Staff WriterMarco Penge has one hand on the trophy heading into the final round of the Open de España, presented by Madrid, after a blistering seven-under-par 64 sent him surging four shots clear at Club de Campo Villa de Madrid.
The 27-year-old Englishman turned in a masterclass of resilience and rhythm, carding eight birdies in ten holes to reach 16 under par. What began as a wobbly morning—complete with a snapped club and an early bogey—soon turned into a show of swagger that would’ve made Seve grin from above.
Penge started the day one shot in front but briefly fell behind Switzerland’s Joel Girrbach after his early mishap around a tree on the second and another stumble on the third. Unfazed, he launched a furious counter-attack with four straight birdies around the turn, retaking the lead in style.
The moment of the day came at the 13th, where Penge once again found the trees but pulled off a Houdini act worthy of a crowd encore—his second shot finished just right of the green, and from there he chipped in for birdie. As Girrbach’s par putt slid past, the Englishman suddenly had daylight.
“I took my driver back to the same loft I’d had it at all year, and today I felt like I had my speed and distance back,” said Penge. “I just felt really confident. After about ten holes, I was just trying to go as low as I could.”
That confidence bled through the back nine. A 17-foot birdie on 14, near-miss eagle on 15, and another gain on 16 stretched his lead to five before two steady pars capped off the round. Girrbach’s birdie at the last trimmed the margin to four, but the Englishman remains in command of the Open de España heading into Sunday.
“Whatever the outcome, it’s going to be a great experience and great memories for me,” Penge added. “I just love playing golf, love competing, and love playing in front of big crowds like we have here.
Tomorrow doesn’t define anything, it’s just another 18 holes of golf. Whatever happens, happens. It’s not the end of the world, I’ve still got my family at home and all that stuff, so I’m lucky. The result is the result.”
Girrbach, who carded a composed 67 to sit second alone, kept things light despite watching Penge shift gears.
“Another solid round, I would say,” he reflected. “Had the two bogeys in there, but it can happen. Today was quite firm, the greens were tricky, but all in all, I’m happy with the round and we had a really good, fun time.
It was a great battle with Marco as well. We kept it going and it was fun. I lost it a bit on the back nine, didn’t really have any more birdie chances until the last, but he played great too.”
Behind the leading duo, Patrick Reed and Dan Brown share third at 11 under, while Northern Ireland’s Tom McKibbin lurks at ten under, ready to pounce should the leaders falter.
Brown summed up his third round as “a little bit scrappy at the start,” but was pleased overall: “I played really nicely, didn’t do a lot wrong. The last two holes, though, a couple of misreads from about four feet, they just didn’t really do what I expected… But all in all, a decent day. I’m not going to put any pressure on myself to do anything special tomorrow.”
Reed, meanwhile, was full of praise for the Spanish crowds. “I love it. I love the golf course, I love the event, I love the turnout, especially how many kids come out. It’s awesome to see how many kids are out here watching golf. That’s what it’s all about, growing the game.”
Elsewhere, Englishman John Parry earned himself a shiny new set of wheels when his eight iron at the 17th took two friendly bounces before diving into the cup for an ace—winning him a BMW iX3 worth around €90,000. Dan Bradbury wasn’t about to let him have the spotlight alone; he produced his own hole-in-one at the ninth earlier in the day.
As the Open de España enters its final act, all eyes are on Penge. If he can bottle Saturday’s confidence for one more day, he’ll not just be lifting a trophy—he’ll be announcing himself as a genuine force on the DP World Tour.
