A rising PGA Tour pro just said what many coaches might hesitate to admit. The 27-year-old Marco Penge is playing his first full PGA Tour season and has already made waves at the 2026 Genesis Invitational. Notably, he delivered a blunt assessment while interacting with PGA Tour representatives.
“I think with most golfers, I don’t really like their swing that much, but probably more my speed, if I’m honest, the athleticism of my swing,” Marco Penge said about his ball speed in a video posted by the PGA Tour on Instagram. “Yeah, that’ll probably be my favorite part.”
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The Englishman was co-leading the 2026 Genesis Invitational after the first round. He carded a round of 5-under par 66, as did Aaron Rai, Rory McIlroy, and Jacob Bridgeman.
The 3x DP World Tour winner credited his swing and ball speed for his achievements, something he doesn’t think many other golfers can achieve.
“When I’m swinging it well, my ball speed’s in the region of 188 to 190, would be my optimal speed. I have tons of different flights that I like to hit. Now I have a flight, kind of call it the bomb, where I was trying to hit it as far as I can. Now I aim pretty square to target, and I push the ball up in my stance. But it makes me hit it a little late on the arc and hit like a pull cut. That’s a shot I hit a lot of the time, especially over here in America,” Marco Penge added.
Penge even broke down his “flying thumb” grip. Many broadcasters, analysts, and fans have noticed that the Englishman’s right thumb is slightly in the air when swinging. However, he said that he doesn’t do it intentionally. What he does instead is try to get his right arm in an externally rotated setup, which makes the right thumb off the club.
With the right arm rotated, it becomes challenging to get the right thumb on the grip. It’s more like muscle memory, which he gained through a lot of drills. Thanks to that, he can now achieve a good ball speed and flight.
While his swing has shown results at the 2026 Genesis Invitational, his PGA Tour campaign so far is not what he would have hoped for.
In the 3 starts so far, he has missed the cut at the 2025 Farmers Insurance Open and the WM Phoenix Open. The only time he made the cut was at the 2025 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. He carded rounds of 73-68-72-71 to finish T64 at the event to earn $36,500.
While it may sound counterintuitive, the English golfer was able to get here with this very swing on the DP World Tour.
Marco Penge’s breakout 2025
Marco Penge’s 2025 was a remarkable turnaround on the DP World Tour. It was highlighted by three victories, five other top-10s, and a runner-up in the Race to Dubai. In fact, he even gave a headache to Rory McIlroy, who was chasing his 7th Race to Dubai title. Although Penge couldn’t hold back McIlroy, his breakout 2025 got him a full exempt PGA Tour card for the 2026 season.
The 3x DP World Tour winner claimed his maiden win at the Hainan Classic in April. He fired a final-round 67 to finish 17-under. He was three shots clear after birdie bursts, including holes 12, 13, and 14. Then in August 2025, he won at the Danish Golf Championship with a clutch 72nd-hole birdie. This led to a 16-under victory, as he edged past Rasmus Højgaard by one stroke.
Penge’s last win came at the Open de España in October 2025. He held a four-shot lead going into the final round. However, an exceptional display of skill by Dan Brown meant that there was a tie after the regulation rounds. Notably, the 3x DP World Tour winner sealed his win with a playoff birdie over Brown on the first extra hole.
He finished 2nd on the Race to Dubai rankings, only behind Rory McIlroy. This got him a full exempt PGA Tour card for this season.
This shows that he knows what he is talking about. His swing explanation, especially the subtle grip detail and emphasis on athleticism, offers a clearer picture as to why his power stands out on Tour. This insight makes his bold claim about most golfers’ swings feel like confidence backed by results.
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