Marco Penge will be drawing on fond memories at Kaskáda Golf Resort when he tees it up in the Kaskáda Golf Challenge this week as the Road to Mallorca returns to the Czech Republic.
The Englishman recorded his best result on the Challenge Tour to date at the 2022 Kaskáda Golf Challenge, finishing in solo second following rounds of 66-69-65-68.
The 25-year-old, playing in his second full European Challenge Tour season, is pleased with the progress he’s made in the last 12 months, particularly with his short game, and is looking forward to seeing if he can go one better on a challenging course in Brno.
“It's always nice to come back somewhere you've had a good result, so I'm excited to get going,” he said. “I had last week off, so I feel fresh and I’m looking forward to it.
“Over the winter, my short game was the priority. That needed a lot of improvement, but I feel like I've got that into a good place now. I'm always trying to get better but it has improved a lot.
“It's going to be tough to shoot a good score around here, especially if you don't hit it in play. The rough is really thick. I don't think we’ll play anywhere thicker, so you've got to hit it straight. Other than that, the layout is the same with the rough making the conditions a little tougher.”
Penge comes into the week full of confidence following a fourth place finish at the D+D Real Czech Challenge and he is now targeting a maiden Challenge Tour victory.
“I'm here to win,” he said. “I feel like the golf course is really set up well for me, so there's a chance that can happen. But golf is a crazy game.
“I've been playing well all year but the results haven't really shown that. My scores have been consistent, but I just haven't been able to shoot a few more five, six and seven under par rounds.
“I feel like I’m more of a complete player now though. In the past, I've always been known to hit it long, but I think I’ve made some really good progress with a good team around me.”
Penge joins a field that includes Road to Mallorca Number Two Casey Jarvis, B-NL Challenge Trophy winner Jesper Svenssen and DP World Tour winner Chris Paisley.
The action gets under way at 7:30am local time with Penge teeing it up alongside South African Dylan Mostert and Welshman Oliver Farr at 8:50am.
