The Dubai resident is gearing up for LIV Golf Dallas this week but already has one eye on which events he plans to play in once the LIV Golf League wraps up in August.

Adrian has played only three fully sanctioned DP World Tour events since his surprise move to the LIV Golf League at the start of 2024, most recently the Hero Dubai Desert Classic in January, in which he missed the cut.

Adrian Meronk Cleeks GC

Since the Pole’s maiden LIV Golf League Individual Title at the season-opening event in Riyadh in 2025, Meronk’s best finish has been a tie for 12th. He is currently 15th in the individual rankings.

Now having slipped to 321st in the Official World Golf Ranking, the 2023 Seve Ballesteros Award winner will be playing a string of DP World Tour events beginning this September.

Adrian Meronk celebrates victory on the 18th green during the final round of the 2022 Irish Open at Mount Juliet. Richard Heathcote

Answering a Q&A on his Instagram account, the four-time DP World Tour winner confirmed he will start his run with the Amgen Irish Open — which he won in 2022 — followed by the BMW PGA Championship, the Tour’s flagship event and a Rolex Series tournament. He then plans to play the FedEx Open de France at Golf de Saint-Nom-La-Bretèche, and possibly the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship at the Home of Golf.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Adrian Meronk (@adrian_meronk)

Meronk qualifies for these events under Category 3, a winner of a Race to Dubai Ranking Tournament with a prize fund equal to or above US$2 million between 2023 and 2025 — thanks to his victories at the Italian Open and the Andalucía Masters in 2023.

MORE: YouTuber Peter Finch wins Regional Open Qualifying, 36 holes away from Open Championship spot

Follow Golf Digest Middle East on social media

Instagram

X

Facebook

YouTube

Main Image: Joe Maher/LIV Golf

The post LIV Golfer plans DP World Tour return with busy Autumn schedule appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

The field was playing for its customary $20 million purse with Meronk taking home the $4 million first-place prize money payout. The winning team, Legion XIII, split $3 million.

There were some minor tweaks to the LIV Golf rosters in the offseason, but overall, there was not big movement or any major additions to the circuit. Jon Rahm, Joaquin Niemann, Sergio Garcia, Tyrrell Hatton and Brooks Koepka were the top five in standings from 2024 and are all back. As is Bryson DeChambeau, the current U.S. Open champion. His Crushers team won the overall team title last year, topping Rahm’s Legion XIII.

Here’s the prize money breakdown for each golfer at the 2025 LIV Golf Riyadh presented by Maaden.

Main Image: LIV Golf

The post Here’s the prize money breakdown for each golfer at the 2025 LIV Golf Riyadh presented by Maaden appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

On Saturday, at LIV Golf’s season opener in Saudi Arabia, Meronk became the winner of the first known men’s professional golf tournament held completely under lights when he dominated LIV Golf Riyadh in wire-to-wire fashion. The 31-year-old carded rounds of 62, 66 and 71 to finish at 17 under for three rounds, with two-time major winner Jon Rahm and Sebastian Muñoz sharing second at 15 under.

“It’s super special,” Meronk, who plays on Martin Kaymer’s Cleeks GC team, said of his maiden victory on LIV since joining in 2024. “I was nervous all day. I played quite good in the beginning, then the last couple holes [were] a battle for me but I’m super happy that I crossed the line.”

Those struggles invited Rahm, Munoz, Lucas Herbert (T-4), and T-6 finishers Sergio Garcia, Tyrrell Hatton and Bryson DeChambeau back into contention on the final day. After four-time DP World Tour winner Meronk started the day with a two-shot lead, he made birdies at Nos. 1 and 8 to hold a four-shot advantage at one stage.

Then disaster struck. He made bogeys at Nos. 10 and 11 before a truly vicious, horseshoe lip-out for birdie at No.13.

“I felt in control after nine holes, but after I missed a short one on the 10th for par, that’s where kind of the nerves started,” Meronk said. “Then I made another bogey and that lip-out on 13 was just so ugly. But it happens.”

But a towering short iron from 167 yards that settled to four feet on the par-4 16th allowed the 6-foot-6 Meronk some breathing room down the last two holes.

He collected the biggest winner’s check of his career—$4 million for individual first place. In the team competition, Rahm’s Legion XIII, with includes Hatton, new LIV recruit Tom McKibbin and Caleb Surratt, won by 11 shots at 50 under. LIV changed the format for the team component so that all four players’ scores counted for every round. It was Legion XIII’s fifth team victory since joining as an expansion team last season.

Meronk’s win aside, the most compelling element of LIV Golf’s season-opening event in Riyadh—which was up against the WM Phoenix Open, one of the most talked-about tournaments in world golf—was that it was the first tournament held under lights. The field teed off just after 6 p.m. local each of the three rounds. While the Ladies European Tour for two years held the Dubai Moonlight Classic, it was only partially played under lights.

Off the tee and on the green @JonRahmOfficial

LIVE now on FS2
Stream on the LIV Golf App#LIVGolfRiyadh @LegionXIIIgc pic.twitter.com/WXcTCDyVoE

— LIV Golf (@livgolf_league) February 7, 2025

LIV embraced the night carvinal atmosphere by introducing The Boulevard, a futuristic fan village with amusement rides, virtual reality golf games, e-sports activations and performers. Lasers and lights beamed from the fan area around the course and LIV’s signature music was pumping during play and could be seen and heard on the broadcast.

After the second round, ’90s boy band Backstreet Boy headlined the post-round entertainment. While the look and feel was certainly different, LIV sure leaned into its modern take on golf tournaments.

“I really enjoyed it; I think it was a great setup,” Meronk said. “The lights were bright enough. We managed to see the ball quite well, even in the desert sometimes. I think we can definitely keep doing that and maybe add one more somewhere else.”

That created interesting storylines around how LIV’s players prepared for the challenges of depth perception, shadows, and temperature changes. For Rahm, the 2021 U.S. Open champion and 2023 Masters champion, he played a par 3 course near Scottsdale. “Luckily we have Grass Clippings, a par 3 course that is lit at night, so I got a couple rounds before coming here in very cold weather,” said Rahm.

For the Dubai-based players such as Meronk and McKibbin, there were plenty of options. McKibbin, who turned down one of 10 PGA Tour promotions from the DP World Tour to join LIV this season, plays at Trump International Dubai. That boasts a fully lit, Gil Hanse-designed par-3 course and an LED-lit back nine on its championship course.

“I think I prepared well for this tournament, playing a few rounds in Dubai, night golf, because you have to get used to the shadows, the lighting, the perception is a little bit different, especially around the greens and on the greens, reading the greens,” Meronk said.

“I like changes. I like new things.”

While LIV’s offseason was lean—McKibbin was the only notable signing—the league enjoyed a massive boost on the eve of LIV Golf Riyadh when the United States Golf Association announced it would become the first major championship to award a direct pathway from LIV to the U.S. Open. One player in the top of three (not already exempt) of its points standings leading up to Oakmont Country Club in June will earn a spot in the championship.

The USGA also announced that the top 10 LIV players in April will bypass local qualifying and instead earn direct spots into final 36-hole qualifying. Next year, the exemption for LIV’s leading points earners will extent to two spots. Soon after, The Telegraph in the U.K. reported the Open Championship would also offer LIV spots in the links major.

Naturally, Meronk leapt to the top of the LIV standings with 40 points for his Riyadh win.

In the past, LIV’s biggest criticism about the majors was, despite having stars on the roster such as Rahm, DeChambeau, Cameron Smith, Dustin Johnson and Brooks Koepka, there was no context to their league wins. Now, there is an opportunity for a non-exempt player to earn a pathway to two majors from LIV’s standings.

“It’s very important, yeah,” Meronk said. “[The U.S. Open] is going to be on my goal list for sure. I’m going to focus on that, just to keep going, keep playing good golf, and hopefully I can get a spot.”

Main Image: FAYEZ NURELDINE

The post Adrian Meronk lights up LIV Golf, going wire-to-wire to win groundbreaking night event appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

An in-form Tyrrell Hatton heads the field for the upcoming US$5million PIF Saudi International, powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers, taking place between 4 and 7 December at Riyadh Golf Club.

In a field awash with major champions, Hatton is currently ranked No 16 on the world rankings. He recently triumphed at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championships on the DP World Tour, having won LIV Golf Nashville in June. Now looking to close out his year in style, Hatton recently commented, “I am really excited to visit Riyadh for the first time and to be part of the Asian Tour’s season-ending event. I’ve been playing really well the last couple of months as my results are showing, so I really want to keep the momentum going through to the end of the year. I finished tied 6th when I played in PIF Saudi International in 2021, so I am hoping to be able to improve on that and finish my season on a high.”

Richard Heathcote Getty Images

Becoming the first player to win the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship three times, Hatton shared how special the week was to play alongside his father in the unique pro-am format and seal the victory, “It’s been awesome. We are pretty fortunate. This is the third time we’ve been able to play this tournament together, and I think finally this year, my dad sort of settled down and he actually played some good golf. He played unreal yesterday, which was nice to see. I know that it made it more special if we were able to win the team event, as well, but ultimately these are memories that neither of us will ever forget, and for me to win today the individual event, that’s the first time that I’ve won with my dad at a tournament. That makes it more special, and it was pretty cool that he had a front row seat for it.”

With a win under his belt in Nashville earlier in the summer, Hatton was delighted to have been able to carry the momentum on to his return to the DP World Tour, explaining, “It feels amazing. My last win was Abu Dhabi ‘21 on the DP World Tour. So that was a long time ago. And I knew when I came back to play the British Masters and the Spanish Open last week, that I really wanted to earn enough points to be able to play in Abu Dhabi and Dubai from a World Ranking points perspective, a Ryder Cup points perspective. I’ve been fortunate to play the DP World Tour Championship every year that I’ve had my tour card. Winning today secures my spot there. I’m really excited that I can compete in those two events at the back end of the year.”

Tom Shaw/R&A/Getty Images

Hatton took a well-earned break following his October triumph in Scotland, before returning to competitive golf in the Middle East during the DP World Tour’s Play-Off events as he builds up to the PIF Saudi International, powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers. Playing in both Abu Dhabi and Dubai, he finished runner-up and sixth place respectively and is now looking to seal a final win of the season before his winter break against another stellar line-up in Riyadh.

His challengers will include defending champion Abraham Ancer, 2022 champion Harold Varner III, winner in 2019 and 2021 Dustin Johnson, and 2022 Open Champion Cameron Smith, along with Major winners Patrick Reed and Graeme McDowell, the 2020 champion as the tournament makes its debut in Riyadh after five successful years at the acclaimed Royal Greens Golf & Country Club in King Abdullah Economic City.

Other stand-out names include Adrian Meronk, a four-time winner on the DP World Tour, David Puig, currently lying seventh on the Asian Tour Order of Merit, Joaquin Niemann, winner of the 2024 LIV Golf event at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club in King Abdullah Economic City earlier this year, Peter Uihlein, winner of the recent International Series England in August and Dean Burmester, champion at the 2024 LIV Golf Miami.

Scott Taetsch/PGA of America Getty Images

Also set to compete are all of the winning members of the Ripper GC team who claimed the 2024 LIV Golf Team Championship: Lucas Herbert, winner on the PGA and DP World Tour, and Matt Jones, a two-time PGA Tour Champion, Marc Leishman, six-time PGA Tour winner and the aforementioned, Cameron Smith.

Smith is another star player looking to end the season with a win. When asked at Troon earlier this year, how he had changed after winning the 2023 Open Championship, he was thoughtful in his response explaining, “I think the person is the same. I think my old boy would give me a clip around the ears if he was any different. I think as a golfer, I think I’m actually a better golfer now than what I was last year. I think the stuff that I had to clean up is progressing. It’s still a little bit of a work in progress.”

Whether it’s defending his Open title or trying to win for the first time in Saudi Arabia, Smith explained fans can always expect the same approach, “I’m determined to try my best every week and just try and be a better golfer than I was last week. I never really expect too much of myself. The thing I expect are doing everything 100 percent, ticking all the boxes early in the week, making sure I’m prepared, and then just go out there and give it my all. That’s all I can really do. I think I’ve done that fantastic this year and especially last year. It was such a good year last year, you almost expect to win. I think that’s not really a good way to look at golf. Just expect to do all the things that you’re meant to do 100 percent and then go out there and give it a crack, and if you win, you win.”

Riyadh Golf Club. Supplied

Of the week ahead in Saudi Arabia, the Australian added, “I am really looking forward to visiting Riyadh for the first time. From what I have read, there is so much going on there with some great sports facilities for grassroots and professionals being put in place. We have also heard lots of good things about the Championship course at Riyadh Golf Club. Looking at the design and reputation of the course, I reckon it is going to provide us with a real test as we try to stay both out of the water and out in front of what will be another world-class field at the PIF Saudi International.”

Having moved from the beginning of the year into the season-ending tournament slot for both the Asian Tour and The International Series, there is so much to play for and no end of storylines to whet the appetite of the many regional and international fans expected to flock to watch so many of the world’s best players in Riyadh this year.

Tickets are still available for purchase at saudiinter-national.com

Main image: Jose Manuel Alvarez/Getty Images

The post Set for Saudi appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

“I think it was a great decision for me,” Meronk continued. “It’s given me so much life and enjoyment. It’s like a rat race on the PGA Tour – everybody is looking out for themselves, and nobody talks to you.”

As you can probably imagine, the interview, which also contained Meronk’s admission that he was exhausted after playing 27 tournaments in 2023 and probably wouldn’t have gone to LIV had he made that year’s Ryder Cup Team, was met with a few raised eyebrows across golf.

But that didn’t deter Meronk, who doubled down on his comments with Huggan, and even went a step further, suggesting that a ceasefire between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf might not be the best path forward.

“It wouldn’t be the worst thing if the PGA Tour went its own way,” Meronk said. “And everyone else got together and created a world-wide tour everywhere except the United States. I like that idea. It would be awesome.”

If the idea of a global golf tour that doesn’t hold events in North America seems familiar to you, you’re not alone. It also rang a bell for Max Homa.

I for one think this is genius and am shocked no one has thought of it before https://t.co/HHNAjKTCIx

— max homa (@Maxhoma) November 12, 2024

Homa is a Golf Twitter vet at this point. He’s spent years roasting strangers’ swings, so this is just another day at the office for him. Still, Meronk served up a hanging slider, and Homa, much like his World Series-winning Dodgers, smacked it out of the park.

The seemingly obvious subtext is that the dream tour Meronk just invented in his head already exists. It’s called the DP World Tour and, um, it’s kind of a big deal. There’s also an Asian Tour and, of course, LIV Golf, which much to Meronk’s chagrin, does visit America a few times a year. You know what would also make golf better, Adrian? A small motorized vehicle with a roof for shade and room to store your bags. It could even have cup holders! Call the patent office, we’re going to make a fortune!

Meronk did immediately follow that quote by saying, “The Asian Tour is flourishing right now, so maybe that will happen,” so he’s clearly aware that these tours already exist. So what is he really suggesting here? That the PGA Tour and DP World divest from each other entirely? That LIV Golf becomes a strictly international tour? That some third conglomerate form to further splinter the world of professional golf? Who knows, but safe to say that whatever happens, Homa won’t be signing up.

The post Max Homa roasts LIV Golf pro for extremely cold take on a worldwide golf tour appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

And no wonder. When, last February, LIV Golf gave Adrian Meronk two days to make up his mind about the sizeable financial offer placed on the lanky Pole’s table, he had not long completed a DP World Tour season in which he finished top of the table that identified the 10 men who would be offered PGA Tour cards for 2025. That status would have allowed the 31-year-old to play whenever and wherever he wanted to on what, for long enough, was the most lucrative circuit on the planet. So it was a lot to give up.

Not helping the decision-making process is that the offer came when Meronk was marooned with a high fever in a San Diego hotel room, in the days before the PGA Tour event at Torrey Pines.

“I couldn’t eat for a week,” he says with a shudder on the eve of this week’s DP World Tour Championship. “I felt worse than I ever had before. I had such a fever. But it was then or maybe never. It was one week before the first LIV event in Mexico. I talked to my manager, my family and my friends. They all played a part, and we ended up making the decision as one. We figured LIV would be most beneficial to my well-being and the well-being of my family. I know I did the right thing. I’ve played some good golf. I’ve learned some new things.”

Which is not to say the debate was not lively. But, in the end, Poland’s greatest-ever golfer (not the highest bar) opted to join the breakaway tour.

“I made my decision based on a few factors,” Meronk says. “One was my desire to play less and enjoy my life a bit more. Last year I was so tired at the end of what had been the best season of my career. But I had no time to enjoy anything because I had to go to Australia to defend my Australian Open title. I remember thinking how nice it would be to play fewer tournaments. So that was maybe the main reason behind my design to join LIV.

“There were financial reasons as well,” he acknowledges. “It would be silly to deny that. I would be lying if I said otherwise. And I can’t imagine anyone would take me seriously if I did. But I have enjoyed being part of the team and travelling together. It has been a lot more entertaining and reminds me of my time at East Tennessee State. It has been nice to have that support system around me. Being from Poland, I found the PGA Tour to be a lonely place at times.”

There was also the little matter of the Ryder Cup. Controversially omitted by the European captain Luke Donald for the 2023 matches in Italy, Meronk took stock.

“Not making the Ryder Cup team definitely opened my eyes to the fact that I need to focus on myself, my career, my game and my life,” he says. “I realized that the Ryder Cup is not the most important thing in the world. I would love to play, and if I perform well enough next year I could qualify. But it’s not my priority. Before the last match it was all I thought about. I was checking the rankings every week.”

Adrian Meronk hoped he had proven worthy of making the European Ryder Cup team when playing in front of Luke Donald at team events like the Hero Cup. Meronk says he hasn’t had a true conversation with Donald since being left off the 2023 European team. Oisin Keniry

Meronk says he got a lot of messages from other players after he wasn’t picked. “It was tough to take, especially after the year I had,” he said. “But I accepted it. Maybe it was a good decision. The team did well. Of course, you can get away with anything if you win. But I’ve moved on. I hope I will have other opportunities to qualify.”

Such diplomacy and common sense fail to disguise a lingering sense that Meronk was hard done by. Many think he should have been a sure-thing selection on a Marco Simone course where he had won an Italian Open. Certainly, he and Donald have yet to reach out to heal a working relationship best described as “cool.”

In January this year Meronk was on the range preparing for the Dubai Invitational when Donald appeared. En route to the spot he took up right next to Meronk, the Englishman indulged in much glad-handing and hugs with a procession of fellow players. But not with Meronk. When Donald arrived at his practice station only a few yards away, neither a word nor a glance passed between the two.

It is a situation that seems to be unchanged. Meronk isn’t specific, but it is clear that the pair have yet to speak in the intervening ten months. There is, however, that desire to move on. Similar to Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton have done, Meronk has appealed the suspensions and fines he has incurred by moving to LIV and so is able, for the moment, to compete in DP World Tour events. And armed with a new swing coach in Abu Dhabi-based Belgian Jerome Theunis, the Meronk has other priorities in 2025. Both for himself and the currently complex world of professional golf.

Among the high points of 2024 for Meronk is winning a team time with the Cleeks at the LIV Golf Houston event in June. Tim Warner

“I would love to see some sort of cooperation between the tours,” Meronk says. “All the fines and not having proper World Rankings makes no sense. I don’t even look at the rankings anymore. But, on the other hand, it wouldn’t be the worst thing if the PGA Tour went its own way and everyone else got together and created a world-wide tour everywhere except the United States. I like that idea. It would be awesome. The Asian Tour is flourishing right now, so maybe that will happen.

Still, Meronk says LIV will be his main focus in 2025. “I have enjoyed my time there on the Cleeks team. The competition is strong, especially at the top end. To finish in the top 10, you have to play very good golf. I played just OK this year and finished only 18th [with earning just short of $5.5 million] on the money list. But I certainly have no regrets about the decision I made.”

Main Image: LIV Golf

The post ‘I know I did the right thing’: Adrian Meronk is happy as a LIV golfer, but all is not forgiven regarding the Ryder Cup appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Well, it would appear that Adrian Meronk would still like a word.

You may recall that Meronk, 31, creatively announced that he had earned his PGA Tour card in December of 2023, at the time quelling rumors he was headed to LIV. One month later, Meronk withdrew from the Farmers Insurance Open the day before it began, citing an illness. A week later, it was confirmed the Polish pro was off to LIV, where he wound up playing 14 of 15 events in 2024 as a member of the Cleeks.

The following month, Meronk confirmed that a large part of the reason he made the jump was his infamous snub from the 2023 Ryder Cup team. “I would probably not have come to LIV if I had played in the Ryder Cup,” said Meronk, who felt he had done enough to earn a spot in Italy on Luke Donald’s European team. “What happened definitely made my choice easier.”

But now Meronk is changing his tune, telling Gulf News in an interview that part of the reason he went to LIV is that he would have felt “lonely and miserable” in America had he played on the PGA Tour in 2024.

“If I’d played in America, I would have had to base myself there and I would have been so lonely and so miserable, I think,” he said.

“Joining LIV Golf meant I could stay in Dubai, which is a place that I like, and play fewer tournaments, as I was exhausted last year after playing 27 times.

“I think it was a great decision for me. It’s given me so much life and enjoyment. It’s like a rat race on the PGA Tour – everybody is looking out for themselves, and nobody talks to you.”

Naturally, social media pounced on a few of these quotes, which were tweeted out by the popular Twitter/X account NUCLRGOLF:

So take it he didn’t like his 2023 DPWT schedule (28 events – 19 DPWT; 4 PGAT; 4 majors & 1 WGC). He’s currently playing schedule consisting of 14 LIV events, 4 DPWT events, and 4 majors or 22 events.

Played 7 events in U.S. in 2023
Played 10 events in U.S. in 2024

— Linda Renner (@LindaRenner11) October 30, 2024

https://twitter.com/RyanJamesWoods1/status/1851662916723835073

Who made him play on the PGAT?

— Art Vandalay (@Poizzon21) October 30, 2024

Speak for yourselves, folks. You don’t know “exhausting” until you’ve played golf three times in four weeks.

Main Image: Matt King

The post Social media rips LIV golfer for comments on PGA Tour and playing in America appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

With Niemann ranked 32nd and Meronk 38th in the Rankings, both players are easily within the eligible spots to tee it up in the UAE in less than two week’s time in both the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship and the DP World Tour Championship.

Adrian Meronk Cleeks GC

Meronk, who is based out of Dubai, hasn’t played a DP World Tour event since his 2nd-place finish in the 2023 Hero Dubai Desert Classic, days later he announced he was joining LIV Golf and the Cleeks GC in a surprise move from the Polish player.

“Joaquin Niemann is going to play both the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship and the DP World Tour Championship,” said Meronk in a media session.

“All of us from LIV Golf that are eligible are coming for the Play-Offs: me, Niemann, Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton. 100 percent.”

“I’ve got three tournaments left this year to improve my World Ranking,” said Meronk, who is currently 90th in the Official World Golf Ranking.

“I’ll be playing both events in the UAE and the International Series tournament in Saudi in December. Dubai and Abu Dhabi will offer big points, so we’ll see where I stand afterwards.”

The two Rolex Series events in the UAE have prize pools of US$9 million and US$10 million, while the Asian Tour’s PIF Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers has a prize pot of US$5 million.

Joaquin Niemann – Manuel Velasquez

Niemann, who won the ISPS HANDA Australian Open on the DP World Tour back in November, joined LIV Golf halfway through the 2022 season. And according to The Telegraph, received a signing-on fee of around the $100 million mark.

The last tournament the Chilean played on the DP World Tour was like Meronk, the 2023 Hero Dubai Desert Classic, where the Torque Captain found himself paired up against Rory McIlroy in Saturday’s third round.

Main Image: LIV Golf

The post Two further LIV Golfers to play in DP World Tour Play-Offs appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

You might have seen online Dustin Johnson busy fishing on his boat, Bryson DeChambeau out and about as the “Content King” making YouTube videos, but you might not have noticed one other LIV Golfer who has been engaging with the game of golf back in his home country in Europe.

LIV Golfer Adrian Meronk was spotted walking the fairways at the Challenge Tour’s Rosa Golf Challenge, supporting his 14 fellow countrymen taking part in the 21^st event of the 2024 Road to Mallorca.

Before Meronk made a name for himself on the DP World Tour, which ultimately led to him joining LIV Golf at the beginning of 2024, the Polish star was plying his trade on the European Challenge Tour between 2017 and 2019, at the same year collecting his first professional bit of silverware at the Open de Portugal.

The 31-year-old Dubai-based Pole was only in the highest regards of his time spent on the Challenge Tour and how it developed him as a player, leading to his graduation onto the DP World Tour where he would collect a further four titles in just 15 months.

“It was huge. It’s the best place to develop as a player. (We would) compete every week on the highest level with such a good competition and good level of players as well. The margin was so small and I learned a lot,” said the 2019 graduate.

“I played two and a half years on the Challenge Tour and it gave me a lot of lessons and prepared me for the main tour.”

Meronk continued about the importance of having the Challenge Tour back in his home country of Poland after it’s 15-year hiatus.

“It’s massive. I remember 15 years ago (2009) it was being played on my golf course (Toya Golf and Country Club), and I played it as a junior aged 16. To have it back here in Poland is huge for players, juniors, people and golf overall. I’m really happy about it and happy to see golf back at the highest level in Poland.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Challenge Tour (@challengetour)

Even though golf is still regarded as a new sport in Poland, the Cleeks GC member was upbeat in the fact that the developmental tour is vital in hosting events like this, and is what is key for getting people into the game of golf.

“It will definitely grow the game. It’s great to get the juniors involved in the tournament even as working as volunteers this week, they can watch the professionals and see what they need to do in order to compete as a professional. Some even got to play in the pro-am so it’s a great place to learn what it’s about.

“Even for people who don’t know about golf in Poland it’s good for them to see that we host such a big event, maybe will help some new people start their journey and play golf.

“I think that’s the key to popularise golf in Poland and that’s my mission and the mission of this tournament to grow golf in Poland and I think it’s doing a good job.”

Next up for Adrian will be LIV Golf Chicago where he and the 53 other LIV Golfer’s will be competing for the customary $4 million winner’s check from the overall $20 million purse, before then heading to Dallas the following week for the $50 million LIV Golf Team Championships.

A far cry from the 270,000 euro prize pot that was being played for in Poland where the winner, Ayora Angel, pocketed 43,200 euros and former Dubai-based Swede Christofer Rahm 17,500 euro for his tie for third.

The post LIV Golfer spotted supporting Challenge Tour event, in which Rahm finished third appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

I started playing PING in my second year of college and this is only my second model with PING. They fit me just right. They are forgiving and I can shape the ball easily and I just love the look and the feel off the face.

DRIVER

SPECS: Ping G430 Max with 10.5˚ loft, fitted with Fujikura Speeder Evolution V1 661-X shaft

PING is the best when it comes to drivers and woods, they are forgiving, and I’m able to control my trajectory really well which gives me confidence.

3-WOOD

SPECS: Ping G425 Max with 14.5˚ loft, with Fujikura Speeder Evolution V1 757-X shaft

Similar to my driver, my 3-wood is able to bring me more of a consistent spin performance and increases my ball speed for more distance. It also includes the PING innovations known as Facewrap and Spinsistency which delivers more distance and spin predictability.

IRONS

SPECS: Ping iBlade (4-PW), with True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 shafts

As I mentioned previously, I’m still playing with the PING iBlade irons that launched back in 2016. I have always been able to shape the ball easily with these, so find it hard to change away from them really. But if they work for me, why would I?

WEDGES

SPECS: Titleist Vokey Design SM9 (50˚-12˚ F Grind, 54˚-10˚ S Grind & 58˚-10˚ S Grind), with True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue shafts

My Titleist Vokey’s are great at distance control and spin. When I am around 130 yards and in, I know I can trust these. They are tuned for lower flight and higher spin which is what I love.

PUTTER

SPECS: PING Vault 2.0 Ketsch

It actually took me a while to get used to a putter, but then I found this PING Vault 2.0 Ketsch and I’ve used it for four years now. It’s the one club I really trust. It’s got a new custom-weighting system, and is precision-milled with the True-Roll face pattern.

MONEY MARKER

I always use the same ball marker, it’s a one Bermudian dollar coin. I just randomly found it and then started to use it. I just like the way it looks, it’s nice.

LINE IT UP

I play with a Titleist Pro V1X and I mark it with a black alignment cross. I have always done this and it helps me with my putting.

PUTT PUTT

I have a lot of putting aids in my bag. I do really like my putting drills and always have three of four aids in my bag at a time. My caddy doesn’t approve having to carry them though!

Main Image: Cleeks GC
Golf Clubs: Harry Grimshaw

The post What’s In My Bag: Adrian Meronk appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.