The Pole, who narrowly missed out on a place in Europe’s triumphant Ryder Cup squad, finished 16-under par to win by one stroke from Germany’s Matti Schmid at Real Club de Golf Sotogrande in San Roque.

Richard Mansell was a shot further back in third after a tense final round played in changeable weather conditions and brought forward to earlier in the day due to the threat of storms.

Asked for his feelings afterwards, Meronk said: “Relieved, to be honest. It was a tough tournament, tough weather, didn’t have my best golf on the first day so to win the tournament is very special. I’m over the moon.”

.@AdrianMeronk after his win ?️#EDAM2023 pic.twitter.com/mhwSQBzBDr

— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) October 22, 2023

Schmid did not produce the fireworks of his previous two rounds, having hit a five-under-par 67 on Friday and topped it with 65 on Moving Day.

But after going out in level par he holed from nine feet for birdie at the 10th and chipped close at the 12th to set up another.

Meronk was two-over for the first three holes but responded in style with an eagle at the sixth and holed out from 120 yards for another at the ninth to go out in 34.

A 42-foot birdie putt at the 10th took him within one of the lead held by Schmid and another long eagle attempt at the 12th went close to set up a tap-in birdie.

The German dropped a shot at the 13th but responded by matching Meronk’s birdie at the next to keep his nose in front.

The Pole’s nerveless birdie at the 17th put the pressure on Schmid, who missed his par putt back on 16 as the lead swung to Meronk.

Schmid parred the par-three 17th and was left needing a birdie at the last, where Meronk made par to finish 16-under.

The German was just unable to hole a 40-foot birdie putt on the last, which would have forced a play-off, leaving Meronk to celebrate.

“I didn’t get off to a hot start, I was trying to talk to myself, stay positive,” he said. “I was hitting good shots on the range in the morning so I knew I had the game.

“The eagle on the sixth gave me some momentum and then I believed and stayed super focused until the last putt, which I’m very proud of.

“That was the first time I hit the (ninth) fairway this week and just had a good number for my 54-degree (wedge), was hitting that shot yesterday on the range.

“Just hit a perfect shot, little draw, one bounce and in which was a great bonus for me and had me going for the back nine.”

Mansell, playing with Meronk, eagled the sixth after hitting a magnificent second shot to four feet, and another superb approach to the 10th set up birdie before he added another at the 12th.

He three-putted the 17th for an untimely first bogey of the day before a closing par left him on his own in third.

Chase Hanna finished 13-under, in the process securing his DP World Tour card for next season. The American shared fourth place with Louis de Jager.

Jeff Winther was 12-under with Marcel Siem and Jeong weon Ko a shot further back, the latter putting himself in position for a 2024 card in the process. Defending champion Adrian Otaegui, playing in the final group with Schmid and Winther, finished tied for ninth on 10-under.

Main image: DP World Tour

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Yes, Adrian Meronk is still upset, which is fair enough, given the level of disappointment he has experienced recently. Eleven days from hearing he was not going to be part of the European Ryder Cup team later this month, the 30-year-old from Poland is riding a wave of sympathy from all corners of the DP World Tour and Wentworth during the BMW PGA Championship, where he is nine-under after two rounds and firmly in contention. He is, as he was quick to agree after signing for a second-round 68, “a man on a mission”.

“I definitely think it is wrong,” said Meronk, of European captain Luke Donald’s decision not to select him. “I feel like I deserved it. I feel like I showed over the last three years on the DP World Tour how good I was. If you look at the numbers and the results. I felt like it was enough. But now it’s over.”

Maybe so. But the aftereffects continue to linger for the Australian Open champion, who this year won the Italian Open over the Marco Simone course that will host the Ryder Cup.

“The Ryder Cup is definitely a motivation,” Meronk said. “But I’m trying to turn all that disappointment and anger into fuel and motivation, especially this week. I’m very motivated, even though this is my fourth tournament in a row. I can feel it in my body. But I want to keep going and play my best golf.”

Buoyed by “a lot of good words” from Ryder Cup assistant captains Thomas Bjorn and Nicolas Colsaerts, Meronk has been further heartened by what he has been hearing from the vast galleries roaming Wentworth this week.

“I have been getting a lot of support,” Meronk said. “It’s been unbelievable to be honest. From the players. From coaches. From staff. From spectators. It’s been very encouraging. Today, I had people shouting to me in Polish, saying I should be on the team, I deserved it, I’m good enough. I know all that. It doesn’t really matter now though. But it’s nice to have that support from so many different people.”

Moving forward, Meronk’s word of choice is “acceptance”.

“The key for me was to accept the decision,” he said. “Then move on. I’ve had my parents, my girlfriend, my coach, my caddie, my psychologist all helping me with that. We just accepted it as a team and moved on. I’m not sure what was the best advice I have received. That’s a good question. Again, I have to say ‘acceptance.’ I know that is easy to say. It’s like having a bad round or a bad tournament. You have to let it go. This was a bit tougher to accept because it wasn’t based on me. Someone else made the decision. I’ve been pretty good at that though. Acceptance is the key here.”

Still, there are little signs that, even this soon after the infliction of a clearly painful wound, some healing is taking place. Immediately after the realization of his exclusion sunk in, Meronk had no intention of watching the Ryder Cup. Now, however, his position has softened. At home in Poland, he will be taking in every moment on a course he knows — and plays — so well.

“I will watch,” he said. “It is still one of the greatest tournaments in golf. It is going to be exciting. Marco Simone is close to my heart.”

Moving along, Meronk wasn’t above giving out some advice for those in charge of the qualifying process that he feels has treated him so cruelly. One could argue it is flawed, having identified Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre as an automatic qualifier and having failed to do the same for Tommy Fleetwood. Even a cursory glance at the numbers confirms that the latter comprehensively outplayed the former over the course of the qualifying period.

“I do think six picks is too many,” Meronk said. “I would say four is reasonable. I think leaving one or two picks for the big tournaments at the end is a good idea. They picked the team after four weeks of break then two small events. At least one spot should be reserved for this week.”

As for the future, both immediate and intermediate, Meronk seems determined to remain philosophical about his fate. Already he is looking forward to 2025, when the Ryder Cup will visit a raucous Bethpage Black on Long Island.

“I definitely have my eye on 2025,” he said. “I was saying that before the team was announced. If I play well and keep improving, I hope that will be enough to qualify and not be picked for the team. That will be my goal in two years. Plus, it will be easier for me to get past all of this after the Ryder Cup. The talk will be over. Now there is a lot of hype around and you can’t really avoid it. I know it’s there and I know people are going to talk about it. I know I’m going to see the guys around on the range and in the gym. Which is fine. I haven’t tried to avoid anyone. We eat together and train together. It would be impossible to avoid people. Again, acceptance is the key. That’s all I can do.”

There is one more thing, of course. The best response Meronk could ever give to Donald’s snub is to win this week at DP World Tour headquarters and claim the biggest title on the circuit. And don’t think he hasn’t thought of that.

“My golf has been very solid,” he said. “I’m very pleased with my long game. I struggled yesterday but today was better. I had a lot of good chances and I’m excited for the weekend. It could be a huge weekend. But I don’t want to put any extra pressure on myself. I know what I am capable of. I can only control that. I’ll focus on my strategy and see where that takes me.”

Not to Marco Simone, of course. But perhaps to Bethpage. Time will tell. Or, the next European captain will.

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It should have been a special train ride. Adrian Meronk and his girlfriend were sitting in a carriage on the way from Crans-Montana in Switzerland to Geneva, hours after Meronk had finished T-12 at the Omega European Masters, when the call from Luke Donald came in. The European captain delivered to them what was unfortunate news: Meronk was not one of his six captain’s picks.

“I was in shock,” Meronk said. “I was expecting I had pretty decent chance.”

The 30-year-old from Poland had won three DP World Tour events in the past 14 months, two of them during the European team qualification period and the second of those wins coming in May in the Italian Open at the site of this year’s Ryder Cup, Marco Simone outside Rome.

Instead, Donald chose Shane Lowry, Ludvig Aberg, Tommy Fleetwood, Nicolai Højgaard, Justin Rose and Sepp Straka as his captain’s picks. It would appear that Aberg’s late push (T-4 at the Czech Masters and a win at the European Masters) and the strong late play of Højgaard likely left Meronk the odd man out. (Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm and Robert MacIntyre, Viktor Hovland, Tyrrell Hatton and Matt Fitzpatrick were the six qualifiers.)

“I heard it was tough for [Donald] as well,” Meronk said. Asked if Donald gave a reason for the omission, Meronk couldn’t remember. The phone call was a blur. “When he said I wasn’t going, I stopped listening, to be honest. He said someone had to stay home. I wouldn’t want to be in his position; it was tough for him.”

Rubbing salt in the wound is the fact Meronk arrived at this week’s Irish Open at the K Club as the defending champion. The DP World Tour revealed Donald’s picks on Monday, while Donald, as well as team members McIlroy, Lowry and Hatton, are in the Irish field.

Needless to say, the past 48 hours have not been fun for Meronk.

“It’s an emotional time for me to be honest,” he said in his press conference Wednesday at the K Club. “[I’ve gone] from shock to sadness to anger to now … It’s a hard one to swallow … I thought I had done enough to be on that team.

“The first half of the day [Monday] was sadness and disbelief. The last year and a half I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about this. It was my goal. I realized it’s not going to happen this year.”

Meronk’s team was also saddened by the news, excited to celebrate the fact the tour pro would have been the first Polish golfer to play in a Ryder Cup.

“People didn’t take [the news] well; everyone was disappointed,” he said. “A couple people [said] they’d already bought tickets because they were sure I was going to be there. But a lot of players and tour caddies, coaches, staff, have been very supportive.”

When Adrian Meronk closed out the win at the Italian Open in May, on the course where this year’s Ryder Cup will be held, it seemed like he was going to make the European team. But ultimately he became the odd man out. Naomi Baker

Many former observers took to social media suggesting Højgaard’s pick over Meronk was the head-scratcher.

Adrian Meronk won the Australian, Irish and Italian Opens, has 5 other top 10s, is 3rd on the Race to Dubai and has won at the host venue, yet he hasn’t received a captains pick for the Ryder Cup in Rome. Regardless of your opinion, it’s been an incredible breakout season for… pic.twitter.com/j0XYuYqLJM

— Flushing It (@flushingitgolf) September 4, 2023

Meronk would appear to have been more in-form than the Dane; he sits higher in both the DP World Tour’s Race to Dubai (3 vs. 15) and the Official World Golf Rankings (51 vs. 78). Many pointed to the fact Højgaard has also won the Italian Open at Marco Simone. But that was 2021, and Højgaard’s most recent win was in the Middle East 18 months ago.

Meronk said there wasn’t much else he could have done. He played seven PGA Tour events outside the majors, which caused him to miss out on some chances to earn qualifying points. The DP World Tour runs the European side of the Ryder Cup and set the selection criteria for this edition as six qualifiers—three on World Points and three on European points—along with six captain’s picks.

“I don’t regret that. I wanted to grow my game and get comfortable playing in US,” countered Meronk, who will likely secure one of 10 PGA Tour cards through the season-long DP World Tour standings under the two tours’ strategic alliance. “Next time, I’ll focus more on getting that spot through qualifying and not lean on a pick. I’ll be more focused on playing more counting events. That’s the only thing I could have think of.”

Which leaves the question, how does he focus on his Irish Open title defence this week?

“It’s not easy. I haven’t experienced it before,” he said. “I’m fighting emotions inside of me. This is a great venue, great tournament, but [the Ryder Cup] is still somewhere in back of my mind. Hopefully, I’ll be ready. I wish them [European team] good luck, and I’m going to focus on my game and move forward. I’m trying to turn it into motivation coming into this week.”

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It was a little more than a year ago that the Old World club’s leader Henrik Stenson vacated his captaincy by departing to LIV Golf, and a number of LIV Golf players such as Sergio Garcia and Ian Poulter vacated their DP World Tour memberships, making themselves ineligible for the biennial match. But the Europeans are welcoming in a new era, one highlighted by Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Viktor Hovland and Matt Fitzpatrick and bolstered by automatic qualifiers Tyrrell Hatton and Robert MacIntyre. On Monday, those six qualifiers were joined by captain’s picks in Tommy Fleetwood, Sepp Straka, Justin Rose, Shane Lowry, Ludvig Aberg and Nicolai Hojgaard.

Is this team good enough to retake the cup and continue the European home-winning streak that dates back to 1993? Our editors offer their instant analysis at Stenson’s replacement, Luke Donald’s picks and how the Europeans stack up as they prepare to make the trip to Italy and Marco Simone at the end of September.

Biggest surprise among the captain’s picks?

Nicolai Hojgaard. He’s deserving, with three finishes of T-6 or better in his last six starts. And there was a real possibility Ludvig Aberg’s European Masters win would have cannibalized Hojgaard’s chances, in that there was theoretically room on the Euro roster for one upstart but not two. Give Donald credit; it’s a fun and “sexy” decision, but above all else it’s a decision that’s brazen. —Joel Beall

Stacy Revere

Just as we saw with Zach Johnson’s American selections, Donald was fairly predictable, for the most part, with his six. Aberg’s addition will raise eyebrows in some corners, but only among those not paying attention. The kid was on the express escalator to this day even before he won Sunday’s European Masters. —Dave Shedloski

I’m having a hard time being surprised by just about anything Donald did with his picks, even picking the palpably off-form Shane Lowry. Having six captain’s selections was always going to offer him a safety net, which is important for the Europeans. Much more than the Americans, they need to have a system in place that will absolutely identify what the captain sees as absolutely the best 12 available. The standard of player on the DP World Tour drops off pretty significantly once you get past the obvious names. Not as much as it used to, admittedly. Things are changing. But that fact remains a factor in every Ryder Cup calculation across the pond. —John Huggan

About half this European team could be considered surprising if you strip out the context around them. But when you take a step back, it’s truly incredible Aberg is on this team. Not because he isn’t a very good player (he is), or because he couldn’t become a generational one (as Donald says), but because his inclusion is basically unprecedented. Aberg is the first player in history to make a Ryder Cup team without playing in a major, and no player in the modern era has made the team so soon after turning pro. Not Rory McIlroy, or Jon Rahm, or Sergio Garcia, or Nick Faldo, or any other European Ryder Cup greats. —Luke Kerr-Dineen

Biggest snub?

Adrian Meronk, obviously. What looked like a very complicated European picture clarified over the last couple weeks, to the point there were really only 13 players Luke Donald could have taken. Meronk was No. 13, and I don’t think he deserved to be. For all the talk of an “old boys club” on the U.S. side, I can’t think of a better way to describe the selection of Shane Lowry, who doesn’t have either the recent form or the Ryder Cup pedigree (1-2 in his lone appearance) to make him an obvious pick over Meronk, who won three times this season—including at the host course!!!—and was better than Lowry in the second half of the summer. —Shane Ryan

Meronk is the player with the biggest, most legitimate gripe. He currently sits third on the Race to Dubai, and is the Australian Open, Irish Open and Italian Open champion. And the last of those titles was won on the Marco Simone course that will host the Ryder Cup later this month. Then there is Meronk’s style of play. The man makes birdies for fun. By way of recent example, he made 20, plus one eagle, in the European Masters that concluded just yesterday. And his overall form this year has been excellent. Other than his victories, he has four other top-10s and three more finishes between 10th and 20th. Based on Donald’s repeated public assertions that he would select “in-form” players, the Englishman has let down Meronk. —J.H.

Octavio Passos

Meronk is the obvious one. But a quick word of respect for Victor Perez. Perez is out of form, which ultimately cost him. But three career DP World Tour wins and fourth in the Race to Dubai is an impressive track record for a player who is still young. Hopefully we’ll see him on Team Europe in the future. —L.K.D.

Meronk. The others all noted he won at the Ryder Cup site earlier this year and has been playing well since spring. Conversely, he’s in that purgatory where he’s too old to be young (Hojgaard, Aberg) and too young to be considered part of the old guard (Rose, Lowry). By not grabbing the final DP World Tour points spot, Meronk left himself vulnerable to politics. —J.B.

Pick that might haunt Donald?

Shane Lowry. As I said regarding Meronk’s non-selection, Donald asserted more than once that form would be a big factor in his thinking when it came to captain’s picks. On that basis, Lowry has no business making a second appearance in the Ryder Cup. His only solid performances this year are in the Masters (T-16), the PGA (T-12) and the U.S. Open (T-20). It’s is possible to build a case, then, for his inclusion around some sort of “he’s the man for the big occasion” theory. For me though, and as much as I am an unashamed Lowry fan, his selection represents a huge risk. If he arrives in Italy playing the same as he has done for most of this year, he is going to be not much more than a passenger Europe can ill afford. —J.H.

Warren Little

Probably Hojgaard, though had Donald picked Meronk, then that pick would have been questioned just as much. It’s likely Hojgaard won’t see much action—one team match and singles. —Dave Shedloski

Sepp Straka doesn’t get the respect he deserves from European fans because of how much golf he’s played in the U.S. over his career. As a fellow transatlatic talent person, I’ve always had a soft spot for Straka, a player who is only getting better. He belongs on this team, and the ones he’ll be on in the future. But unfairly or not, rookie/captain’s picks always come into the event with a sharper focus on them. If Straka doesn’t grab a few points, I could see some wondering if Donald didn’t scrutinize Straka enough. —L.K.D.

I’m one of those people who believes even if Justin Thomas goes 0-5 in Rome, it was the correct move to pick him based on his 16-5-3 record in team match play. But Donald’s selection of Lowry doesn’t hit the quite the same for me. Again, the man is 1-2 in his lone appearance, in iffy form—he didn’t even play the last European event—and if he lays an egg in Rome, I think Donald should be in for some deserved second-guessing. —S.R.

Overall impression of the European team?

As a thought experiment this roster is alluring, almost a perfect alchemy of youth and experience, of firepower and fortitude. The Hojgaard and Aberg picks are as exciting as captain’s selections can be. Winning the press conference does not guarantee winning the match, and the Euro team still lacks the depth of their American counterparts. Still, Donald’s club will be a formidable unit, one more than capable of winning back the Ryder Cup. —J.B.

This team has a really nice balance between truly elite players (Rahm, McIlroy, Hovland), a core with experience (Fitzpatrick, Fleetwood, Lowry, Hatton, Rose) and young talent with potential to grow with the team (Straka, Aberg, Hojgaard, Macintyre). Yes, as one of Golf Digest’s resident Europeans, I’m biased. But if you’re a fan of Team Europe, you should be pleased with how this team came together. Forza! —L.K.D.

Stuart Franklin

Beyond the very slight Lowry-over-Meronk controversy, Donald has to be feeling pretty great about his team. Hovland is the hottest player in the world, Rahm is a killer and the entire top half of the team seems to be in great form. The question marks were always going to be near the bottom, but the addition of recent winner Aberg feels massive, and smart, and when you combine all that with the fact that they’re playing at home, this team looks really, really good. The panic that came with the LIV defections can safely be stowed; Europe is ready. —S.R.

Donald has done a commendable job in assembling a decent team given the challenges of this era. It’s top-heavy, reminiscent of some American squads led by Tiger and Phil and some very good players. That could be a problem. That said, Europe’s players have a way of congealing when they are defending home turf. A lot will be on the shoulders of Rahm, McIlroy and Hovland, three of the top four players in the world, but if they gut up and get assists from Fitzpatrick and captain’s picks Fleetwood, Lowry and Rose, another U.S. setback abroad is in the cards. Oh, and let’s not discount the smackdown Europe received at Whistling Straits as a motivator. —D.S.

Whether it turns out to be a good or a bad thing remains to be seen, but this European team reminds me of the sides that turned the Ryder Cup tide back in the 1980s. Four decades ago captain Tony Jacklin built a winning formula around a group of truly world-class players like Seve Ballesteros, Nick Faldo, Sandy Lyle, Bernhard Langer and Ian Woosnam backed up by guys like Howard Clark, Mark James, Sam Torrance and Ken Brown, all one notch below that level. I see what Donald has available in a similar light. in fact, he might be in even better shape. Where Jacklin originally had five superstars, then two more in Colin Montgomerie and Jose Maria Olazabal, maybe half of Donald’s side are similarly transcendent talents. —J.H.

The post Did Luke Donald get it right with his 2023 European Ryder Cup team? Our writers explore surprises, snubs and any lingering questions appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

The final automatic spot on Luke Donald’s European team for the Ryder Cup showdown with the United States will come down to the final qualifying event — this weeks’ Omega European Masters ‚ with six players still in the running.

After finishing T-4 fourth place at the Czech Masters on Sunday, Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre holds a slender lead in the European Points List, narrowly increasing his lead over closest challenger Yannik Paul.

The Scot birdied his final hole to finish his week on 17-under, gaining 85.42 points in the Czech Republic to increase his total on the European Points List to 1828.99.

His top five at Albatross Golf Resort also helped to increase his advantage over Yannik Paul, who began his week just 90.67 points behind MacIntyre and finished one behind him in 10th place. It means Paul gained 50 points to up his tally to 1702.9, which leaves him 126.09 points adrift of the man who displaced him in the automatic spot with one week to go.

MacIntyre and Paul are two of six players in this week’s field that can end the week in Donald’s line-up. They all have necessary scenarios to make that happen, but Adrian Meronk, Victor Perez, Rasmus Hojgaard and Adrian Otaegui all have a mathematical chance of claiming that third and final place.

They will all tee up at Crans-sur-Sierre on Thursday knowing that the fate of their Ryder Cup place is in their hands, whether that is doing enough to qualify, or enough to impress Donald in the last event of the qualifying period.

Tommy Fleetwood, who is currently occupying the third spot on the World’s Points List, could have also qualified with a win but is not competing in Switzerland this week.

Scenarios: What each player needs to do to win

• MacIntyre could still be caught even if he finishes second, so needs to win to absolutely guarantee his place, but only a top-three finish from fellow contenders will threaten his position.
• Paul will qualifies if he wins. He would need to finish at least tied for third with two others, or better, to have a chance.
• Meronk needs to finish in a tie for second with just one player or better to have a chance
• Perez needs to finish in second place alone, or to win to have a chance
• Hojgaard needs to win to have a chance
• Otaegui needs to win to have a chance

European Points List
Player Points
Rory McIlroy (Q) 4033.5
Jon Rahm (Q) 3417.23
Robert MacIntyre 1828.99
Yannik Paul 1702.9
Adrian Meronk 1620.59
Victor Perez 1571.03
Tommy Fleetwood 1534.37
Rasmus Hojgaard 1435.51
Adrian Otaegui 1435.51
Shane Lowry 1290.23

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There’s a reason the best golfers in the world make it to the top. There’s the talent, of course, but even more than that, these pros have the confidence and chutzpah to go get what they want.

If one of us commoners saw Tiger Woods at the 10th hole at St Andrews, maybe we would say hello and ask for an autograph and/or picture. But most of us would wimp out — I know I would — and lie to their friends and say that Woods seemed busy and they didn’t want to bother him. Well, Adrian Meronk is a 6ft 6ins Polish golf powerhouse, and the golfer walked right up to Woods at the Open Championship last July and inquired about the two playing nine holes at the Old Course together.

“It was a dream come true,” Meronk told The Independent. “I showed up on the 10th in the morning, Tiger was standing there with his caddie, I just went for it, I asked if I could join him, nine holes of golf. I was nervous, but after three holes we chatted and laughed a lot.”

Tiger Woods with Adrian Meronk at St Andrews. Harry How

What did the two talk about? It seems like a lot. The fact that he could hold his own during a practice round while talking to Woods is quite an accomplishment.

“He gave me good advice, playing St Andrews, it was a great experience, being there with him for two hours, such a historical event, very special and I was very lucky.

“He asked me how I started playing, he congratulated me for my win in Ireland, his first British Open, and time at St Andrews, his health and his kids. Nice conversation, I was surprised how open he was. I thought he’d be quite unapproachable, but he was so open and kind. An amazing experience.”

This is Meronk’s first year playing every major, and the Pole will be looking to replicate his 6-under showing at the Open at the PGA Championship this week (as opposed to his recent missed cut at the Masters). He’s aiming for a European Ryder Cup spot, and now we know he has the conviction to really push for it.

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The basis for Meronk’s victory — his third on the DP World Tour — and his closing round of 69 was a front-nine filled with narrow escapes. A chip-in at the second for par was closely followed by a precarious birdie at the drivable par-4 fifth, where the eventual champion’s tee shot finished inches from the water hazard left of the putting surface. Three holes later, a lengthy putt for par disappeared into the cup on the difficult par-4 eighth. Things were definitely going the 29-year old’s way as a birdie on the par-5 ninth gave him a one-stroke edge over Langasque.

Huge putt to save par on 17 for @AdrianMeronk ?#DS80OpendItalia pic.twitter.com/oddTskBqkS

— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) May 7, 2023

Meronk continued on his mildly erratic way on the back nine. Yet, illustrating the potential match-play nuances of the course, his stuttering progress was mirrored by his closest challengers. Langasque was ultimately undone by three dropped shots in four holes from the 13th, although his chip-in birdie on the 17th brought with it late hope of victory that was eventually dashed by a wild tee-shot off the 18th tee. And Guerrier, albeit the steadiest of the trio, made his last birdie on the 12th.

As it turned out, the champion’s even-par inward half, three birdies, three pars, three bogeys, was good enough, the curling 20-foot putt he made for par on the penultimate green the true clinching moment. Still, Meronk’s two-putt birdie on the par-5 18th turned out to be required as Langasque made a long putt for one last birdie, albeit the overall result was already settled.

“It is such a relief,” Meronk said. “This was a tough day. I didn’t play as well as previous days off the tee. So I had to scramble a little bit. But I’m super-happy to come out on top. And very proud of myself. The putt on 17 was huge. I left myself an almost impossible chip so I was just trying to get it as close as possible. And holing the putt was such a big moment going to 18.”

Inevitably, the Ryder Cup came up, too.

“Winning today is a solid statement,” Meronk said. “It is a brick into the wall, but it is far from over, I know that. But I’m excited. Making the team is one of my big goals this year. It would mean a lot to me, and I’ll keep pushing. Today helps a little bit.”

The victory jumped Meronk to fifth on the European points list, with the top three earning automatic spots on Luke Donald’s European squad. And even if he weren’t to qualifying automatically, a win on the course that’s hosting the Ryder Cup would seem like an intangible that Donald wouldn’t ignore in making his captain’s picks.

Lower on the leaderboard, for those harbouring even outside chances of making their own Ryder Cup debuts come September, the four rounds produced a mixed bag, success and relative failure in almost equal measure. Defending champion Robert MacIntyre surely left most disappointed. The left-handed Scot, whose World Ranking has slumped over the last 18 months or so, withdrew citing a back strain following a mediocre opening-round 73. Denmark’s Rasmus Højgaard did make the halfway cut, but a 47th-place finish was a poor return for one so talented. Likewise, home player Guido Migliozzi did little to attract Donald’s attention. The Italian broke par only once and finished in a distant 57th place, well off the Ryder Cup radar.

On the other hand, Rasmus’ identical twin, Nicolai, 2020 champion here, confirmed his liking for the course with a T-5 finish highlighted by a closing 65. France’s Victor Perez also did himself no harm with a solid T-9 finish highlighted by three rounds in the high 60s. Spain’s Jorge Campillo, winner of the recent Magical Kenya Open, recorded his fifth top-10 in succession when he pulled up in a tie for seventh. And, perhaps not incidentally, Eddie Pepperell finished in an encouraging tie for ninth in what was the Englishman’s first competitive appearance in three months.

Superb win for @AdrianMeronk. Some solid golf played all week and came up with the right shots when he needed them most, starting to make winning a habit. Well done Adrian ?

— Luke Donald (@LukeDonald) May 7, 2023

Elsewhere, and less importantly for European prospects come September, Donald and his three vice captains, Nicolas Colsaerts, Edoardo Molinari and Thomas Bjorn, all failed to make it through to the weekend in a playing sense. But Donald was still making positive noises about a visit he called, “busy and productive”.

“I think the green staff here have done an amazing job with the condition of the course and trying to get it in a place that will be quite similar to the Ryder Cup in five months time,” said the Englishman. “We always like to have a little bit of rough when we get to play the Ryder Cup in Europe. I also had a nice dinner with the vice captains, where we did a lot of work behind the scenes. We will look at the statistics at the end of the week and look how everyone played, how the course played, and whether we need to make any tweaks. But if there are changes, they would be pretty minor I think.”

Less encouraging from a European point of view is the lingering thought that this week is likely to be typical going forward on much of the DP World Tour. Already, huge periods of the circuit are marked by the absence of the biggest names such as Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy, Matt Fitzpatrick, Victor Hovland, Shane Lowry, Justin Rose, Tommy Fleetwood and Tyrrell Hatton, a situation that is unlikely to improve with the innovation of the PGA Tour’s “designated” events.

So it was that, with just about every star player otherwise occupied at Quail Hollow and the PGA Tour’s Wells Fargo Championship, Meronk at 63rd was the highest-ranked member of this generally undistinguished Italian Open field. Only nine others in the top-100 (eight of those 87th or lower) were present. All of which only adds to the speculation on what the DP World Tour board might announce with its schedule for 2024 and how the strategic alliance between the two circuits will, in the end, come to benefit the tour on this side of the Atlantic.

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The Pole kept his composure to hold off French duo Romain Langasque and Julien Guerrier at Marco Simone Golf & Country club.

Meronk, who holed the winning putt at the Hero Cup in January, lifted his third DP World Tour title and boosted his hopes of qualifying for the Ryder Cup, which will take place at this course later this year.

Meronk and Langasque duelled on the back nine, while overnight leader Guerrier kept in touch with them in a thrilling finale.

The Pole edged ahead on the 16th hole with his fifth birdie of the day and holed a par putt from the edge of the green on the 17th.

Langasque’s challenge had appeared to have faltered with a bogey on the 16th, but he stunningly chipped in for a birdie on the penultimate hole to keep the pressure on.

But the Pole was not to be flustered and birdied the 18th to finish one shot clear of Langasque, with Guerrier a further two back.

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The Honda Classic was certainly a mixed bag for World No. 53 Adrian Meronk.

The 29-year-old started the February tournament with a three-under 67, and eventually went on to a T-14, his best finish thus far on the PGA Tour. And yet, that may not be what he remembers most when looking back on his time at Palm Beach Gardens.

Following his opening round, Meronk discovered that his TrackMan and iPad were stolen from his locker at PGA National. Those personal items combined for around $15,000 of estimated value.

“I could track the (TrackMan) on the phone so the last seen location was like 600 yards away from the clubhouse in the buildings, so we showed that to the police,” Meronk said. “To be honest I was shocked. I didn’t even get mad because I didn’t even believe it.”

MORE: Meronk to build on stellar 2022 and drive into new year at Dubai Desert Classic

According to reports, security cameras caught a concession worker “wearing a black tank top” entering the locker room at 8:30 p.m., and eventually exiting with two bags after 14 minutes.

40-year-old Mather Archer returned the goods to the course after being contacted by police. Archer was then charged with burglary and grand theft and sent to Palm Beach County jail, despite declaring that he had mistaken the golf-training device for a laptop.

“It was a happy ending to the story,” Meronk stated. “Great job by the police.”

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Adrian Meronk is coming off the best 12 months of his career, but the giant Pole is not content to reflect on what he has already achieved and is mapping out a more-successful season in 2023 — with a spot on Luke Donald’s Ryder Cup team firmly in his sights.

Never hard to spot on the fairways, thanks to his 6ft 5ins frame, signature fluorescent shirts and shock of blond hair, the 29-year-old burst onto the golfing scene last summer with a sensational surge to claim the Horizon Irish Open at Mount Juliet, closing with a birdie-birdie-eagle-par streak to finish three clear of Ryan Fox, pocket just shy of €1 million and take home his first DP World Tour title. 

It was the crowning achievement in a campaign that saw multiple top-10 finishes — including the Dubai Desert Classic and DP World Tour Championship — and an eighth-place finish in the season-long Rankings race. 

That momentum has carried over into the new season and Meronk already has a title under his belt as he claimed the ISPS Handa Australian Open in Melbourne in December — and he has no plans to ease up.

Getty Images

“Last year was the best of my career so far, and I was really pleased after Ireland how I finished the year in Australia,” he tells Golf Digest Middle East. “So I am coming into the new year and new season with a lot of new experiences and also a lot of confidence ahead of the Hero Dubai Desert Classic.

“I am looking forward to topping 2022. I know it will be difficult but I believe I can go even further this time around and I have been preparing for the tournaments that lie ahead.”

With Europe taking on the US at Marco Simone Golf Club, Rome in September, Meronk has already had a taste of team golf this year, holing the winning putt for Continental Europe against Great Britain & Ireland at the Hero Cup in Abu Dhabi. 

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“I started my year with the Hero Cup here at home, and that was exciting and an honour to be part of that set-up, with this being a Ryder Cup year too,” he says, explaining how, like many golfers such as Tommy Fleetwood, Rafa Cabrera Bello, Adri Arnaus and Adrian Otaegui, he has relocated to the UAE to take advantage of the year-round golfing climate.

“I have been spending a lot of time here in between tournaments and I know all the courses well,” he says. “Even when I was playing at Jumeirah Golf Estates at the 2022 DP World Tour Championship in November, it felt like my home from home — it had a real home-course feel for me, so to start the year with events like the Hero Dubai Desert Classic in the UAE is a great way to kick things off.” 

While things have certainly taken off on the course, Meronk still enjoys flying under the radar when not competing and is “not quite” at the Rory or Tiger levels of fame.

“Yeah. Not quite,” Meronk says with a laugh.  “To be honest, at home in Poland — a bit like Viktor [Hovland, who can go about his daily life in anonymity in his native Norway], I guess — nobody really knows golf, so I only get recognised on the courses. It is a good thing as I am quite relaxed and do not get too many people pestering me. Even in Dubai, where there are a lot more golf fans, I am relatively free to go about my business. Again, it is really only at the courses where people recognise me and stop me to wish me well and say hello. 

“It suits me, as I am not chasing fame or anything like that. But it is always nice when someone knows you, congratulates you and tells you they follow your career. I love those gestures.”

But back to ‘Mission 2023’ and Meronk is determined to become more of a household name, with the Dubai Desert Classic front and centre after last year’s near miss.

“I am aiming to get off to a strong start,” he says. “The Rolex Series events in the UAE are big ones to help be bag some big Ryder Cup points. That will be on my mind, as well as all the other guys, as we get closer to Rome in September. The Hero Cup was a great warm-up, getting to know the other guys as well as Luke Donald, the captain. It is a good experience for sure and hopefully the UAE Swing and Desert Classic will set the tone for the rest of the year.”

One thing that irks Meronk, who entered the top 50 in the world for the first time on Christmas Day, is the current state of the Official World Golf Rankings, where recent changes mean points are slanted in favour of the PGA Tour, with larger fields being rewarded rather than the quality of the players taking part — with the likes of Jon Rahm labelling it “laughable”, and Tiger Woods admitting it was a “flawed” system.

“After the changes, it has been really unfair for us playing on the DP World Tour,” says Meronk. “We are getting much less ranking points than the PGA Tour guys, even when the fields are very strong, with the likes of Jon Rahm, Viktor, Rory McIlroy, Matt Fitzpatrick all playing. “If I had performed like I did in 2022 even two years ago, I would have been inside the top 50 easily much earlier. But last year I barely made it in, despite playing against some of the best in the world and the top 10 in the world. So it is pretty unfair for us guys at the moment.”

With full PGA Tour cards on offer for the top 10 in the Race to Dubai rankings that are not already eligible on the US tour, Meronk is also targeting a berth there to help advance his career. 

“That is another one of my big goals this year,” he says. “I am playing the Masters, plus some more invites off the back of that, so I will be looking to get used to the environment over there in America and hopefully that will help me in the years to come. It has always been my goal to compete on the highest level and, right now for me that is the PGA Tour. That is my goal.

“Looking further ahead, I would see myself competing in the biggest tournaments in the world and on the PGA Tour, being consistently in the top 20 and among the best players in the world. I believe I belong there and I will do everything I can to get there.”

A chance meeting to build on success in the UAE

“It was a chance meeting with Adrian at one of the golf courses of Dubai where it all began. Being Polish myself, we struck up a conversation. It was early 2021, the same time that I was launching White Eagle Sport — a golf events management company, organising corporate golf days and golf tournaments for the brands. What impressed me the most was his humility and hard work. Soon after the decision was made and Adrian became the brand ambassador for White Eagle Sport in March 2021 as we believed he would be the next superstar in golf. The rest, as we say, is history and he proved us correct. His humility and hard work remain the same even after the success he has enjoyed over the last two years. That is the main foundation and values of our company. We are proud to have him as our brand ambassador and hope to see him reach greater heights.”

Marta Biswas — founder and CEO, White Eagle Sport

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