Marco Penge is pleased to be closing in on a full recovery from his health issues as he makes his comeback on the DP World Tour at the BMW International Open.
The Englishman has not played since the US PGA Championship in mid-May, shortly before which he revealed he underwent an MRI scan as he dealt with a recurring issue with his ear, neck and nervous system.
Those problems are understood to have stemmed from a viral infection at the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai last November, with Penge making the decision to withdraw from the U.S. Open last month.
But he has since continued with treatment and through specialist advice is “feeling more myself” as he begins a three-week stretch in Europe that will also feature appearances at the Genesis Scottish Open and The Open.
"I'm feeling a lot better than when I stopped playing," he said on the eve of his return to competitive golf.
"I wouldn't say I'm 100%, but definitely 90% of the way there. At least know what was going on and have got some things in place if I start to feel a little worse again. I’m happy to be back.
"I had several scans and appointments with specialists, and everything was kind of coming back normal, which is good. But at the same time, I wanted an answer to what was going on.
"But they think it was a vestibular ocular deficiency where basically your eyes and ears work together so when I turned my head there would be a delayed focus of my eyes, so it made me feel really dizzy.
"I thought it was vertigo at the time when I stopped. That's what was assumed and I’ve got some extra medication which is helping so yeah, it's nice to be feeling more myself."
I could come out and be up there in contention, but I'm fully aware that it could also go the other way, so we'll see.
After a seven-week absence, the first five of which saw him put his clubs away, Penge is perhaps understandbly cautious about what he can achieve at Golfclub München Eichenried.
"To be honest, it's hard to have expectations because I don't really know where my game is at," said Penge, who finished tied 11th at this event last year.
"But after playing today in the Pro-Am, I was really impressed with myself and really pleased with how I played.
"I feel like it's probably the best I've played all year and the most comfortable I felt all year.
"I mean, I could come out and be up there in contention, but I'm fully aware that it could also go the other way, so we'll see."
A three-time winner on the DP World Tour last season, Penge is in his first campaign as a dual member with the PGA TOUR.
Across 11 starts this year, including his Masters debut, his best result is a tie for fourth at the Valspar Championship in March.
"I feel like this week's actually the first week where I've been able to realise what I actually achieved last year," he said.
"More from just a reception from the players' standpoint in terms of being back here on the DP World Tour, I feel really respected.
"I suppose when you get that feeling from your competitors and other players, it makes you realise what you actually achieved.
"It was really nice to kind of step away for a little bit and just come back down to earth and recharge the batteries, spend some time with my family and live a normal life for a little bit.
"But now I'm kind of ready to get back in amongst things and yeah, back to the day job."
After pushing Rory McIlroy hard in pursuit of the Race to Dubai title, Penge's start to life stateside, where he now lives with his wife and young family, has proved challenging.
Despite the off-course troubles Penge has experienced, which include his second son Romeo spending 21 days in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit earlier this year, the 28-year-old is impressively viewing everything with a positive approach.
"You can't complain when you get the opportunity to go and live in America and play on the PGA TOUR and play against the best players in the world and experience the Masters and stuff like that," he reflected.
"So I've had tonnes of great experiences. I think the way my lifestyle is in terms of my personal life, being a fairly young dad to two kids and me and my wife moving over to America, it's quite a lot for someone of my age to have to go through. I think it's probably an experience that was great but at the same time I'd like to experience it again next year, kind of in a different place in my personal life.
“It's been cool, it's been great to play against the best players. It's just frustrating when you feel you're kind of behind the eight ball with your health, physically and your golf game as well. I feel like I've never really got going in the first kind of four or five months.
“I had a top five in there and I was in contention at Riviera and San Antonio. Everyone said to me since I came back how well I was doing, but I didn't feel like I was doing that great. So I suppose there’s some positives in there at the same time."
Asked for his biggest learnings both on and off the course in the USA, he added: “It makes you appreciate your family and your friends and your bubble at home. When you kind of move out of that and no one comes with you and it's just you and your wife and kids, you kind of realise how important family and friends are and how important that is for your mental well-being.
“It's the margin of detail and they're not afraid to invest in themselves for their careers so it's been great to be a part of that. And I feel like that's something that I've always done is invest in my in my career. So it wasn't new to me but it was definitely eye-opening how many players do that and you can't really get any gain on anyone from them areas."
With a home Major Championship on the horizon, and a Rolex Series return to come beforehand, Penge is eager to build some momentum as he enters into the second half of 2026.
Last summer, by then a first-time winner on the DP World Tour in China, Penge was runner-up in the Genesis Scottish Open at The Renaissance Club as he more than held his own among the world's very best.
From there, he went on to add victories in Denmark and Spain and is intent on working his way back towards the form that saw him reach a career-high 29th in the World Rankings towards the end of last year.
“It’s cool, a great [upcoming] run of events, probably one of the best kind of stretches on the DP World Tour in my opinion before the Back 9," said Penge, the current World Number 51.
“For me, Birkdale being fairly local to home, just being back in Europe playing in front of crowds who know who you are, it’s going be quite nice and just being back seeing all the players over here on the tour that I call as my home in a way.
“It’s been nice to see old faces and catch up and I'm looking forward to three great tournaments now."
