World number 29 withdraws from PGA Tour season opener due to illness he’s had for two months

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The 2026 PGA Tour season starts at the Sony Open in Hawaii next week, with several big names in the field.

Robert MacIntyre, Collin Morikawa, J.J. Spaun, and Ben Griffin will be among the best players at the event. 

However, the Sony Open field would have been even stronger if it were not for a late withdrawal this weekend.

The world number 29 has withdrawn from the tournament due to an illness he has been dealing with for some time.

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Marco Penge withdraws from Sony Open

Marco Penge has been suffering from a viral illness since the DP World Tour Championship in November.

Penge only finished tied-22nd at the season-ending event and lost out on the Race to Dubai title to Rory McIlroy.

The Englishman has since decided to move to America and compete on the PGA Tour full-time.

He was supposed to make his 2026 season debut at the Sony Open, but he is still not feeling 100 percent due to his ongoing illness.

Penge posted on X: “I was meant to start my season next week in Hawaii, but unfortunately, I have had to WD due to a viral illness I’ve been fighting since Dubai, back in November.

“Frustrating to put a delay on my start, but I’m close to being fully fit again, and I’ll be back out there soon.”

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Marco Penge expected to play at Torrey Pines

Penge has previously shared which PGA Tour events he is most excited to participate in this season.

“I’m obviously looking forward to playing at Bay Hill, Riviera, and Torrey Pines, but the ones I’m looking forward to the most are the Players Championship and the Phoenix Open,” he said.

This suggests that we could see him next at the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines at the end of January.

But Penge will not be happy with competing on the PGA Tour; he wants to win as soon as possible.

“I want to contend in the majors and try to get a win next year on the PGA Tour,” he added. “That would be pretty cool in my first season. I want to get in contention as much as I can.