Marco Penge, who has had an outstanding season on the DP World Tour with three wins, will join Rory McIlroy in a group for the first time at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship held at Yas Links.
"For me, he's the best player in my generation of kind of watching golf. He's been so successful, and I think a lot of guys in my age group really look up to him not just as a golfer but as a person."
The 27-year-old Englishman revealed he had tried to arrange a practice round with McIlroy in Ireland but the timing never worked out. Penge compares many parts of his game with McIlroy's and is eager to gauge his strengths against the top player on Thursday.
Currently ranked 29th worldwide, Penge stands second in the Race to Dubai, trailing McIlroy by just 500 points.
Playing alongside McIlroy represents an important opportunity for Penge to measure his game against one of golf’s best in his generation.