Marco Penge birdied the final hole at Furesø Golf Klub to capture the Danish Golf Championship on Sunday, edging hometown favorite Rasmus Hojgaard by a single stroke in dramatic fashion.
Hojgaard built a commanding four-shot lead midway through his front nine, looking poised to thrill the Copenhagen crowd with a victory that would’ve significantly boosted his Ryder Cup chances. But his round unraveled with a costly stretch where he dropped four shots in just four holes starting at No. 10, opening the door for Penge.
The Englishman seized the opportunity and walked to the par-5 18th with a two-shot cushion over Hojgaard in the final pairing. The drama wasn’t over, though. Hojgaard thrilled the gallery by draining a 10-foot eagle putt, temporarily tying the tournament and putting immense pressure on Penge.
Penge didn’t flinch. He calmly rolled in his 4-foot birdie putt to secure the win with a final-round 67, finishing at 16-under for the tournament.
It’s Penge’s second DP World Tour title of 2024, following his breakthrough victory at the Hainan Classic in April. The 97th-ranked player has now established himself as a legitimate contender on tour.
For Hojgaard, the runner-up finish (69) keeps him just outside the automatic qualifying positions for Europe’s Ryder Cup team. He currently sits behind projected No. 6 Shane Lowry and No. 7 Sepp Straka with just one qualifying event remaining – next week’s Betfred British Masters, where Hojgaard will compete.
The PGA Tour’s Tour Championship, running concurrently, doesn’t offer European Ryder Cup points, making the British Masters Hojgaard’s final opportunity to play his way onto the team before captain’s picks are announced.
