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In a recent interview, Adrian Meronk said that the Ryder Cup snub affected his choice to join LIV Golf. In an interview with The Telegraph Sports before the 2024 LIV Golf Las Vegas event, Meronk discussed his unexpected switch to the Saudi circuit.
In 2023, Adrian Meronk was confident enough to compete in the Ryder Cup, but despite his outstanding season-long efforts, he was not selected for the European squad. The Polish golfer expressed how heartbroken he was, even in interviews from 2023.
Adian Meronk had a successful season in 2023, which helped him earn the PGA Tour for the 2024 season. However, before he could make his debut on the American circuit as a member, he joined LIV Golf.
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And weeks after the move, Meronk finally opened up about his decision in his interview with the aforementioned outlet. Meronk confessed that the Ryder Cup snub had made his choice to join LIV Golf "easier."
He said (as quoted by NUCLR Golf):
"I don't know, but I would probably not have come to LIV if I had played in the Ryder Cup. What happened definitely made my choice easier. You know, what I went through just made it easier to care more about myself and not care what other people think of me, or what other people want me to do."
"What happened with the Ryder Cup just opened my eyes as to how everything works. Yeah, and that in life, especially when you are a professional athlete, it is not your whole life. You just have to make sure that your family is good and that you are good and feeling good," he added.
The Ryder Cup team has 12 members, including six auto-qualifiers and six captain's picks. Meronk failed to auto-qualify for the team but was hoping to be the captain's pick. However, European Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald selected Sepp Straka, Tommy Fleetwood, Nicolai Hojgaard, Shane Lowry, Justin Rose and Ludvig Aberg instead.
Speaking about the captain's decision, Meronk said in 2023 (via NBC Sports):
"To be honest, I was in shock. I was expecting to have a decent chance to be on the team, but it was a quite shocking call, yeah."
Just a few weeks after the Ryder Cup, Meronk won the 2023 Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucia Masters and, towards the end of the year, earned the PGA Tour card.
He was set to start the 2024 season of the PGA Tour at the Farmers Insurance Open but he withdrew from the competition and the following week he made his LIV Golf debut at the Mayakoba event.
All about Adrian Meronk's performances on LIV Golf
Meronk made his debut on the Saudi circuit at last week's Mayakoba event and finished in 47th place. He settled for a score of over par 5 in the 54-hole format game.
After struggling with his game in the opening event of LIV Golf, Meronk improved his game at the LIV Golf Las Vegas tournament. He finished in a tie for ninth place at the Las Vegas event, which concluded on Saturday, February 10.
In addition to Meronk, Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton also joined LIV Golf in 2024. They both were part of the Ryder Cup last year.
