Adrian Meronk was born in Hamburg in 1993. At the age of two, he returned to Poland, his family’s homeland, where he completed his studies up to high school before flying to the United States to attend East Tennessee State University.
Throughout this journey of life and education, his career as an amateur golfer first and then as a professional intertwined. During a press conference on the sidelines of the LIV Golf event in Las Vegas, Meronk briefly recounted the path he had taken: “(In Poland, it’s not easy) You have to go abroad.
There are no tournaments. There is little golf knowledge and not many golf courses… So, from a young age, I had to travel around Europe competing against British, German, French, and Italian boys, playing tournaments in those countries.” “When I finished high school in Poland, I had to decide to attend college in the United States, and that was the choice that allowed my golf career to take a leap forward.” “When I was in college, the first year was quite difficult, having to learn new habits, the language, and the culture.” “But then, everything became easier, and my game improved a lot, competing with boys stronger than me, trying to beat them every week, which is what helped me the most.” “And that was the moment I realized I wanted to become a pro.” It’s the story of many young people who had to choose to be away from home to pursue their dreams, but this one also had a happy ending.
Adrian Meronk now has four victories on the DP World Tour. He was the first Polish player to win a European Tour event (Horizon Irish Open in 2022). Last year, he also came close to participating in the Ryder Cup, narrowly missing out on automatic qualification and not being picked by Luke Donald (a choice that sparked much debate, but the final result proved the Captain right).
Not being selected for Team Europe was a big disappointment for Meronk (“shocked and angry” at Donald’s choice), especially since his great year had also earned him full status on the PGA Tour for the current season. This disappointment translated, as stated by the Polish player to Telegraph Sport, into the decision to sign a contract with LIV Golf (entry fee $10 million).
Adrian Meronk, statements
“What happened made my decision easier. I went through something that made it easier for me to worry about myself and not about what people think of me or what they would like me to do.” “What happened with the Ryder Cup opened my eyes to how things work.” These are clearly the words of a disappointed young man, but every cloud has a silver lining.
Today, Adrian Meronk seems to have found his place on the course, as Hardy Greaves says: he is part of Team Cleeks GC, captained by Martin Kaymer. At the moment, this could mean the impossibility of being part of Team Europe in the future. Or maybe not? Among all the clarifications that are missing, this is certainly one of the most important.
Source: Tennis World USA