The English golfer finished tied 28th at Quail Hollow last year but gained confidence from the fact that he led the tee-to-green statistics on his first appearance at a major in the United States.

Penge told Golf Monthly magazine: "I played really well at the PGA Championship and my stats after that week gave me so much confidence. Being No. 1 tee-to-green, allied to the way I'd been playing back home, meant I knew that I could compete with these guys."

The golfer said this served him at well at last year's Scottish Open – where he finished in a share of second place with Rory McIlroy.

He recalled: "When I got into the mix at the Scottish Open, and saw Rory's name on the leaderboard, I wasn't in any way overawed. I told myself, 'This is what you work hard for, to be here, to be playing the biggest tournaments against the best players in the world.'

"I'd been playing well all year so my expectations of myself were pretty high. But you just never know when you're playing on the biggest stage how you're going to cope. But I had a good experience at the PGA and that made me feel more comfortable against the top players in the world."

Despite his impressive year, Penge was left out of Europe's winning Ryder Cup team by Luke Donald but is eyeing a spot at the event on home soil in 2027.

The world number 31 said: "I think if we had been at home this time I might have got into the Ryder Cup team.

"But it was nice to get that support, and it is definitely a target for 2027."