Adrian Meronk has been one of the latest players to join LIV Golf. The signing of the Polish golfer was announced shortly after surprisingly withdrawing from the Farmers Insurance Open, a week before the Saudi league debut in Mayakoba. He joined Martin Kaymer‘s team for an amount that has not been officially revealed but, according to various reports in the media, would be around ten million dollars.
Meronk’s name had been sounding strongly in the backstage of LIV Golf for some time. Now, in his first public statements after his signing, he confessed to the Telegraph that one of the reasons why he decided to take the step was his absence from the European team of the Ryder Cup. He never hid that he was upset about not being one of Luke Donald‘s six choices in Rome. At the time, in fact, he admitted that he was in shock and that it was hard for him to digest. Now he has said that “although we will never know, I probably would not have gone to LIV Golf if I had played the Ryder Cup in Rome”.
We remember what happened. Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm and Robert MacIntyre earned their place on the European list, while Viktor Hovland, Tyrrell Hatton and Matthew Fitzpatrick qualified through the world ranking list. Then, Luke Donald had six choices to make. Through the European route, Yannick Paul was just out, in fourth place, and Meronk finished behind in fifth, while through the world route, the Pole was ahead of Tommy Fleetwood, Sepp Straka, Shane Lowry and Justin Rose. His complaint is that Donald completed the team of twelve players with Nicolai Hojgaard and Ludvig Aberg, who were behind him in that world list.
Meronk believes that he had done enough to be one of the choices. In addition to his position in the rankings, he had won the Italian Open in 2023 at the Marco Simone, the Ryder course, four months before the clash against the United States, another victory in the Australian Open at the end of 2022 and his high ranking in the Race to Dubai.
However, where Meronk lost the game against Aberg and Hojgaard was in performance in the weeks leading up to the Ryder Cup. The Swede won the last qualifying tournament in Switzerland, while the Dane chained a third place in Czech Republic and a fifth in Switzerland, beyond that in the Italian Open that Meronk won he also played a great role and finished in fifth place. In any case, what happened in Rome, with the brilliant European victory, somehow, dispels doubts about Donald’s decision and his team.
Be that as it may, Meronk believes that he was treated unfairly and what happened has made him see life in a different way. “What happened at the Ryder made it easier for me to make the decision to go to LIV. Everything I went through made me think more about myself and not worry so much about what others think or what others want me to do. The Ryder opened my eyes to how this works and that sport is not everything, you have to make sure that both you and your family are well,” he says.
Meronk maintains that the setback allowed him to see what he believes really matters. “People will say that this step is for the money, but what is equally important is the lighter schedule,” he said. “I spent the last two years very well, but to be honest I was not enjoying it so much. I was constantly travelling. We didn’t have a home, we went from hotel to hotel, from airport to airport. I was sitting with my parents and my girlfriend at Christmas and I said: ‘Yes, I’ve had a great year, but I haven’t enjoyed it’. I remember when I won in Italy last May, I woke up on Monday and said: ‘okay, great, I’ve won the tournament. But now I have to start over, go to a new course, resume my routine. Where is the joy? So one of the best things is having more time to enjoy life with my family and friends,” he points out.
Meronk has not yet completely given up on the mission to become the first Pole to play the Ryder Cup and, as he has already participated in the four minimum events that ensure he keeps his card in 2025, if he pays the fines that accumulate and serves the sanctions, Meronk should be eligible regardless of whether a peace agreement is reached.
“It has always been my goal,” he says. “Obviously, I didn’t like how I was treated last time, but if it’s possible to play in the Ryder Cup and I’m good enough, I’d love to be on the team. I’ll just work hard on my game, perform at my best and see what can happen”.
