The PGA Tour’s 2026 season begins at the Sony Open in Hawaii, played at the Waialae Country Club of Oahu. With the Pacific Ocean views, palm-lined fairways, and a $9.1 million purse on the line, Marco Penge was eagerly looking forward to the coming week. However, ahead of the much-anticipated start, the English golfer had to withdraw for an unfortunate reason.

The Englishman updated on X, saying, “I was meant to start my season next week in Hawaii, but unfortunately, I have had to WD due to a viral illness I’ve been fighting since Dubai, back in November. Frustrating to put a delay on my start, but I’m close to being fully fit again, and I’ll be back out there soon. 🙌🏻💙”

Popular golf outlet Underdog Golf also updated the underwhelming news on X: “Marco Penge said he planned to start the season at the Sony Open but pulled out of the event due to a viral illness he’s been dealing with since November.”

And let’s just say the netizens were evidently upset.

After all, Marco Penge had earned his spot after a historic run on the DP World Tour last year. He finished second in the Race to Dubai rankings, right behind the world number two, Rory McIlroy.

After starting the season outside the world’s top 400 and narrowly retaining his card in 2024, Penge delivered one of the most consistent campaigns of the year, highlighted by victories at the Hainan Classic, Danish Golf Championship, and Open de España.

Those wins in a season where he also had five other top ten finishes earned him Dual Membership on the PGA TOUR and elevated his rank to 29th in the world.

This impressive performance made him the most exciting rookie entering the 2026 PGA Tour season.

Penge had an early-week illness disrupting the DP World Tour Championship in mid-November 2025, where he didn’t feel well but improved after medication, playing well later in that week and finishing strong despite the rough start. But in the recent post, his body has been struggling since the high-pressure finish in the desert.

His health is not the only issue regarding the already volatile condition of the post-LIV period. History teaches golf fans to view a late withdrawal with a very high level of suspicion.

Adrian Meronk also cited viral illness as a reason before joining the rival league in January 2024. Fans also remember how Cameron Smith cited hip issues before his massive move to the Rebel Tour.

These recurring incidents cast a dark shadow over every medical note in professional golf. People now wonder if Penge is simply following a very familiar script.

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Many fans still remember the shocking exit of the Polish star, Adrian Meronk, in January 2024. They said, “I hope this isn’t the same viral illness Adrian Meronk had.” Meronk also shared his fitness tracker data to prove he was truly sick at the Farmers Insurance Open in January 2024 at Torrey Pines.

However, he signed with Cleeks GC only a few days after his sudden medical withdrawal. That’s why another fan repeated the same by just commenting on Penge’s ‘X’ post, “LIV?”

Many even questioned the English rookie’s long and lingering medical issue. They find it absurd that a virus could last for over two months, as one critic asked, “What virus lasts a month +?” And we can’t blame the fan because it reminds fans of how Cameron Smith’s hip pain vanished once he joined the rebel golf tour.

Eventually, the loss of Marco Penge is a massive blow to the tour’s excitement. So one fan posted, “A virus that was in Dubai in November taking out the debut of one of the three most exciting @PGATOUR rookies means I am straight up not having a good time right now,” expressing their disappointment.

Penge actually tackled these same rumors back in October 2025 during his massive and historic breakout year. He claimed he never watched a single LIV match and planned his big move to America. However, Laurie Canter already proved that a player can snub a tour card for an LIV Golf contract. If Penge leaves, he would be the second player to reject his Race to Dubai ticket to join LIV Golf before 2026.