But, so far, 2026 hasn’t gone the way he would have hoped.
The Englishman missed the cut in his first two events of the season and has since exited early at the Players Championship, Texas Children’s Houston Open, and last week’s PGA Championship. There have been encouraging signs – a T4 finish at the Valspar Championship and T16 at the Genesis Invitational – but consistency has proved difficult to find.
Now, after rounds of 75 and 77 at Aronimink left him eight shots adrift of the cut line, Penge has revealed he is stepping away from the game to focus on his health.
“Moving forward, I have decided that I am going to take some time off to get my health back to where it needs to be,” he wrote on Instagram. “Thank you for your support as always! I’ll be back soon!”
Penge has been dealing with health issues for several months, with the 28-year-old previously revealing that a viral illness disrupted the start of his maiden PGA Tour campaign.
Back in January, he explained he had been forced to delay his season debut after battling illness since the DP World Tour’s end-of-season events in Dubai.
More recently, ahead of the PGA Championship, Penge shared a further update, revealing he had undergone an MRI scan after suffering recurring issues involving his ear, neck, and nervous system, as well as vertigo symptoms.
Thankfully, those results came back clear, but it appears the three-time DP World Tour winner has now decided a longer break is needed as he attempts to get fully fit.
The timing comes during a significant period away from the course, too, with Penge and his wife – former LET player Sophie Lamb – recently welcoming their second child.
For one of golf’s breakout stars of last season, the hope will be that some time away allows him to reset and return at full strength.