Rory McIlroy’s partner at DP World Tour Championship had golf ban | Golf | Sport

Marco Penge is targeting a fairytale ending to his extraordinary year by defeating Rory McIlroy to claim victory at the DP World Tour Championships – and secure the European No. 1 crown. The past 12 months have seen the world No. 29 surge from barely retaining his tour card to claiming three tournament victories, earning a coveted Masters invitation and securing a PGA Tour card.

The 27-year-old has also served a three-month suspension for betting and received an ADHD diagnosis during this tumultuous period. For the season’s concluding event, the Horsham-born star will go toe-to-toe with the Masters champion during the opening two rounds at Jumeirah Golf Estates. Penge disclosed he had been “poorly” and confined to his hotel room for 48 hours following his tied-ninth finish in Abu Dhabi on Sunday.

“I was in bed yesterday watching Rory play here last year on YouTube,” he said. “Regardless of how I feel, I was going to be there on Thursday. Obviously I’m playing with Rory in the final event. I’m aware that I need to win this tournament to win The Race to Dubai.”

Penge, whose father is Italian, requires a tournament victory combined with McIlroy finishing outside the runner-up position to capture the Race to Dubai title, having placed 110th on the Order of Merit last season (the final position retaining full playing privileges) whilst slipping to world No. 440.

“I have learned a lot about myself in the last 12 months,” he added. “I became a father a year and a half ago, as well. I feel like the day my son (Enzo) was born, I automatically matured as a person.

“Just the responsibility of myself and my wife (Sophie), it was all of a sudden about my son and not really about me. I feel like I’ve proved myself a lot under pressure in big moments that I can do it, and obviously started with keeping my card.

“Then winning the first time in China and dealing with adversity, and going head-to-head with Rory in The Scottish Open, and then one in two months’ time in the DP World Tour.

“I feel like I’ve kind of dealt with every situation as well as I possibly could over the last year or so. I have a lot of proof in the pudding and if I fail this week, that’s fine because I’ve been so successful over the last year. There’s a lot of good things to look back on.”

The major setback came when he received the suspension from DP World Tour competitions – three months with one month suspended – along with a £2,000 fine for placing bets on golf tournaments he wasn’t competing in. His winnings totalled roughly £250, and he hadn’t realised he’d breached regulations.

The ban also denied him an opportunity to secure a spot in the Ryder Cup squad, though he bounced back with victories in Hainan Island, Denmark and Spain. Whilst serving his suspension, he received an ADHD diagnosis.

However, he’s now prepared for a decisive Dubai battle with McIlroy. “I’ll be just be in his shadow, I suppose and trying to follow him around the golf course,” he said.

“When you’re in a more pressurised situation, it’s obviously easy to shy away from it. It doesn’t scare me anymore but I’ve learned how to deal with it.

“Tomorrow is going to be the same. I’ll have some adrenaline on the first tee but I feel like I’ll be a lot more comfortable than I was last week. Yeah, just looking forward to playing with the guys, and the crowds coming to support, and hopefully put on a good show for everyone watching. Yeah, hopefully we can do a good job.”

The 52-strong field comprises the leading 50 players from the Race to Dubai standings, alongside Ryder Cup stars Ludvig Aberg and Shane Lowry.