The Pole is making golf grow in his country. “I know the kids look at me, that’s one of the reasons I try to play well. I’m friends with Szczesny and Dudek, the former Liverpool goalkeeper. And when I once played with Sheva we remembered the 2005 penalties”
He is one of the stars of the Italian golf Open which starts tomorrow at the Marco Simone di Guidonia, near Rome, the course which will also host the Ryder Cup from 29 September to 1 October. And Adrian Meronk this week has only one objective: to do (very) well to significantly increase the chances of being part of the European team: “Yes, the Ryder Cup is definitely the most important goal of my season”.
Meronk will turn 30 on May 31st. Since last season he has made a decisive leap into the world’s elite of golf. He was the first Pole to have the card for the European Tour, the first to win a tournament (he’s already at two because after the success in Ireland he repeated in Australia last December), the first to play on the Pga Tour, the first to participate in the Masters. Here in Rome, where he has good memories, he feels fit and can’t wait to get better known by Italian enthusiasts.
This year he will play all the Majors and his career could definitely take off.
“I am very happy to play the Majors, last year it was already a great thing to participate in the British Open where I managed to pass the cut. It was new and I enjoyed it. This year I’ve tried to make a program that revolves around the Majors to prepare me as best as possible. And of course I’m trying to play the best golf possible.”
He played the Masters for the first time, a month ago.
“It was great. And to be honest I have to say that the simple fact of driving to Augusta, entering the National through Magnolia Lane and directly experiencing everything that I had only seen on TV was thrilling. Now I just hope to play well enough to come back again in the next few years”.
You are Polish, but you were born in Germany, in Hamburg.
“My parents worked there. They are both Polish but the need for a job had taken them across the border. We returned to Poland when I was just three years old. My mom worked in the hospital, my dad I don’t know what she did, an office job, I just know that she was out all day ”.
“I understand it, but I speak it very little. I also studied it when I was a kid but I didn’t like it much because it’s a difficult language. My parents obviously speak it very well, I don’t. Let’s say I speak two and a half languages. Polish, English and the middle one is German”.
How did you discover golf?
“It was my dad. As far as I can remember things I remember him playing golf, he had already started when he was in Germany. We had golf vacations and I would accompany him on the course and that’s how I started too. It was a natural thing.”
Golf in Poland is not very popular…
“Not very much. It’s a very small sport. I think there are more or less 40,000 people playing it. In Poland there will be around thirty camps. But it is growing and I hope to be one of the reasons for this growth too”.
We have already mentioned all the records he is setting as the first Pole at a high level in golf…
“Yes, I know that young people look up to me. I like to consider myself a role model, which is also why I try to play as best as I can. Helping grow the game in my home makes me proud. It’s one of my goals.”
He left Poland to study in America. Was it a difficult choice?
“No, it wasn’t hard, but the first year in Tennessee was really hard. My English wasn’t good, I had to adapt to other habits and customs, new habits, different people. But then things got better, everything got easier and the last three years have been very satisfying and my golf has improved year after year. And in fact, at the end of college I decided to throw myself into professionalism”.
What is the place you consider home today?
“My home is in Dubai, it’s where I spend the most time, especially when the golf season is off. From October to April it is my base. Then maybe I spend a couple of weeks in Poland when there are tournaments in Europe”.
Do you remember the first time you played in Italy?
“I remember playing the European Amateur Championship in Turin in 2008. A long time ago now. It was my first time. But the maximum of my experience in Italy was obviously two years ago, here at the Marco Simone, when I finished second. I played very well. But apart from golf, Italy is one of the places I love to visit. I like everything from food to people. Rome is really special”.
“What more can I say about Ryder? It’s a dream, a goal, it’s Ryder, it’s the best. And becoming the first Pole to be called up is an extra boost.” Do you practice other sports apart from golf? “I am a true sportsman. I played volleyball and basketball and I love football”.
“Yes, quite a few. The first that comes to mind is Jerzy Dudek, the Liverpool goalkeeper who won the Champions League against Milan in 2005″.
In Italy we remember it well. He and his “Spaghetti Leg”, the strange dance he did to distract the penalty takers.
“Yes, I sometimes talk to him about it. Jerzy is still kind of a hero in Poland, he’s very popular. And speaking of the Champions League: I once played a pro am with Andrij Shevchenko and we remembered that episode. I really asked him about that match and the penalty. It was fun, even if Sheva doesn’t really like reliving those moments… Dudek was a great goalkeeper and today he also plays golf well, he goes on the course as much as possible. We also played together in Dubai. Then I’m also a friend of Wojciech Szczęsny from Juventus.”
Only goalkeepers among your friends?
(laughs) “But no, it’s really a coincidence. It’s that he loves golf too, he came to Dubai after the World Cup to take a little vacation and we played together. And we know that the golf course is very good for friendships”.
May 3, 2023 (change May 3, 2023 | 3:25 pm)
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