath par. Penge, who had began the day 4 pictures forward, birdied the primary further gap to seal his third DP World Tour title of the season, including to his wins on the Hainan Basic in April and the Danish Golf Championship in August.
The victory additionally earns him a coveted place in each The Open Championship and The Masters subsequent yr.
“It was such a battle on the market,” mentioned Penge. “Dan and Joel performed nice at this time, they had been holing putts and I simply couldn’t actually get it within the gap, it felt like I used to be actually up in opposition to it.
However I felt like I managed myself rather well and I truly assume tee to inexperienced, I really feel like I performed actually stable. It doesn’t matter the putts, I feel I used all of them yesterday, however clearly holing that one there was well worth the wait.”
Brown’s Grit and Brilliance
Penge stumbled early, sending his opening drive into the bushes for a bogey. Brown seized the second with a spectacular 55-foot birdie putt on the second, rolling it up and over a ridge from the front-left fringe.
“Not one you’re anticipating to gap,” he mentioned with typical understatement, moments earlier than draining one other lengthy effort — a 37-foot eagle putt on the third — to maneuver inside one shot of the lead.
Though a double-bogey on the subsequent gap halted his cost, Brown fought again with a birdie on the seventh, the place Penge dropped a shot after discovering an ungainly lie by a bunker.
Joel Girrbach, the third member of the ultimate group, additionally surged into competition with birdies on the fourth, eighth, and ninth holes, becoming a member of the leaders on 14 underneath earlier than giving one again on the tenth. “I simply got here right here hoping to maintain my card,” Girrbach had admitted on Saturday — however by day’s finish, he had accomplished excess of that.
Brown’s willpower shone via the ache. He acquired remedy on the twelfth tee earlier than placing an excellent strategy to arrange a birdie on 13. Regardless of clear discomfort, he added one other at 15, enjoying a number of minutes behind his companions after additional medical consideration.
All three contenders birdied the sixteenth, with Girrbach holing brilliantly from 21 toes, earlier than parring the seventeenth. Penge held a one-shot lead taking place the final, however Brown’s birdie from the perimeter compelled the play-off after Penge might solely make par from a bunker.
Girrbach’s birdie on 18 secured third place outright and, removed from merely retaining his card, assured him a spot within the DP World Tour Play-offs.
The Deciding Second
Returning to the 18th for the play-off, Brown’s tee shot got here to relaxation simply wanting the inexperienced, whereas Penge discovered the left tough. Each left themselves testing birdie putts after their chips and Penge calmly rolled his in from ten toes to clinch the title.
“I used to be getting a bit of annoyed at instances however I used to be reminding myself I used to be so affected person the primary three rounds, and that’s the rationale I performed the best way I did, so I simply tried to remain in the identical kind of mindset,” Penge mentioned. “Credit score to the lads, they did unbelievable to catch me, and I’m simply very grateful that I might be the one which wins.”
Augusta sure
Looking forward to Augusta, he added: “It’s loopy. It’s a golf course that I’ve all the time needed to play, as a result of I really feel like my sport units up actually good for it. My aim was to get within the high 50 on this planet by the tip of the yr. I feel that made it a bit of simpler enjoying the play-off, realizing that if I don’t win, I’m nonetheless going to be on the Masters. I attempted to do a little bit of reverse psychology there however no, I’m trying ahead to it.”
Ultimate Standings
Tom McKibbin completed fourth on 12 underneath after birdieing the final for a 69. Joakim Lagergren, Jayden Schaper, Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen, and Ugo Coussaud shared fifth on 11 underneath.
Native favorite Jon Rahm signed off with a superb 65, ending at 10 underneath, stage with Ángel Ayora, David Puig, and Alex Fitzpatrick. Fitzpatrick, who made 13 straight pars earlier than eagling the 14th from a bunker and birdieing the sixteenth for a 68, boosted his hopes of retaining his Tour card for subsequent season.
