Marco Penge has been handed a three-month ban for betting with one month suspended, the DP World Tour has announced.
A statement said an independent disciplinary panel had found the 26-year-old Englishman had “betted on a number of golf events” in breach of the tour's integrity programme.
He said: “Penge did not bet on himself or the progress of competitions during the days he participated, which led the panel to find that the integrity of these events had not been compromised.
“The disciplinary panel ruled that Penge's breach warranted a three-month suspension with one month suspended for a period of 12 months pending further breaches of the programme.
“The suspension took effect on 13 December 2024 and Penge can return to DP World Tour participation from 13 February 2025 onwards. He was also fined £2,000.
“The disciplinary panel found Penge's immediate admission of breach and cooperation during the investigation required mitigation reflected in the sanction ultimately imposed.
Penge was found to have breached regulation 3(a)(i), which states: “A covered person shall not directly or indirectly bet or instruct any other person to bet on the outcome, progress, conduct or any other aspect of a professional or any other person. elite non-professional golf event anywhere in the world.”
Penge: I thought it was fine
Penge released a statement via social media explaining that he did not realize he was breaking the rules when he bet on competitions he was not involved in.
He said: “Back in April 2024 the Tour was informed by a betting agency that I had placed bets on golf from 2022, with an average total stake of £24 and a total profit of around £250. 68 per cent of the bets placed I position before taking an integrity program education course in March 2023.
“All my bets were positive bets (meaning a bet on someone to win rather than lose) and most of them were in the majors and the Ryder Cup. All my bets were for entertainment purposes to make watching golf more fun – just like most people would. do if it was something like the Grand National or other sporting events.
“From the moment this came to light, I fully cooperated with the circuit throughout the whole process to ensure that their investigation went as smoothly as possible.
“I really thought it was okay to bet on golf as long as it wasn't on myself or the tournaments I was competing in. After realizing that I had broken the rules and taking a deeper look at the integrity policy, it was only then that I realized this was not the case.
“This was a genuine and honest mistake for which I take full responsibility and I will never make the same mistake again.”
Penge confirmed that he plans to return to action at the Magical Kenya Open from February 20-23, live on Sky Sports Golf.
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