A brand new Mizuno Pro S-3 6-iron arrived for Marco Penge in Spain on Thursday.
The issue? The Open de España, which Penge was playing in, ended last Sunday. He was long gone.
Yet Penge had a different, brand new Mizuno Pro S-3 6-iron in the bag Sunday as he took down Daniel Brown in a playoff to win his third DP World Tour title this season and punch his tickets to the 2026 Masters and Open Championship.
How and why Penge needed a new 6-iron — and later pitching wedge — can be told by Mizuno Senior Tour Representative on the DP World Tour, Joe Beck.
How Marco Penge’s 6-iron was damaged
After a disappointing week at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, where he finished tied for 91st, Penge and his caddie, Max Bill, arrived in Spain for the next event when they realized Penge’s 6-iron was damaged to the point of non-conformance after hitting a rock with a swing at the Dunhill.
Beck and the Mizuno DP World Tour team only found out on Tuesday and their truck wasn’t at Club de Campo Villa de Madrid because of logistical reasons. So Beck had a replacement 6-iron built for Penge and shipped out that day from England, hoping for delivery by Thursday morning.
Problem solved? Nope, that was the club that was finally just delivered this week.
“It’s a little bit more difficult for us now,” Beck told GOLF. “Trying to ship into Europe with Brexit and shipping regulations, time frame it takes a lot longer than it should to get stuff to players.”
As Beck kept tracking the package, he soon realized the replacement club wasn’t going to get to Penge.
Another casualty
But the 27-year-old Englishman carried on with a replacement Titleist 620 CB 6-iron, as reported by John Whyte of SMS on Tour. With a third-round 64, Penge took a four-shot lead into Sunday.
And that was while playing most of that round down another club.
On the second hole, Penge pulled his tee shot left and saw it settle just inside a tree. Basically standing next to the trunk to try and advance the ball, he took a swing with his pitching wedge, trying to stop his swing before hitting the tree, but it was of little use.
The shaft collided with the wood of the trunk and snapped instantly as the ball sailed farther left of the green, still 71 yards away from the pin.
Remarkably, Penge had no such tree trouble with his third and played his next shot to 14 feet and then curled in the putt for an unlikely par. At the time, the preserved Penge’s one-shot lead before he caught fire later in the round, making birdies on eight of 10 holes from Nos. 7 to 16.
“Like finding a bag of gold,” an announcer on the broadcast said.
One more turn
By Saturday, Beck saw the tracking on the replacement 6-iron move farther away from Madrid. With Penge now needing two replacement clubs, the executive decision was for Beck to take a 6 a.m. flight from Gatwick to Madrid on Sunday and hand-deliver the clubs to Penge and Bill.
Despite being on leave that weekend, Beck was approved to go as he was the closest to where Mizuno’s tour truck was based outside of London.
He built a new replacement S-3s for Penge, 2 degrees upright and 2 degrees strong with KBS V10 130 X shafts to match the rest of his set around 8 p.m. Saturday and then got up at 2:30 a.m. to head to the airport. (Fun vacation!)
Mizuno Pro S-3 Custom Irons
The Mizuno Pro S-3 irons epitomize refined craftsmanship and elite performance, combining Mizuno’s renowned forging expertise with the precision and versatility demanded by today’s golfers. With a sleek, compact profile and an exceptional feel, the Pro S-3 is the ultimate choice for players seeking precision and control in every shot.
Iconic Mizuno Pro FeelThe Mizuno Pro S-3 delivers the signature feel that has solidified Mizuno’s reputation. This exceptional sensation stems from the advanced Grain Flow Forged HD process, performed exclusively at Mizuno’s Hiroshima plant, and is enhanced by premium materials:
1025E Pure Select Mild Carbon Steel: Provides a soft, responsive touch that golfers love.
Copper Underlay: Subtly enhances vibration patterns, ensuring a smoother, more connected feel with every strike.
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ALSO AVAILABLE AT: PGA Tour Superstore, Mizuno
EasyJet flight 8017 departed LGW at 6:02 a.m. local Sunday and arrived at MAD at 9:21 that morning, and Beck was relieved to see the box on the baggage claim conveyor as he walked into Spanish passport control. But, as if his journey needed another hiccup, the box was gone when he cleared customs.
“So there’s a slight, slight bit of panic set in,” Beck said, who’s been on Tour with the company for four years. “I’ve gone upstairs to the baggage gate to see if it had fallen off the baggage belt. Maybe it had come around and come off.”
Had Beck just flown all the way to another country to deliver replacement clubs to one of the best players in the world, only for the clubs to be mishandled at the airport, or worse, stolen?
Luckily, the panic was short-lived. About 30 minutes went by before Beck returned to the baggage claim and eventually found the box unharmed.
Within an hour Beck was at the course and handing off the fresh 6-iron and pitching wedge to Bill, much to Penge’s surprise.
“I was in contact with Max more than Marco building up to it, but yes, Marco was obviously very thankful and very, very relieved to have 14 clubs,” he said.
Penge shot a one-over 72 on Sunday, but it got him into a playoff, which he won with a birdie on the first extra hole for his third DP World Tour win in 16 starts, all but assuring you’ll see him on the PGA Tour next year.
