The 2023 Ryder Cup evokes happy memories for just about everyone connected to Team Europe.
After all, Luke Donald’s team thrashed the United States in Rome to reclaim one of golf’s most prized possessions.
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Donald made a brutal team decision that helped Europe win the Ryder CupCredit: Getty
Unfortunately for Polish golfer Adrian Meronk, it’s a tournament he’d rather not think about.
That’s because he was left ‘shocked and angry’ after being left out of the squad by Donald.
Meronk’s form leading into the 2023 Ryder Cup
Prior to the team selections, Meronk had enjoyed the best season of his career.
In the space of 14 months, Meronk scooped three DP World Tour titles.
One of those came at the Italian Open, which took place at the Marco Simone Golf and Country Club in Rome.
That course just so happened to be the one used during that year’s Ryder Cup.
Despite Meronk’s impressive form, it unfortunately was not enough to convince Donald he was worthy of one of his six captain’s picks.
Instead, Nicolai Hojgaard, the twin brother of Rasmus, was given the nod ahead of Meronk.
Safe to say, Donald’s snub left Meronk feeling as if he’d had the rug swept out from underneath him given he thought he’d ‘done enough to be on that team.’
How did Meronk react to the Ryder Cup snub?
“They told me they were going to call regardless and I was in quite a good mood,” Meronk said in 2023.
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Meronk was adamant he’d done enough to make Donald’s 2023 teamCredit: Getty
“I was on the train coming from Switzerland, I’d had a nice finish and [then] I was in shock.
“I heard from him [Donald] that it was tough for him as well but when he said I’m not going I kind of stopped listening.
“He was saying that someone has to stay home, it was close and stuff like that. I wouldn’t want to be in his position but it was a big shock.
“On Monday, the first half of the day was just sadness and disbelief and then anger because the last year-and-a-half I spent a lot of time thinking about this and that was my goal. Suddenly I was just realising it’s not going to happen this year.
“I talked to my parents, my psychologist, my coach and they have all been quite supportive and a lot of players on tour, coaches and caddies have all been very supportive, texting me, calling me.”
In Meronk’s absence, Nicolai was the only one among Europe’s Ryder Cup contingent not to have won any of his matches.
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The Pole had to watch Europe win the Ryder Cup from a distanceCredit: Getty
But ultimately it mattered little as Donald’s team romped to a 16.5-11.5 victory over the United States.
As for Meronk, he may have had to watch the action in Rome from afar but received some form of consolation in January as he won the 2023 Seve Ballesteros Award.
Meronk took home the gong, which is voted on by his fellow DP World Tour rivals, with 38 per cent of the vote as he finished a career-high fourth in the Race to Dubai rankings.
Unfortunately there’s no chance of Meronk making the cut for Donald’s 2025 team for the upcoming Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black.
The Pole isn’t even in the qualification rankings having failed to make the cut at three of the four majors this year, with the exception being a T50 finish at the Open.
Donald is due to name his Europe squad for the Ryder Cup on Monday.
talkSPORT.com’s predicted Europe Ryder Cup squad
Automatic qualifiers: Rory McIlroy, Bob MacIntyre, Tommy Fleetwood, Justin Rose, Tyrrell Hatton, Rasmus Hojgaard
Certain to be picked: Jon Rahm, Shane Lowry, Viktor Hovland, Ludvig Aberg
Almost certain to be picked: Sepp Straka, Matt Fitzpatrick
Likely to miss out: Harry Hall, Nicolai Hojgaard
