Adrian Meronk carded a pair of eagles as he fought his way to a fourth DP World Tour victory at the Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters.
The Pole reached 16 under par after posting a sublime six under par round of 66 at Real Club de Golf Sotogrande to secure his third victory on the 2023 Race to Dubai, finishing one stroke clear of overnight co-leader Matti Schmid, whose title charge fell away after bogeying the par four 16th.
The 30-year-old showed the resilience of a man who has four victories in the last 15 months as he was forced to fight back from an underwhelming start which saw him sit two over through his first three holes.
He kickstarted his round with an eagle at the par five sixth hole following a stunning approach into eight feet, before the moment of the round arrived at the par four ninth. The 2019 Challenge Tour graduate found the fairway for the first time this week and took full advantage by holing out from 121 yards to surge fully into contention.
Meronk, who has also won the ISPS HANDA Australian Open and the DS Automobiles Italian Open during the 2023 season, then holed a 42-footer at the tenth for birdie, with further gains coming at the 12th, 14th and 17th holes.
The 2022 Horizon Irish Open winner narrowly missed a final birdie attempt at the last hole but a par was enough for Poland’s only DP World Tour winner to add a fourth trophy to his collection. Victory sees Meronk leapfrog New Zealand’s Ryan Fox on the Race to Dubai Rankings in Partnership with Rolex into third place.
Schmid’s second place was enough to ensure he retains his playing privileges for the 2024 season, climbing 84 places to 70th on the Race to Dubai, while England’s Richard Mansell followed his tie for sixth in Madrid last week with a third place in Sotogrande thanks to a four under 68 to finish on 14 under par.
South Africa’s Louis de Jager finished in a tie for fourth alongside American Chase Hanna, whose six under par 66 saw him reach 13 under par to be well-placed to retain his card by moving up to 105th on the Race to Dubai.
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Winner quotes
Adrian Meronk: I didn’t have my best golf on the first day so to be honest, to win that tournament is very special. My dad was here this week, same as Italy, so it’s super, super special and I’m over the moon.
I knew it was going to be tricky all day. The weather was not very helpful with different wind, but I didn’t get off to a hot start. I was trying to talk to myself, in my mind to stay positive, and I knew I was hitting good shots on the range in the morning so I knew I had the game. I just stayed in it and the eagle on six gave me some momentum. I believed and stayed super focused until the last putt which I’m really proud of and my caddie as well. It was tricky going down the back nine with different wind, gusting, little bit of rain but I was super focused.
My dad was with me this week again, when I won in Italy he was with me as well. This week is very special for him as well because he’s the person why I started playing golf. Very emotional for him I’m sure. Very happy to have another win this season, points on the board and I’m very, very happy.
My goal at the end of the year was top three on the Race to Dubai. Obviously Rory and Rahm are quite a way ahead of us but I believe if I can play well in South Africa and the final then I can get some more points and move into the top two, we’ll see. I’m in a great position for a PGA TOUR card so I’ll just keep focussing on that and keep getting better.
