One player was a better driver than Rory McIlroy on the DP World Tour in 2025 

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Rory McIlroy was one of the best drivers on the DP World Tour in 2025, but he was beaten off the tee by one player.

Diving has been Rory McIlroy’s key strength since he burst onto the golfing scene over a decade ago, and he has ranked in the top five in strokes gained off the tee on the DP World Tour in the last three seasons. 

Like this year, McIlroy finished second in that category, falling short only to Jon Rahm. But in 2025, he was beaten by a player who has only just secured his place on the PGA Tour for next season.

The pair went head-to-head during the fall on the DP World Tour, and McIlroy put in a more impressive driving performance. But this Englishman was better with his driver all season long.

Marco Penge was better off the tee than Rory McIlroy on the DP World Tour

Marco Penge was the one player to better McIlroy in strokes gained off the tee during the 2025 DP World season. He finished the year gaining 1.08 strokes, narrowly beating the career Grand Slam winner, who gained 1.04.

Penge had an incredibly impressive season, which saw him finish second in the Race to Dubai, behind McIlroy, who won his seventh title. That meant that Penge earned his PGA Tour card for the 2026 season.

He won the Spanish Open, which means he will be playing at The Masters and The Open Championship next season for the first time. That was one of three wins for the 27-year-old on the DP World Tour.

McIlroy did drive it further than Penge on the season, hitting it 323.18 yards on average to his rival’s 319.26 yards, but no one combined distance and accuracy off the tee like Penge, making him one to watch on the PGA Tour next season.

Who hit it further when Rory McIlroy played against Marco Penge

We found out exactly who hits the ball further between McIlroy and Penge this fall, as the pair were grouped together at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship this fall.

McIlroy said Penge should hit it longer than him because he’s much younger before the tournament, and Penge expressed his excitement to find out.

And on their opening round, Penge did get the better of the 2025 Masters winner, but only just!

McIlroy averaged 314.5 yards off the tee, and Penge hit it one yard further with an average of 315.5.

While McIlroy hit it further over the course of the season, when the pair went head-to-head, Penge was the winner!