Marco Penge opened up about his experience playing alongside Rory McIlroy at the 2025 Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship. The duo teed off together for the first two rounds in a group that also included Tyrrell Hatton. Penge is looking forward to claiming his fourth win of the DP World Tour season and has had a strong outing so far at Yas Links Golf Club. After 36 holes, he was tied for 17th place.
McIlroy, who is currently ranked world No. 2, is also enjoying his time at the tournament. In the post-round press conference on Friday, Penge was asked about playing with McIlroy for the first two rounds. He described the experience as “great” but admitted that since they were both contending for the title, he “didn’t want to get in the way too much” or “ask many questions.”
“It’s been great. Obviously, it’s tough when you’re both trying to beat each other. So I didn’t want to get in the way too much or ask too many questions,” Penge said.
Marco Penge began his campaign with an opening round of 67, followed by a second-round 68, positioning him in a three-way tie with Jordan Smith and Nicolai von Dellingshausen. Meanwhile, Rory McIlroy posted rounds of 68 and 68 as well, settling at 8-under par.
On Friday, Penge kicked off his round on the first tee with a par before adding an eagle on the second hole. He made two birdies on the front nine and added another birdie along with a bogey on the back nine, finishing the day at 4-under.
Reflecting on his performance in the post-round press conference, the Englishman shared, “Felt like I could have holed a couple of putts. Birdied 11, the par 5. Obviously a nice shot into the par 3, 13, hit the flag, made bogey. Summed up the day. Overall, really pleased with how I played. Just need the putts to drop.”
After two rounds, Tommy Fleetwood has taken the lead, tied at 14-under with fellow Englishman Aaron Rai.
Marco Penge, coming off a recent victory at the Open de España last month, has entered this week’s event in impressive form. Earlier this year on the DP World Tour, he claimed wins at the Hainan Classic and the Danish Golf Championship, marking him as a strong contender as the tournament progresses.
https://www.sportskeeda.com/golf/news-marco-penge-didn-t-want-get-rory-mcilroy-s-way-chasing-abu-dhabi-hsbc-championship-2025
