by Marco Penge revealed the emotions he experienced as he finished last at the Genesis Championship cutline over the weekend.
The Englishman is among the players in the bubble, trying to retain their playing privileges on the DP World Tour for next year, and he appeared to be in control of his future when he scored a hat-trick of birdies from the ninth Place climbed to three under par.
However, his tee shot on the 12th went out of bounds, resulting in a double bogey that slipped back to one.
He rebounded with a birdie on the 14th, but bogeys on the 15th and 17th caused him to slip below the cutline at par level.
The top 114 in the Race to Dubai rankings in association with Rolex after Sunday’s final round will receive their card for next season, and with Penge starting the week in 115th, that meant he had one on the par-final five Had to make birdie to increase his chances.
After hitting his second shot over the back of the green, he held his nerve and holed the putt to within three feet to extend his week.
“Right now I’m feeling a little shaky and feeling a little sick with nerves and stuff,” Penge admitted.
“I played pretty well. I got it kind of going in the turn, 3 under for the tournament, and I thought, ‘Keep trying, keep trying’.”
“I wasn’t feeling great with the driver all day, so I tried to hit a stinger to keep it in the game, and even my shot to keep it in the game, I hit it out of bounds, That put a spanner in the works for me.” It was a tough battle over the last six holes.
“I knew we had 18 and that if I could pull away, I would be ready to make birdie down there.”
“It’s a day of mixed emotions, I think the situation made things difficult. I want to go to Abu Dhabi, but the problem is I have to make it through the weekend to have a chance of keeping my card.”
“It’s a really strange situation. I’ve been hovering around the 114-115 mark for the last five to six weeks and you try to tell yourself that you should look forward to coming to Abu Dhabi to try and win golf tournaments, but you can do it.” Thinking Be sure to consider keeping your card.
“This is my first [season] I was on the tour this year and enjoyed every moment of it. I’ve made some really good friends out here and I’ve enjoyed it off the golf course too.
“I don’t want to be anywhere other than here, so I’ve probably put a lot of pressure on myself to deliver what I need to do, but the whole situation itself isn’t pretty. I appreciate being here and experiencing these memories.
“I’m playing well enough to move up the table and try to get as high as possible. I know I probably need a top three finish to get to Abu Dhabi, so of course that’s my goal.”
