Tom Jacobs recommended Marco Penge at 100/1 with Betfred (10 places, 1/5 odds) as his favourite long-shot for Portrush. Jacobs pointed to Penge’s runner-up finish at last week’s Scottish Open where he sat inside the top five all four days against an elite field that included Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy and Xander Schauffele. That performance finally provides contemporary links evidence to pair with his strong amateur résumé, erasing concerns created by two previous Open missed cuts. Jacobs also highlighted Penge’s encouraging T29 debut at the PGA Championship—his first start of any kind in the United States—and a steady run of results since (25th, 21st, 11th, 2nd). Noting flashes of early-round contention in Munich (led after Round 1) and Italy, Jacobs believes the Englishman’s confidence and recent ball-striking surge make a surprise top-10 or better finish at Royal Portrush realistic.

Jim Sannes called Marco Penge a mis-priced steal at $7,800, noting the DP World Tour standout finished solo second at the Genesis Scottish Open while gaining strokes both off the tee and with his irons. Penge sits top-10 on the DPWT in driving distance, a weapon Sannes believes will shorten Portrush’s 7,381 yards if wind stays moderate. The red flag is putting—Penge rates poorly on European Tour stats—but Sannes is willing to embrace that volatility in tournaments where he only needs one hot week. Because DraftKings and FanDuel released salaries before the Scottish result, Sannes expects Penge to be overlooked and will cap exposure around 25% to mitigate putting risk while still capitalizing on the ceiling.

Rick Gehman pointed out that his custom Open model—built around links course history, slow-green putting, scrambling, accuracy, GIR%, off-the-tee and approach—spits Marco Penge out 14th overall, sandwiched between Burns and Harris English. Penge grades top-20 in both strokes gained off the tee and GIR over his last 24 worldwide rounds, an impressive combo at the $6,000 stone-minimum salary. Gehman said this validates his earlier stance that Penge’s raw length and trending form (2nd Scottish Open, recent win in China) translate to Portrush, and the model ranking gives him confidence to deploy Penge heavily in large-field GPPs where a made cut plus weekend birdies can unlock stars-and-scrubs builds.

Tom Jacobs doubled down on his early Marco Penge stance, insisting the young Englishman can do more than merely make noise—he can contend at Royal Portrush. Jacobs reminded listeners that Penge sat one shot outside a playoff at the ISCO Championship, missing birdie opportunities at the drivable 4th and the par-5 16th that would have forced Chris Godderup’s hand. That near-miss came on the heels of a runner-up finish in Kentucky, a 28th-place major debut at Valhalla, and four other top-10s in his last nine worldwide starts. Jacobs loves the swagger Penge showed when paired with Rory in Scotland and says his blend of 180-mph ball speed and polished short game is tailor-made for Portrush’s elevated greens. With books still hanging triple-digit outright numbers and DraftKings leaving him in the low-7K range, Jacobs advised adding top-20 bets, each-way outrights, and heavy GPP exposure before the market fully prices in his ceiling.

Tom Jacobs made Marco Penge his first click among DP World Tour qualifiers, arguing the young Englishman is no longer just a developmental-tour darling. Penge was 28th in his U.S. debut at the PGA Championship, sat 2nd at halfway in Soudal, contended through 54 holes in Italy and Munich, and never left the top-five en route to a runner-up in last week’s co-sanctioned ISCO Championship—exactly the kind of ‘test against PGA-level talent’ Jacobs values. A decorated amateur who already owns wins on both the Challenge and DPWT circuits, Penge also has proven links chops from his Scottish Championship triumph. Jacobs said the missed cuts in his two prior Opens are irrelevant because he is “a different golfer now,” and priced at 500-1 outright with a near-minimum DFS tag, Penge has as much upside as any sub-7k flier in the field.

Rick Gehman tabbed Marco Penge as his favorite $6,000 punt. Penge sits 2nd in strokes gained off the tee over the last 20 measured rounds—trailing only Bryson DeChambeau—and just finished solo 2nd at the Scottish Open. That result extends a worldwide heater that includes a win in China and a string of top-30 finishes across the DP World Tour. Gehman loves Penge’s combination of raw length and trending form, noting that his low ownership could be a true slate breaker if the bomber keeps the driver in play around Portrush.

Niall Lyons called Marco Penge a long-term buy and immediate top-40/top-20 bet for Portrush. The 25-year-old followed a T-28 at the PGA Championship—his first major cut—with three straight top-25s on the DP World Tour. Penge’s links résumé includes a 2015 Scottish Amateur Stroke Play win and a Challenge Tour victory last year. Lyons highlighted that Penge gained heavily off the tee in Germany and routinely pushes drives past 310 yards while still ranking above average in fairways hit. After a brief gambling-ban interruption, Penge rebounded with a DPWT win in China and a third in South Africa, showing the ceiling is intact. Lyons thinks the mix of raw length, improving accuracy and proven coastal form makes Penge mis-priced around 150-1 for each-way tickets and placement props.

Bo McBrayer listed Marco Penge as a 120-1 long-shot worth a sprinkle. Penge sits 25th in this week’s modeled field for Strokes Gained Tee-to-Green and 27th Around-the-Green, giving him the all-around profile McBrayer covets when Scottish winds start swirling. The Englishman is another "absolute bomber" whose raw distance sets up a steady diet of short irons, and McBrayer expects Renaissance’s generous fairway rollouts to accentuate that edge. The one blemish is a balky putter, but Bo argued that at triple-digit odds you bet on ball-striking and hope for a neutral week with the flat stick, especially if the weather stays relatively calm and scoring pushes double-digits under par.

Brown’s model spit out Marco Penge 10th overall, forcing a 125-1 ticket and some DFS sprinkles. Over the last 30 rounds on the DP World Tour, Penge ranks 1st in Strokes-Gained Off-the-T, averages 309 yards in driving distance, sits 6th in Birdie or Better Gained, and top-30 in Bogey Avoidance—an exact match to Brown’s Scottish weightings of distance plus scoring. The 27-year-old Englishman already owns a win this season at the Heinen Classic in China and followed with a solo 3rd and T-11 at the BMW International, proving he can contend against stronger fields. Brown figures if Penge can simply hover through Friday, his firepower gives him real Sunday upside and tremendous lineup flexibility in DFS builds loaded with expensive stars.

For first-round leader Kirschner is fishing with Marco Penge at +9000. The Englishman already won the Hainan Classic this season and has posted finishes of 11th, 21st and 25th in his last three DP World Tour starts. Kirschner called him one of the best drivers in the field and expects that to separate him in calm morning conditions.

Sia Nejad floated Marco Penge as a fun long-shot outright and DFS punt for the Scottish Open. Nejad said Penge’s “fantastic” ball-striking is enough to get him on board, noting the Englishman’s willingness to bet on himself while watching tournaments from home. Although Nejad did not cite specific strokes-gained numbers, he emphasized that pure ball-strikers tend to separate at Renaissance where lengthy iron shots outweigh short-game artistry. Nejad hinted that the market will largely ignore Penge, creating leverage in large-field DFS tournaments and room for small top-40 or outright sprinkles in betting cards.

Pat Mayo spotlighted DP World Tour rookie Marco Penge as a dart throw for large-field DFS contests and triple-digit outright/each-way cards. Penge "absolutely bombs it off the tee" and has shown surprising touch around the greens and on approach—mirroring what Mayo called the "Luke List blueprint" for success at Renaissance, where rough is benign but fairway bunkers are one-shot penalties. Penge’s cut-making performance at the PGA Championship confirmed the ball-striking upside, and Mayo believes familiarity with British fescue should help him handle the firm surrounds. If the putter even breaks even, the bomber-plus-wedge profile gives top-25—and sneaky top-10—equity at minimal ownership and long odds.

Elliott Heath said Marco Penge is his top pick at +4000 because the English bomber is surfing a huge confidence wave. Penge captured his maiden DP World Tour title in Hainan two weeks ago, then backed it up with a T28 in his first U.S. major at the PGA Championship. Heath noted Penge was also third at the South African Open earlier this season, evidence the recent win was no fluke. Although Penge missed the cut at Rinkven in 2024, Heath argued the tight, short layout will play easier now that Penge’s approach play has sharpened—he gained over 1.2 strokes on approach per round during the Asian Swing. With birdies usually required to reach the high-teens winning score here, Heath believes Penge’s length plus newfound iron consistency give him legitimate win equity in Belgium.