Marco Penge has earned his spot in the field at Augusta National next spring.
The 27-year-old Englishman won the 2025 Open de Espana on Sunday, the latest stellar finish on a resume full of them as the year continues on the DP World Tour. With the victory, Penge punched his ticket to the 2026 Masters and 2026 Open Championship, as Spain’s national open is one of the tournaments now offering exemptions into the two major championships, a change in qualifying criteria announced in August.
Penge won the Spanish Open in a playoff, beating Dan Brown on the first playoff hole with a birdie to claim his third victory of the year. He and Brown finished one shot ahead of Joel Girrbach.
“Dan and Joel played great today, they were holing putts and I just couldn’t really get it in the hole, it felt like I was really up against it,” Penge said. “But I felt like I managed myself really well and I actually think tee to green, I feel like I played really solid. It doesn’t matter the putts, I think I used them all yesterday, but obviously holing that one there was worth the wait.”
The win will move Penge to 31st in the Official World Golf Ranking, his highest mark. He also moves to second in the Race to Dubai rankings, essentially guaranteeing he earns a PGA Tour card following next month’s DP World Tour Championship.
And after Sunday, there’s no question he’ll head down Magnolia Lane for the first time next April.
“It’s crazy. It’s a golf course that I’ve always wanted to play, because I feel like my game sets up really good for it,” Penge said. “My goal was to get in the top 50 in the world by the end of the year. I think that made it a little easier playing the playoff, knowing that if I don’t win, I’m still going to be at the Masters. I tried to do a bit of reverse psychology there but no, I’m looking forward to it.”
Jon Rahm, a three-time Spanish Open winner, finished T-9. He was near the lead during the third round but struggled on the back nine and fell out of contention for a fourth win in his national championship.
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