03 March 2024 , 19:08
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Adrian Meronk was left red-faced after he was slapped with a one-shot penalty for slow play that ultimately cost the Pole roughly £200,000 during this weekend's LIV Golf round.
Last season, PGA Tour star Patrick Cantlay received plenty of criticism from fellow pros like Matt Fitzpatrick for playing too slowly. The American was told he was too slow around Augusta at the 2023 Masters, but he never suffered financially - unlike Meronk.
On Sunday, in Jeddah during LIV’s event in Saudi Arabia, Cleek GC’s Meronk was assessed a one-stroke penalty in accordance with the LIV Golf League Pace of Play Policy. Meronk was deemed to have exceeded the two minutes to take his second stroke on the 18th hole.
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The moment meant his original birdie score on the par-5 18th was adjusted to a par. As a result, Meronk slipped down the standings and dropped from a share of fifth alongside Jon Rahm to a six-way tie for seventh, which dealt a blow to his prize money.
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On the final hole in Jeddah, Meronk took more than two minutes to play his second which clearly exceeded the allotted time. Per LIV rules, a player has 40 seconds to play each stroke with an additional 10 seconds if they are the first to play. LIV Golf released a statement on the matter, which read: “Meronk was immediately notified by the official and assessed a one-stroke penalty.”
Meronk’s group struggled with the clock during the £19.8 million, 54-hole event at the Royal Greens Country Club. Eight holes into the final round, Meronk, Rahm and Kevin Na were informed that they had fallen behind and six holes later, the three-ball had lost yet more ground on the group in front as a rules official began to time their shots.
Adrian Meronk was punished for taking too long at LIV Golf's Jeddah event (Getty Images)Thankfully for Cantlay, a slow-play penalty is rare on the PGA Tour. The last punishment in an individual tournament on tour came in 1995, when Glen Day was penalised, despite plenty of stars like Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy calling for the rules to be followed and discipline to be administered.
Meanwhile, LIV Golf is far more strict. Last year at Valderrama, England’s Richard Bland was hit with a shot penalty for the same offence.
While the Saudi-backed series is focusing on time penalties, they appear less concerned with foul language and tantrums. During a frustrating second round, Rahm yelled an obscenity after missing a shot, which prompted the TV commentator to issue an apology while there was no punishment for the Spaniard.
Ultimately, neither Meronk nor Rahm could keep pace with Joaquin Niemann. The Chilean won with a score of 17 under, securing a second LIV victory in the three events so far in 2024. Niemann is clearly one of the most in-form players in the sport with the first major of the year - the Masters - coming up next month.