‘Shocked, sad and angry’: Adrian Meronk vents about Ryder Cup snub
Adrian Meronk admitted he stopped listening on the phone with European captain Luke Donald after being told he had no Ryder Cup place.
Adrian Meronk was “shocked, sad, and angry” after missing out on a Ryder Cup captain’s pick.
The 30-year-old said he was in high spirits while awaiting European captain Luke Donald’s call after the Omega European Masters.
But Nicolai Hojgaard and Ludvig Aberg were preferred to the much-fancied Italian Open champion who also ranks third in the Race to Dubai.
“It’s been an 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,” Meronk said at the Horizon Irish Open.
“Obviously it’s a hard one to swallow, I thought I’d done enough to be on that team but it is what it is, I wish them good luck and I will just focus on my game and move forward.
“I was expecting a call because they told me they were going to call regardless and I was in quite a good mood, to be honest. I was on the train coming from Switzerland, I’d had a nice finish and I was in shock.
“I heard from him (Donald) that it was tough for him as well, but to be honest, when he said I’m not going I kind of stopped listening.
“He was saying that someone has to stay home, it was close and stuff like that. I wouldn’t want to be in his position but it was a big shock.
“On Monday, the first half of the day was just sadness and disbelief and then anger because the last year and a half, I spent a lot of time thinking about this and that was my goal. Suddenly I was just realising it’s not going to happen this year.
“I talked to my parents, my psychologist, my coach and they have all been quite supportive and a lot of players on tour, coaches and caddies have all been very supportive, texting me, calling me.”
Meronk revealed some fans from his nation had already booked tickets to Marco Simone Golf and Country Club. He would’ve been the first-ever player from Poland to represent the European Ryder Cup team event.
He also said some players were surprised at his omission, support which he’s found “encouraging.”
What’s next for Adrian Meronk?
The World No.51 arrives at the K Club to defend the title he won in 2022, the first of three DP World Tour events he’s won in the space of 14 months.
Paired with Rory McIlroy and Billy Horschel for the first two rounds in County Kildare, Meronk wants to clear his mind and get back to playing:
“It’s not easy. I haven’t experienced that before so I’m fighting with emotions inside of me.
“I want to focus on the week, it’s a great venue, a great tournament but it’s still somewhere inside the back of my mind what happened a couple of days ago.
“But I hope I will be ready tomorrow on the first tee and I will give my best as I always do.”
Will we see another Adrian Meronk Irish Open triumph this week? Tell us on X!
Read now: Why the Adrian Meronk Ryder Cup decision was the wrong decision…
Matt Chivers
Now on the wrong side of 25, Matt has been playing golf since the age of 13 and was largely inspired to take up the game by countless family members who played golf during his childhood.
Matt is a member at Royal Cinque Ports in Deal playing off a 5 handicap, just a pitching wedge away from his hometown of Dover where he went to school and grew up. He has previously been a member at Etchinghill and Walmer and Kingsdown in Kent.
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