Marco Penge might have blown his second-day lead at the Genesis Invitational and eventually finished 16th, but a much more important prize waited for the 27-year-old golfer far away from the golf course. He became a father for the second time just two days after the big California golf event, marking a major milestone in what has already been a whirlwind transition to life on the PGA Tour.
“Romeo Penge 24/02/26 🤍,” Penge wrote on Instagram, sharing a sweet picture from the hospital showing his wife Sophie Penge (formerly Sophie Lamb) and their new baby boy Romeo.
View this post on Instagram
Marco Penge now cares for two children who will grow up in a very talented golfing family. Sophie Penge is a former professional golfer herself, and the pair started dating in 2015. After that, they famously teamed up to win the prestigious Sunningdale Foursomes in 2016. And after years of competing alongside each other, they married in 2023 and welcomed their first son, Enzo, in 2024. And in the middle of their journey, Mrs. Penge retired from professional golf in 2022 to focus on their family.
But life has been quite tough for the Penge family during the last few weeks in their new home. The young family moved from England to Florida to make it easy for Penge’s rookie season in the United States. And when Penge was competing for his footing in the Tour, Sophie Penge was left alone in their new home in Palm Beach Gardens, heavily pregnant and caring for their 1.5-year-old son, Enzo, without any nearby family or friends.
“It’s been quite tough, to be fair, the last four weeks for my family and me. She’s been in the U.S. on her own, heavily pregnant, looking after a one-and-a-half-year-old at the same time with no family or friends around. It’s been like a bit of a gamble for me, just kind of going to compete and leaving her on her own,” Penge shared after the second round at the Genesis Inviational. “But she’s so supportive, and I’m so lucky to have her, and we’re both really excited to have another child in a week.”
Thankfully, everything went perfectly for the couple at the end of the week, and the healthy little Romeo was born on Feb. 24th.
And that post from Penge on Instagram garnered a wave of support and love from Nelly Korda, Rickie Fowler, and several other pros from the Tour. Korda and Fowler liked the post, while many others shared their love in the comment section.
Support showers from the golf community for Marco Penge
Juju Chan, the partner of PGA Tour pro Sahith Theegala, shared her excitement for the couple’s newest addition, commenting, “Congratulations🥹🩵”.
Official accounts from the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, and Adidas also shared their congratulations for the couple.
Penge’s peers, Jacob Bridgeman, who recently won the Genesis Invitational, wrote, “Amazing! Congratulations, bro.”
Bridgeman and Penge recently shared the thirty-six-hole lead at Riviera before Bridgeman got a 6-shot cushion after the third round and eventually won the tournament by one shot.
Fellow British professional Harry Hall celebrated the news, writing, “Congratulations!! 😍.”
Hall became a father himself in 2024 summer. He and her wife Jordan Hall welcomed their first daughter, Lilah, in July 2024. The birth occurred shortly after Hall secured his first PGA Tour victory at the 2024 ISCO Championship.
It’s not just that the peers are excited with the news, as one fan penned, “The most beautiful addition to the most wonderful, beautiful family! Congrats to all of you 🥹🥰💙”.
And among others, one comment from Penge’s family piqued the emotion. It read, “My gorgeous second nephew 💙 Couldn’t be happier for you both. Soph, Marco, Otis, Enzo and Romeo 🌹 How lovely xx.” Otis is a golden retriever that also moved to Florida with the Penge family in early January.
As of now, Penge is rightfully missing the Cognizant Classic to spend time with his family and is expected to return to the tour soon.
Related Newsletters
