Adrian Meronk is determined to turn his Ryder Cup disappointment into motivation this week as he prepares to make his first DP World Tour title defence at the Horizon Irish Open.
Meronk made history last year by becoming the first player from Poland to win on the DP World Tour with a commanding final round 66 that led to an emotional three-shot victory in front of a packed-out Mount Juliet Estate last July.
After several close calls earlier in the year, it was a deserving triumph that kick-started a year of success.
He went on to claim the 2022 ISPS HANDA Australian Open, holed the winning putt at the Hero Cup in January and earned his third win at this year’s DS Automobiles Italian Open at Marco Simone – site of the 2023 Ryder Cup.
A year on and both a new venue and new time of year awaits the now three-time winner, but Meronk is excited to be back and hoping to draw from his experience last year.
“It's good to be back,” said Meronk, who also finished in a tie for tenth during his Horizon Irish Open debut in 2020.
“Obviously a lot has happened since my win. Had a great year. It's crazy how time flies. I can't believe I'm already defending my title. Excited to be here, and yeah, I hope I can defend it.
“It was a touch of relief,” he added, “because I was coming -- I was close a couple of times last year, so to finally win it and to do it in Ireland in such an iconic event in front of the great crowd, it was just special and I'll never forget that moment for sure. Yeah, I'm very happy that it happened, actually in Irish Open.”
Adrian Meronk addresses the media ahead of his title defence at the Horizon Irish Open. #HorizonIrishOpen pic.twitter.com/itg3Mle7QR
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) September 6, 2023
His defence comes after an admittedly emotional couple of days for the Pole, who was one of the players to miss out on selection for his debut appearance at the Ryder Cup.
His defence comes after an admittedly emotional couple of days for the Pole, who was one of the players to miss out on selection for his debut appearance at the Ryder Cup.
Speaking candidly in his press conference, Meronk talked about how he has dealt with the disappointment over the last 48 hours ahead of his appearance in Ireland.
“It’s been emotional time for me to be honest, from shock to sadness to anger, and now I'm trying to turn it into motivation going into this week,” he said.
“Obviously it's a hard one to swallow. I thought I've done enough to be on the team but it is what it is. I wish them good luck and I will just focus on my game and move forward.
“It's not easy. I haven't experienced that before. So I'm kind of fighting with emotions inside of me. Kind of want to focus on this week. It's a great venue, great tournament.
“It's still somewhere in the back of my mind what happened a couple days ago, but I hope I'll be ready tomorrow on the first tee, and I'll just give my best as I always do.”
