Marco Penge was paired with Rory McIlroy and Tyrrell Hatton during the opening round of the Abu Dhabi Championship on Thursday and what a brilliant group it was to watch for the fans at Yas Links.
McIlroy has won almost everything there is to win in the game while Penge is very much at the start of his golfing journey.
However, the Northern Irishman has never won the Abu Dhabi Championship, and he’ll be determined to change that this week.
McIlroy and Penge are two of the long hitters in the game, and they both displayed their incredible power during day one of the Abu Dhabi Championship.
Just last month, McIlroy claimed that Penge was pushing him to work even harder on his golf game.
And the 2025 Masters champion got a first-hand view of just how good Penge is on Thursday out in Abu Dhabi.
What did Penge think of McIlroy as a playing partner, though?
Marco Penge says what Rory McIlroy was like to play with in Abu Dhabi
The Englishman and the Northern Irishman both thrilled the galleries at Yas Links on day one with an extraordinary exhibition of driving.
Two of the most explosive drivers of the ball in the current game, Penge and McIlroy went toe-to-toe off the tee on Thursday, with both players getting the better of one another at different times throughout the day.
Penge was asked what it was really like playing alongside his idol during the opening round in Abu Dhabi.
The Englishman said: “Yeah, it was great. I mean, obviously what I think of my game compared to obviously playing with him today, I’ll probably keep to myself, but it was good. It was good. Rory maybe wasn’t firing on all cylinders, but yeah, it was cool to play with like a Grand Slam winner and a legend of European golf, world golf.
“Yeah, nice to have a chat, also, on the way around.“
McIlroy was obviously happy to chat to Penge throughout their round on Thursday and that proves that he was much more relaxed in Abu Dhabi than he was during the final round of The Masters when he played alongside Bryson DeChambeau.
DeChambeau moaned after the round that McIlroy didn’t speak to him, and the American received huge criticism for his comments, rightly so.
The final round of The Masters is obviously a completely different scenario from the first round of the Abu Dhabi Championship.
However, McIlroy is clearly far more relaxed when he comes back to the DP World Tour and he proved that with his actions on day one at Yas Links.
Marco Penge assesses opening round 67 in Abu Dhabi
The 27-year-old is well-placed after day one, but was he happy with his round of 67?
Penge responded when asked to give his verdict on his opening round at the Abu Dhabi Championship on Thursday.
He said: “Yeah, pretty solid. Obviously got off to a hot start, which was nice. Just made a couple of errors on 3 and 4. I think I made seven or eight birdies out there, six birdies and an eagle. Plenty of good stuff.
“Yeah, I played great. Just a couple of 3-putts, left a couple chips. It was my first round back after three weeks off, and also playing with Rory and Tyrrell. So there’s a different environment for me, in a way. I loved it. It was great.“
Marco Penge is the kind of player who can ignite in an instant, so he will fancy his chances of closing the gap on the leaders on Friday, as will his playing partner, Rory McIlroy.
We could be in for a hugely exciting few days ahead at the Abu Dhabi Championship.
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