When Adrian Meronk finished birdie, birdie, eagle, par to win the 2022 Horizon Irish Open at Mount Juliet for his maiden DP World Tour win, it was clear that he wasn’t just one of the bottle.
The Irish Open has struggled for household winners in recent years. For every Jon Rahm and Rory McIlroy there is a John Catlin or Vincent Normann but the hope held for Meronk was that he would progress and become one of the top players in Europe.
He has.
The Polish star became the first from his country to strike gold on the DP World Tour and has now developed a reputation for winning big. He followed up his Irish success with further open wins in Australia and Italy.
His Italian Open win at the Ryder Cup host course Marco Simone looked to have made him a shoe in to earn a captain’s call from European skipper Luke Donald having also been ranked third in the Race to Dubai and a regular fixture in the top-50 of the Official World Golf Rankings.
The captain’s call did come but Donald was the barer of bad news as he opted to leave out the Pole and include Ludvig Äberg and Nicolai Hojgaard for the battle with the USA in Rome.
Many fans and players were left aghast at Meronk’s omission which came on the eve of his Irish Open defence in the K Club. A clearly dejected figure floored questions from the media such is the nature of being the defending champion.
Two top-30 finishes and a missed cut followed his Ryder Cup omission but he has come roaring back to form with a thrilling win at the Estrella Damm N.A Andalucia Masters for his fourth DP World Tour victory, reminding everyone that he is still a class act.
“I’m just glad the Ryder Cup and all the talks about it are over,” Meronk said after winning in Sotogrande.
“I can just look to my game and then keep going forward and, yeah, I mean, whoever doubted me, I hope I can prove them wrong,” he said.
“I did not have my best start, so winning this tournament is very special. I am over the moon.”
Meronk is on course to earn a PGA Tour card for next year and although his year was briefly interrupted by heartbreak it will still end with him breaking through on the world stage and announcing himself among the elite.
The challenge for Meronk next year is how he balances his time between playing Stateside and in Europe because more often than not it doesn’t work. Living and playing in the US on the PGA Tour can be a culture shock and take time so perhaps he is fortunate that he will be serving his adjustment period in a non-Ryder Cup year.
When the 2025 edition rolls around in Bethpage Black, Meronk will need to make a decision on where he plays the bulk of his golf to fuel his Ryder Cup bid. Experience playing in America will only aid his cause and he does seem like that next European alongside Aberg and Hojgaard who know the next step is to start competing regularly in America and showing up well in the major championships.
Merck’s response to his Ryder Cup rejection was admirable, he’s not just a class act on the golf course and during that Irish Open press conference you would have been forgiven for charging up onto the podium to give him a consoling hug. But there is no need to be sympathetic towards this man, he has the mentality and he has the game.
He has given Donald and co the perfect response and who knows, maybe he will give them the two fingers by ending 2023 as Europe’s number one golfer.
As far as the Ryder Cup goes, Meronk did everything he could, there was nothing more he could have done. He was just subjected to the harsh reality of leaving your fate in the hands of another.
His time will come.
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