Rory McIlroy targeted with golf star refusing to let PGA Tour icon show him up

Marco Penge has issued a stark warning to Rory McIlroy that he has the Northern Irishman firmly in his sights. Currently, McIlroy holds a commanding lead in this year's Race to Dubai.

Triumph in the lucrative tournament - boasting a staggering first prize of £1.18million ($1.53m) - would cap off a remarkable 2025 campaign for McIlroy. Beyond his pivotal contribution to Team Europe's Ryder Cup success at Bethpage Black, he also completed the career Grand Slam by claiming the Masters.

Nevertheless, Penge is determined to spoil McIlroy's party, beginning with this week's Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship before shifting his attention to the season's climax, the DP World Tour Championship. The world No29 understands McIlroy will equally be seeking to brush him aside at the Yas Links Golf Club.

In conversation with Golf Digest, Penge, who is McIlroy's closest rival, revealed: "Once I didn't qualify for the Ryder Cup, then I think I played Irish Open and I thought, now my goal is to catch Rory.

"That goal is kind of over in a way. But now that I've won in Spain - and got back in the mix - I'm trying to win this week or next week or just play as good as I can and see where that ends up."

Regarding the possibility of competing alongside McIlroy in the DP World Tour play-offs, he continued: "I know on Thursday morning when I step on the tee I'm going to have some adrenaline because I'm playing with one of the best players in the world for the first time.

"I don't think I'm going to be too nervous. It's purely the adrenaline, similar to how I felt during the play-off at the Spanish Open. I've got a lot of things in place to prepare for that.

"Fully aware of it already in my head that that's how I'm going to feel. But I clarified with my psychologist that I tend to play my best golf when I feel like that.

"It's nothing to be scared of. I just want to enjoy the moment and enjoy the experience, being in this position and playing with the top players of the world."

Following Penge's omission by Team Europe captain Luke Donald, he suggested he might have earned selection if the tournament was staged somewhere in Europe, rather than New York.

Regarding his captain's selections, 11 of Donald's 12 picks for Bethpage Black were players who had featured in the triumphant squad in Italy in 2023. Penge accepted the verdict graciously - though he did offer his own assessment.

He told Sky Sports: "I feel that if it was a home Ryder Cup, then I might have got in. But I totally understand that is going to be really tough for the boys over there with the crowds and stuff.

"So I understand why Luke wanted to take all his experienced players - and there are no hard feelings there."