Staff WriterThe Danish Golf Championship got off to a flying start at Furesø Golf Klub, with England’s Marco Penge treating the leaderboard like an open bar and helping himself to a bogey-free seven-under-par 65.
The 27-year-old set the early clubhouse target, while 2023 champion Rasmus Højgaard lurked just two shots back, keeping the home crowd hopeful.
Penge, who lifted his first DP World Tour trophy at the Hainan Classic earlier this year, found five birdies and an eagle without so much as a flirtation with trouble.
Currently third in the Closing Swing Rankings, a strong week here could pocket him an extra $200,000 – the sort of bonus that makes a man’s putter feel lighter.
“I was a bit disappointed after last week with how I executed my rounds of golf,” Penge admitted. “I had a good chat with the team over the last couple of days to try and correct that. Today was a good example of that.
“It’s an inland Parkland, which I like. Similar to back home in England. A little fiddly in places. It’s a really good test of golf, especially the back nine. You can’t afford to hit it offline. Luckily I didn’t miss a shot for the whole round.”
Behind him, Rasmus Højgaard’s opening 66 was a five-under exercise in precision and patience, despite a couple of “headscratchers” along the way. The 2018 Open Champion Francesco Molinari also found some old magic, joining Højgaard, Canada’s Aaron Cockerill, Germany’s Jeremy Paul, and Scotland’s Marc Warren in a share of second.
“A lot of good stuff out there, but a few headscratchers. I’m very happy to sign for a minus five,” Højgaard said. “There was a good showing today. Especially around this course, there’s not a lot of room, so it’s nice to see crowds down both sides of the fairway.”
But it was Rasmus’ twin, Nicolai, who stole the applause with a back-nine burst straight out of a video game. Two eagles in three holes – holing out from 111 yards on the 12th and then from 144 yards on the 14th – turned an indifferent round into a three-under 68.
“It was pretty special,” Nicolai said with a grin. “I managed to hit two worldies. It was cool to see them go in. The crowds were great. It was cool to see them go nuts and myself.”
Last year’s runner-up Lucas Bjerregaard sits in a tie for seventh, joined by fellow Dane Jeppe Kristian Andersen. But on a course where wayward shots are treated like family secrets – best not to have them – Penge’s flawless opening round set the standard.
“I enjoyed playing some good golf again and executing my shots how I saw it before I pulled the trigger,” he said. “You don’t have many days like that.”
With three days still to go, the Danish Golf Championship has already given us drama, precision, and the occasional “worldie.” If day one is anything to go by, we might need a bigger highlights reel by Sunday.
