Pro breaks 2 clubs but still wins. Finding alternatives is an adventure
The new Mizuno Pro S-3 6-iron arrived in Spain on Thursday, arriving at Marco Penge.
what is the problem? The Spanish Open that Penji participated in ended last Sunday. He has been gone for a long time.
On Sunday, however, with a different new Mizuno Pro S-3 6-iron in hand, Penge defeated Daniel Brown in a playoff to win his third DP World Tour title of the season and punch his ticket to the 2026 Masters and Open.
DP World Tour Mizuno Senior Tour representative Joe Beck explains how and why Penger needed a new 6-iron and later a pitching wedge.
How Marco Penge’s 6-iron broke
He finished tied for 91st after a disappointing week at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. Penger and his caddy Max Beer arrived in Spain for the next tournament when they realized that Penger’s 6-iron was damaged to the point of disqualification after hitting the rock with a Dunhill swing.
Baker and the Mizuno DP World Tour team only discovered on Tuesday that their truck was not parked at Madrid’s Campo Villa club for logistical reasons. So Baker built a replacement 6-iron for Penge and had it shipped from England that day, hoping to have it delivered by Thursday morning.
Is the problem solved? No, that’s the club that finally delivered this week.
“It’s a little difficult for us right now,” Baker told GOLF. “With the impact of Brexit and shipping regulations trying to get goods to Europe, it’s taking much longer than it should to get the goods to players.”
As Baker continued to track the package, he soon realized that the replacement clubs would not arrive at Penge.
Another casualty
But according to John Whyte of SMS on Tour, the 27-year-old Briton has continued to use the alternative Titleist 620 CB 6-iron. Penge shot a third-round 64 to lead Sunday by four strokes.
That was after playing most of that round. other club.
On the second hole, Penge pulled his tee shot left and found the ball in a tree. Basically, he stood next to the tree trunk, tried to advance the ball, and then swung with a wedge, trying to stop the swing before hitting the tree, but it didn’t work.
As the ball flew farther to the left of the green, the shaft collided with the wood of the tree trunk and broke immediately, still 71 yards from the flagstick.
Remarkably, Penge had no such tree trouble on his third shot, hitting his next shot to 14 feet and curling the putt for an unlikely par. At the time, Penge held on to a one-shot lead and then powered on late in the round, recording eight birdies in 10 holes from Nos. 7 to 16.
“It’s like finding a bag of gold,” one of the announcers said on the radio.
One more turn
By Saturday, Baker found that the path on his replacement 6-iron was getting further and further away from Madrid. With Penge now in need of two replacement clubs, the administration decided that Baker would take the 6am flight from Gatwick to Madrid on Sunday and hand-deliver the clubs to Penge and Bill.
Although Baker was off that weekend, he was allowed to go as he was the closest location outside of London to where the Mizuno Touring Trucks were stationed.
He built Penge a new replacement S-3, 2 degrees upright and 2 degrees strong, with a KBS V10 130 X shaft to match the rest of the rig around 8 PM Saturday night, then got up at 2:30 AM to head to the airport. (Happy holidays!)
Mizuno Pro S-3 Custom Irons
Mizuno Pro S-3 irons embody refined craftsmanship and superior performance, combining Mizuno’s renowned forging expertise with the precision and versatility today’s golfers demand. Featuring a sleek, compact profile and superior feel, the Pro S-3 is the ultimate choice for players looking for precision and control on every shot. Iconic Mizuno Pro Feel The Mizuno Pro S-3 delivers the signature feel that cements Mizuno’s reputation. This exceptional feel is the result of the advanced Grain Flow Forged HD process, performed exclusively at Mizuno’s Hiroshima factory, and enhanced with premium materials: 1025E Pure Select Mild Steel: Provides the soft, responsive feel golfers love. Copper Base Pad: Subtly enhances vibration patterns to ensure a smoother, tighter feel with every stroke.
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Also available at: Mizuno Mizuno PGA Tour Supermarket
EasyJet flight 8017 took off from LGW at 6:02 am local time on Sunday and arrived at MAD at 9:21 am on the same day. When Baker walked into Spanish passport control and saw the box on the baggage claim conveyor, he was relieved. But, as if his journey required another hiccup, when he cleared customs, the box was missing.
“So there was a slight, mild panic,” said Baker, who has been on tour with the company for four years. “I’ve gone upstairs to the baggage door to see if it had fallen off the baggage belt. Maybe it had turned around and fallen off.”
Did Baker simply fly all the way to another country to ship replacement clubs for one of the best players in the world, only to have them mishandled at the airport, or worse, stolen?
Fortunately, the panic was short-lived. About 30 minutes later, Baker returned to baggage claim and eventually found the box intact.
Within an hour, Baker arrived on the course and handed Bill a new 6-iron and wedges, much to Penge’s surprise.
“I have more contact with Max than with Marco, but yes, Marco is obviously very grateful and very, very relieved to have 14 clubs,” he said.
Penge shot an over-par 72 on Sunday, but that put him in a playoff, and he birdied the first extra hole to win the playoff, his third DP World Tour win in 16 starts, and you’ll almost certainly see him on the PGA Tour next year.
