Snubbed Ryder Cup star to join LIV Golf and Jon Rahm in huge U-turn
Adrian Meronk is set to join LIV Golf - just weeks after he indicated he would have no part in the breakaway circuit.
The Polish player, 30, has been one of the best players on the DP World Tour in recent years, winning the Irish Open, Australian Open and Italian Open over the past two seasons. He was cruelly denied a place on Europe's Ryder Cup team when he appeared likely to receive a captain's pick from Luke Donald.
Ultimately, Donald's decision to select unproven novice Swede Ludvig Aberg was vindicated, with the Scandinavian playing a starring role in the win over the United States at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club in Rome in October. But Meronk was doubtless hurt by the decision, with his fine form overlooked.
However, Meronk still had plenty to be happy about after earning a PGA Tour card through his success on the European circuit, as well as winning the Seve Ballesteros award for the 2023 season after being voted the player of the year by his peers. He also finished in second place behind Rory McIlroy at the Dubai Desert Classic on Sunday.
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Meronk was linked with a move to Saudi Arabia-backed LIV in the aftermath of Jon Rahm's shock departure from the PGA Tour in December. However, the world number 39 appeared to decisively distance himself from LIV, uploading a promotional video to his social media accounts that showed a PGA Tour membership card being added to the digital wallet on his phone. The video also included a good luck message from his country Jerzy Dudek, the former Liverpool goalkeeper.
But The Times reports Meronk is set to be unveiled as a LIV player before next week's season opener in Mexico. He was set to make his first PGA Tour appearance of the season at the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines on Thursday, but he was a late withdrawal from the tournament on Wednesday.
LIV has targeted PGA Tour stars since Rahm's departure late last year in a deal rumoured to be worth as much as half a billion dollars. Ryder Cup hero Tommy Fleetwood rejected an approach from the Greg Norman-fronted league, while his teammate in Rome Tyrrell Hatton has confirmed he has held talks with LIV.
Adrian Meronk has won four times on the DP World Tour, including three national opens. (Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images)LIV's aggressive moves have continued despite ongoing and protracted negotiations with the PGA Tour over a merger deal that would heal the fractures that have divided elite golf over the past two years.
Rahm will captain his own team as part of the deal and LIV has been looking for teammates to partner the two-time major champion. Meronk may not be a household name, but he is highly regarded on tour and he would add another boost of credibility to the breakaway circuit.
Although a move to LIV would rule Meronk out of Ryder Cup contention for Bethpage in New York in 2025 under the current rules, Rahm's departure has prompted many people to call for a rethink to ensure Europe can select its strongest team. Under the current rules, European participants must hold a DP World Tour membership.
With the landscape of the game rapidly shifting with each passing week, Meronk may have taken a calculated gamble at a time when LIV is edging closer to cementing its standing alongside the PGA Tour. LIV has offered its players huge contracts with guaranteed money as well as lucrative purses for its 54-hole events.
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