Claims that Adrian Meronk and Jason Day were set to follow Jon Rahm to LIV Golf have been dismissed, with the Pole confirming his PGA Tour membership on Wednesday
Adrian Meronk has denied rumors that he is joining LIV Golf. Meronk cruelly lost out on a spot on Europe’s winning Ryder Cup team earlier this year.
The Pole had planned to join the reigning Masters champion Jon Rahm on the Saudi Arabia-sponsored circuit, but Meronk’s announcement that he had accepted a PGA Tour card for the 2024 season definitively sealed his fate. The 30-year-old earned a card to play in America for the duration of the upcoming season after finishing fourth in this year’s DP World Tour’s Race to Dubai, behind only Rory McIlroy, Nicolai Hojgaard, and Rahm.
On Tuesday night, though, it didn’t seem likely that he would accept the invitation after it was revealed by The Telegraph that Rahm would be joining LIV for a reported £450 million, with Meronk and former world number one Jason Day expected to follow.
Meronk wrote on Instagram on Wednesday, “Excited for the next chapter,” along with a picture of a PGA Tour membership card being added to his phone’s wallet.
Day’s future has also been the subject of conflicting reports following the Telegraph article. Australian Golf Digest maintains that the 2015 PGA Championship winner, whose career has recently been hampered by vertigo, will compete on the PGA Tour in 2024.
Meronk has a modest profile in the United States, but his dedication to the PGA Tour is encouraging given the prevailing rumors regarding Rahm’s impending departure. Concerns have been raised about the Spaniard, who has remained silent amidst the controversy surrounding his future, as he may trigger a second wave of departures to LIV following the arrival of players like Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, and Brooks Koepka at the breakaway league’s launch in 2022.
In a very successful 2023 campaign, Meronk won both the Andalucia Masters and the Italian Open. He also shot up to number 48 in the Official World Golf Rankings and qualified for the Ryder Cup when Europe played the United States in Rome in September.
Luke Donald chose Meronk as a captain’s choice instead of automatically selecting him based on points rankings. Meronk became the first Pole to win on the DP World Tour. Luke Donald’s decision was confirmed with a 16.5-11.5 victory at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club.
Meronk was devastated to hear the news, but if his performance keeps going in the same way, it seems likely that he will be on the 12-man European team that plays at Bethpage Black in 2025.
At the Genesis Invitational earlier this year, Meronk made history as the first player from Poland to make the cut in an PGA Tour competition. Jerzy Dudek, a former goalkeeper for Liverpool that won the Champions League, sent a message on his announcement video, saying, “We are very proud of you.” Best wishes and enjoy each and every moment.”
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