19th Hole
Adrian Meronk reveals he likely wouldn’t have joined LIV but for Ryder Cup snub
Picking the twelve Europeans for the 2023 Ryder Cup team proved to be a difficult task for Luke Donald. The results were ideal, as the Europeans beat the United States team quite easily, but there were undoubtedly some hurt feelings in the process.
One player who felt spurned by Donald’s decision to leave him at home was 31-year-old Adrian Meronk. The Pole had a fantastic 2023 season, winning the Italian Open (at Marco Simone no less) as well as the ISPS Handa Australian Open.
After watching the Ryder Cup from home, Meronk went on to join LIV Golf early in 2024.
While speaking with Telegraph Sport, Meronk said he probably wouldn’t have made that decision if he was included in the Ryder Cup in Italy.
“Ï 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.”
Along with the reported signing bonus of around $10 million, Meronk said he likes the schedule of LIV.
“The last two years I had really great years, but to be honest, I wasn’t enjoying it as much. I was just constantly on the road.
“We didn’t have a proper home, just packing from hotel to hotel, airport to airport.
“I was sitting with my parents and my girlfriend during Christmas, and I was just saying, ‘yeah, I had a great year, but I didn’t really enjoy it’.
“I remember when I won in Italy last May, waking up on the Monday, and saying, ‘ok, great, I won the tournament.’
“But now I have to start all over again, go to a new course, get my routine going again. Where is the joy?
“So one of the best things is having more time to enjoy life with my family and friends.”
Meronk finished 47th out of 54 players at LIV Golf Mayakoba last week.
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According to Josh Carpenter of Sports Business Journal, last week’s Open Championship suffered its lowest television rating in almost a decade.
NBC and Peacock drew 3.39M viewers on Sunday for Xander Schauffele’s two-shot win in @TheOpen, down 4% from last year and Brian Harman.
That’s the lowest number for the final round since Zach Johnson’s win in 2015, which finished on a Monday on ESPN (cable) pic.twitter.com/9r7guxnfx1
— Josh Carpenter (@JoshACarpenter) July 23, 2024
The final round was down four percent from Brian Harman’s win in 2023 at Royal Liverpool, which offered very little drama down the stretch. It was the lowest-rated final round since Zach Johnson’s win in 2015 at St. Andrews: and that was a Monday finish.
Stars such as Rory McIlroy, Bryson DeChambeau, Ludvig Aberg, Viktor Hovland all missed the cut, which may have contributed to the lack of interest from casual golf fans.
This year, the Masters and The Open have decreased in ratings while the PGA Championship and U.S. Open saw an uptick. It’s fair to speculate whether the inclusion of Bryson DeChambeau deep into contention had an impact.
More from the 19th Hole
- Shane Lowry says this prevalent criticism surrounding Rory McIlroy ‘makes his blood boil’
- Brandel Chamblee on why he feels Rory’s game ‘deteriorates in the biggest moments‘
- Tiger Woods aims brutal dig at Colin Montgomerie
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While you’re here, check out BK’s look at Xander’s Open-winning WITB.
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19th Hole
‘That looks brutal’ – First photo of Tiger Woods’ leg without sleeve shows depth of injury
It’s been a struggle of late for Tiger Woods on the golf course. The 15-time major champion has only teed it up five times in 2024, finishing 60th in The Masters and missing the cut in the other three majors. He also played in the Genesis Invitational and was forced to withdraw.
Woods has many ailments, but none as debilitating as his surgically repaired leg. Since his car accident three years ago, the 48-year-old has rarely been seen without wearing a leg sleeve. However, on Monday, a fan was able to take a photograph of Woods’ leg without the sleeve.
@blakebunkersgolf IG
??? #LOOK: A photo has emerged of Tiger Woods without his leg sleeve @TWlegion
(Via: blakebunkersgolf/IG) pic.twitter.com/ppaGLdXg8X
— NUCLR GOLF (@NUCLRGOLF) July 22, 2024
The photo was taken at an event Tiger’s son, Charlie, was playing in by “blakebunkersgolf” on Instagram, and one of the top responses on X towards the photo was simply “That looks brutal.”
Woods has struggled with the lack of reps on the course but hasn’t given any indication as to whether his schedule will look any different come 2025.
More from the 19th Hole
- Shane Lowry says this prevalent criticism surrounding Rory McIlroy ‘makes his blood boil’
- Brandel Chamblee on why he feels Rory’s game ‘deteriorates in the biggest moments‘
- Tiger Woods aims brutal dig at Colin Montgomerie
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While you’re here, check out BK’s look at Xander Schauffele’s winning WITB.
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John Daly withdrew at last week’s Open Championship with a knee injury, but the 58-year-old was back on the links this week showcasing one of the most famous golf courses in the world for his fans.
While at Trump Turnberry, John Daly recorded a video of the 18th green.
In the video, the 1995 Open Champion shared his opinion that Turnberry is the best golf course in Scotland, even better than St. Andrews.
?????????? #BEST OF THE BEST — John Daly says Trump Turnberry beats out St Andrews for the title of best golf course in Scotland.
Do you agree?
(Via: @LGlick1) pic.twitter.com/Ya7FIJEfp2
— NUCLR GOLF (@NUCLRGOLF) July 22, 2024
“Hey everybody, John Daly here. I’m at Trump Turnberry today. I went out and tried to play a little bit. This place is amazing. It is the best golf course in Scotland, I think. St. Andrews is my baby, but I think I just found my new baby. I’m at the 18th green right here, this thing is unreal.”
Turnberry hosted its first Open Championship in 1977, which was dubbed “The Duel in the Sun” when Tom Watson beat Jack Nicklaus by a single stroke. The most recent Open the course hosted was 2009, where Watson almost won again, but lost to Stewart Cink in a playoff.
The course is not slated to host any Open Championships in the foreseeable future.
More from the 19th Hole
- Shane Lowry says this prevalent criticism surrounding Rory McIlroy ‘makes his blood boil’
- Brandel Chamblee on why he feels Rory’s game ‘deteriorates in the biggest moments‘
- Tiger Woods aims brutal dig at Colin Montgomerie
New here?
While you’re here, check out BK’s look at Xander Schauffele’s winning WITB.
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