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ToggleThe brand new Mizuno Pro S-3 6-iron arrived at Marco Pengue in Spain on Thursday.
What’s the problem? The Open de España, which Penji was competing in, ended last Sunday. He is long gone.
But on Sunday, Penge had another brand new Mizuno Pro S-3 6-iron in his bag when he 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 British Open Championship.
Joe Beck, Mizuno Senior Tour Representative for the DP World Tour, explains how and why Penge needed a new 6-iron, and later a pitching wedge.
How Marco Penzi’s 6-iron got damaged
After a disappointing week at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, where he finished tied for 91st place, Penge and his caddy Max Bill arrived in Spain for the next tournament, only to discover that Penge’s 6-iron, hit by a rock while swinging at the Dunhill, was damaged to a substandard level.
Beck and the Mizuno DP World Tour team only found out on Tuesday that their truck had not arrived at Club de Campo Villa de Madrid for logistical reasons. So Beck made a replacement 6-iron for Penge and shipped it from England the same day, hoping to receive it by Thursday morning.
Has the problem been resolved? No, it was just a club that was finally delivered this week.
“It’s a little more difficult for us right now,” Beck told GOLF. “If you try to ship to Europe with Brexit and shipping restrictions, it will take longer than necessary for your products to reach your players.”
Beck continued to track the package, but soon realized that the replacement club would not reach Penge.
There was one more casualty.
However, SMS on Tour’s John White reports that the 27-year-old British player stuck with his replacement Titleist 620 CB 6-iron. A third-round 64 gave Penge a four-stroke lead Sunday.
That was when I was playing most of that round down another club.
On the second hole, Penge pulled his tee shot to the left, but it just fell into the trees. Basically standing next to the trunk trying to advance the ball, he took a swing with his pitching wedge and tried to stop the swing before it hit the tree, but to little avail.
As the ball traveled to the left of the green, still 71 yards from the pin, the shaft collided with the main tree and snapped instantly.
Remarkably, Penge had no such tree trouble on his third shot, taking his next shot to 14 feet and curling the putt for an unlikely par. At the time, Penge held a one-shot lead, but he caught fire in the second half of the round and birdied eight of the 10 holes from No. 7 to No. 16.
“It’s like finding a bag of money,” the broadcast announcer said.
one more turn
By Saturday, Beck could see his replacement 6-iron tracking further away from Madrid. Penge now needs two replacement clubs and an administrative decision has been made for Beck to take the 6am flight from Gatwick to Madrid on Sunday and hand over the clubs to Penge and Bill.
Even though he was on vacation that weekend, Beck was approved to go because he was the closest to Mizuno’s tour truck base outside of London.
He built a new replacement S-3 for the 2-degree upright and 2-degree strong penges using KBS V10 130 (Have a nice vacation!)
Mizuno Pro S-3 Custom Iron
Mizuno Pro S-3 irons embody refined craftsmanship and top-notch performance, combining Mizuno’s renowned forging expertise with the precision and versatility that today’s golfers demand. With a sleek, compact profile and great feel, the Pro S-3 is the ultimate choice for players who demand precision and control on every shot. Iconic Mizuno Pro Feel The Mizuno Pro S-3 offers the signature feel that cemented Mizuno’s reputation. This extraordinary feel comes from an advanced Grain Flow Forged HD process performed exclusively at Mizuno’s Hiroshima factory, and is further enhanced by premium materials. 1025E Pure Select Mild Carbon Steel: Provides the soft, responsive touch golfers love. Copper Underlay: Subtly enhances the vibration pattern, ensuring a smoother, more connected feel with every strike.
View Product
Also available: PGA Tour Superstore, Mizuno
EasyJet flight 8017 departed LGW at 6:02am local Sunday and arrived at MAD at 9:21am that morning. When Beck entered Spanish passport control, he was relieved to see a box on the conveyor in baggage claim. But as if his journey needed no more trouble, the box was gone when he cleared customs.
“So there’s a little bit of a panic setting in,” said Beck, who has been touring with the company for four years. “I went upstairs to the baggage gate to see if it had fallen off the baggage belt. Maybe it had gone around and come off.”
Did Beck fly all the way to another country to deliver a replacement club to one of the world’s best players, only for it to be mishandled at the airport, or worse, stolen?
Fortunately, the panic didn’t last long. After about 30 minutes, Beck returned to baggage claim and finally found the box intact.
Within an hour, Beck was on the course and handed Bill a new 6-iron and pitching wedge, much to Penge’s surprise.
“I was in more contact with Max than Marco, but Marco was obviously very grateful and very relieved to have 14 clubs,” he said.
Penge shot a 1-over 72 on Sunday, which sent him into a playoff, where he won with a birdie on the first extra hole, his third win of 16 on the DP World Tour, and almost guaranteed to see him on the PGA Tour next year.
