Poland’s Adrian Meronk has put himself well in frame for a return visit to Rome later this year after capturing a fourth ‘national’ open title in as many years.
Meronk, who turns 30 later this month, again showed his enormous class producing four rounds in the 60s to capture the 97th anniversary hosting of the DS Automobiles Italian Open on the Marco Simone course that in four months will play host to the 43rd Ryder Cup.
Poland’s Adrain Meronk putting himself into Ryder Cup selection contention with victory at the Italian Open (Photograph – DP World Tour/Getty)
It wasn’t easy for Meronk especially after bogeying his 13th and 15th holes but he regrouped superbly to birdie the 16th and the also the 18th for a third day running in a closing round 69 to win by a stroke at 13-under.
Frenchman Romain Langasque, who set a new course record with a sizzling 62 a day earlier, was runner-up but only after dropping three shots from his 13th to 16th holes, but he then superbly regrouped with birdies at his 71st and 72nd holes.
Meronk’s victory is his second on the 2022/23 wraparound DP World Tour schedule having won the historic first co-sanctioned Australian Open last December in Melbourne when denying overwhelming home favourite Adam Scott in Melbourne.
In September 2019, Meronk won the Portugal Open on the secondary Challenge Tour while in July 2022 he made it two national open wins with victory at the Horizon Irish Open, creating history to be the first Polish-born winner on the DP World Tour.
Meronk created the same history five months later ‘Down Under’ in winning the prestigious Australian Open by a highly-impressive five shots over Scott.
Earlier this year he holed the winning ‘European Team’ putt in the inaugural Hero Cup in Abu Dhabi.
Meronk’s win in the Italian capital has seen him jump six places to fifth on the ‘European’ Ryder Cup points table, and definitely now in frame in securing the third automatic qualifying place off the ‘European’ table, and this taking in mind that Jon Rahm and Rory McIlroy are currently ranked one and two, and are already certainly assured of being the top-two European Ryder Cup qualifies.
Meronk said: “I didn’t play as well as previous days so I had to grind a little bit, but I’m proud of myself and my caddie that we kept believing, kept hitting good shots and the putts on 17 and 18 were very big.
“I knew 16 and 18 are birdieable. I had an amazing shot on 16 so that was quite an easy birdie. Seventeen was a bit of a struggle but the putt saved me. On 18 I just focused on making a birdie because I didn’t want to go to a play-off.”
Victory on the Ryder Cup course moved Meronk up to fourth in the Race to Dubai Rankings in Partnership with Rolex.
And the 29-year-old is targeting a place in Luke Donald’s Europe team for September.
Meronk added: “It was definitely on my mind coming here, performing well in front of Luke. I think it might help but there’s still a lot of time left. I still have to work on my game and get better to make the team.
And Donald acknowledged Meronk’s victory tweeting: 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
