DP World Tour star tipped to make Ryder Cup breakthrough

With four months until the Ryder Cup, players are jostling for position in the team rankings.

Currently, Scottie Scheffler leads the US standings heading into this September’s contest at Bethpage, while Rory McIlroy heads the early European ladder.

But there is plenty of focus on those outside the top six automatic qualifiers, and one man has caught the eye on the visiting side.

Speaking on the 5 Clubs podcast, former PGA Tour pro Brendan de Jonge tipped a recently crowned DP World Tour winner to replicate Ludvig Aberg.

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“I think Marco Penge,” said de Jonge, when asked who could make a run. “This guy got his first win on the DP World Tour, and I was fortunate enough to watch him play a little bit at the PGA Championship.

“Guy hits it absolutely miles, cruising around that 190mph ball speed, big, tall guy. I think this guy is uber talented. I think he might be the Ludvig Aberg of this iteration of the Ryder Cup.

“He could be one of those guys who plays his way close and gives Luke Donald a difficult decision to make.”

The Zimbabwean’s co-host on the Wagyu Filet Show, Johnson Wagner, agreed that the Englishman’s game is gaining traction.

Wagner added: “I was on the range at the PGA, and somebody said to me ‘you need to watch this guy hit a driver’ – and it was Marco Penge.

“I need to start paying attention to him.”

It would mark a rapid rise for Penge, who claimed his maiden title on the Wentworth-based circuit in April.

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The 27-year-old won the inaugural Hainan Classic in China by three strokes.

Penge had only just returned from a three-month betting ban after he was found to have breached the tour’s Integrity Programme.

Meanwhile, Wagner and de Jonge weighed in on Robert MacIntyre’s hopes of backing up his first Ryder Cup appearance in Rome two years ago.

The pair agreed that the Scot will find his A-game this summer and punch a ticket to New York.

“I think Robert MacIntyre is going to find a way to play well through the summer, coming up to a couple of tournaments he’s defending,” said de Jonge.

“I think he’ll be there. And the fact that MacIntyre acquitted himself so well in Rome.”

Wagner added: “I agree, I think the players really enjoy him as well. I’m an American guy but, I mean, I’d just love to be a fly on the wall in that European team at some point.”

John Turnbull A graduate of the University of Stirling, John joined the bunkered team in 2023 as a Content Producer, with a responsibility for covering all breaking news, tour news, grassroots content and much more besides. A keen golfer, he plays the majority of his golf at Falkirk Tryst Golf Club. Top of his 'bucket list' is a round of Pebble Beach... ideally in the company of Gareth Bale.