Adrian Meronk withdraws from Farmers Insurance Open before first round, Erik Barnes steps in

Adrian Meronk was scheduled to tee off at the Farmers Insurance Open on Wednesday, January 24, but unfortunately, he couldn't do it. The Torrey Pines-based event would have been the Pole's PGA Tour debut after earning his card at the close of 2023.

The news of Adrian Meronk's withdrawal from the Farmers Insurance Open was reported by the X (formerly Twitter) account of PGA Tour Communications (@PGATOURComms). The text of the post was as follows:

"Adrian Meronk WD before the first round of the Farmers Insurance Open. Erik Barnes is now in."

No information has been made public so far as to why Adrian Meronk decided to withdraw. The X Golf Injury Report account (@InjuryReportPGA) reported only that it was due to illness and that the decision to withdraw was made on Wednesday morning.

Meronk earned his PGA Tour card after an excellent 2023 season on the DP World Tour. His three victories this season (Australian Open, Italian Open and Andalucia Masters) earned him the top spot on the list of qualifiers for the world's premier tour.

Meronk's place has now been taken by Erik Barnes, a 36-year-old who has spent most of his 12 seasons as a professional playing on the Korn Ferry Tour and other developmental circuits.

Will Adrian Meronk go to LIV Golf?

As has been the case with many other players, Adrian Meronk has been at the center of rumors linking him to LIV Golf. However, the rumors related to the Pole have not had as much traction as those related to other higher-profile players.

Meronk's withdrawal from the Farmers Insurance Open has once again raised the suspicions of fans.

Shortly after the Pole's retirement was officially announced, the media outlet Flushing It posted on X that two new players were "confirmed" to be signed for LIV Golf, one for the Cleeks GC team and one for Legion XIII, the name that supposedly identifies Jon Rahm's team.

Flushing It said it did not yet know the identities of both players, but stated that Cleeks GC will be "an all-European team." Both pieces of information have led some fans to think of Meronk as one of these two players supposedly already signed by LIV Golf.

In November 2023, following his participation in the DP World Tour Championship, Meronk stated that he was "looking forward" to playing on the PGA Tour. Here's what he had to say (via SB Nation):

"[Playing on the PGA Tour] has been a goal to mine since we found out we are playing for PGA Tour cards. I’m very glad that I’m going to be playing on the PGA Tour. I played some tournaments this year and gained some experience. I’m looking forward to it."

Nevertheless, fans have vivid in their memories the example of Jon Rahm, who signed with LIV Golf last December after having declared his loyalty to the PGA Tour on several occasions.