English tour pro banned over betting breach

The DP World Tour has banned Marco Penge for three months after the Englishman was found to have broken betting rules. 

The European-based circuit announced on Wednesday that Penge had been sanctioned for breaching their Integrity Programme, after it was determined he had placed bets on golf events that he was not competing in.

“An Independent Disciplinary Panel found that the Englishman placed bets on multiple golf events in breach of Regulation 3(a)(i)* of the Programme,” a DP World Tour statement read.

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“Penge did not bet on himself or on the progress of tournaments during days when he was participating, leading the panel to find that the integrity of such events had not been compromised.

The suspension took effect from 13 December 2024 and with one month suspended for a period of 12 months, Penge can return to action from February 13, 2025 onwards. He was also fined £2,000 for the breach.

Penge, a 26-year-old pro from Sussex, had just completed his first full year on the DP World Tour when he was slapped with the ban.

The 2023 Portuguese Open winner had graduated through victory at last year’s Challenge Tour Grand Final and was fighting to keep his card until the very last moment this season.

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He made a birdie on his final hole to make the cut on the closing par-five at the Genesis Championship in South Korea, which was just enough to finish inside the top 115 and maintain his playing rights for 2025.

Now, though, he’ll miss a minimum of seven tournaments before his next available start, which will be the Magical Kenya Open in February.

Penge published a statement on social media, explaining that the sanctions were a result of placing bets with a total average stake of £24.

“Back in April 2024, the Tour were informed by a betting agency that I had placed some bets on golf from 2022, with an overall average stake of £24 and total profit of c.£250,” it read.

“68% of the bets I placed were before I took the integrity programme education course in 2023.

“All of my best were positive bets (meaning betting on someone to win rather than lose) and a majority of them were in the majors and the Ryder Cup.

“My bets were all for entertainment purposes to make watching golf more fun – just like most would do if it was something like the Grand National or other sporting events.

“I genuinely thought it was ok to bet on golf as long as it wasn’t myself or tournaments I was competing in.

“This was all a genuine and honest mistake that I have taken full responsibility for and I will never ever make the same mistake again.”

Ben Parsons joined bunkered as a Content Producer in 2023 and is the man to come to for all of the latest news, across both the professional and amateur games. Formerly of The Mirror and Press Association, he is a member at Halifax Golf Club and is a long-suffering fan of both Manchester United and the Wales rugby team.