Marco Penge has revealed the emotions he went through as he crossed the line heading into the weekend with his final birdie at the Genesis Championship.
The Briton is one of the bubble players fighting to keep his place on the DP World Tour next year and he looked to be on target when his hat-trick of birdies on the ninth hole saw him climb to 3 under. Already in control of your future.
However, his tee shot on the 12th hole went out of bounds, resulting in a double bogey that dropped him to 1 under.
He bounced back with a birdie on No. 14, but bogeys on Nos. 15 and 17 meant his par slipped below the line.
The top 114 players in the Battle of Dubai with Rolex rankings after Sunday's final round will qualify for next season, with Penge starting the week ranked 115th, meaning he needs to make a small hole on the final par five. Birds come to increase their chances.
After hitting his second ball from the back of the green, he summoned the courage to chip in to within four feet and hole the putt, extending the week.
“At the moment, I'm feeling a little shaky and feeling a little nervous and uncomfortable,” Penger admitted.
“I was playing well. I was making progress on the turn at three under and I thought 'try and keep going, try and keep going'.
“I wasn’t feeling good about the driver all day, so I tried to hit a stinger, tried to keep it going, and even my shot kept it going, and I hit it out of bounds , that put a wrench in the job, and then the last six holes have been a battle.
“I knew we had 18 and if I could hit the tee shot, I’d back myself up for a birdie there.
“It was a day of mixed emotions and I think the situation made it difficult. I wanted to go to Abu Dhabi but the elephant in the room was that I needed to use the weekend to give myself a chance of keeping my card.
“It's a very strange situation. I've been hovering between 114-115 for the last five or six weeks and you try to tell yourself to look forward to going to Abu Dhabi and try to win the golf tournament, but you can't help but think about keeping your card. .
“This is my first time [season] I loved every moment of this year’s Tour. I've made some very close friends here and I love it when I'm off the golf course.
“I didn't want to be anywhere else but here, so I probably put a lot of pressure on myself to accomplish what I needed to do, but the whole situation itself wasn't great. I appreciate coming here and being able to experience these memories.
“I'm playing well enough to move up in the standings and do my best. I know I probably need a top three to get to Abu Dhabi, so obviously that's my goal.”
