'Lost for words': Adrian Meronk's emotional St. Andrews win raises LIV question

Adrian Meronk’s professional career began at the Home of Golf, when the Polish player made his DP World Tour debut at the 2016 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. Ten years later, he broke down in tears at The Old Course in St. Andrews as he watched Casey Jarvis fail to convert an eagle attempt from the Valley of Sin, handing Meronk the title.

“It’s unreal,” an emotional Meronk said after the win. “I never usually cry, but this one feels really special. I’m sorry, I’m just lost for words. To win here after 10 years, after turning pro, it’s a dream come true. It’s unusual. I’m sorry, I’m at a loss for words, but I’m extremely happy and relieved.”

It was Meronk’s first DP World Tour win since 2023, when he was named the tour’s Player of the Year before joining LIV Golf in 2024. His last professional victory came at LIV Golf Riyadh in 2025. But 2026 had been a difficult season for the 33-year-old Pole: his best LIV finish was a T21 in Virginia, and he finished 45th in the season-long standings.

Meronk admitted that the prolonged run of poor results had him considering a break from golf.

“I felt like I’d been in a weird place. I felt like I played quite solid golf and couldn’t get any results, and it was very frustrating. I was getting very angry, very sad sometimes, very disappointed. Every week, I felt like I played well but was making silly mistakes and finishing at the bottom of the tournament. It kept going for months. To be honest, two months ago I was thinking that I might even take a break from golf. I wasn’t enjoying it as much as I used to,” he told The Scotsman.

Instead of stepping away, Meronk focused on a goal: winning on the DP World Tour to help retain his playing rights for next season amid LIV Golf’s uncertain future. He said he wrote in a notebook every day, expressing gratitude for the victory he hoped would come.

“I did envision it, yes. I’m writing in my little notebook a little sentence—it’s in Polish, but I’ll translate it: ‘I’m grateful for the winnings of tournaments on DP in 2026 and a top-20 finish of the season.’ That’s what I’m writing every single day in my notebook. Obviously, that helps a lot and it’s one step toward that goal. I imagined myself sitting here or standing on 18 with the trophy, and it definitely helps,” Meronk said at his press conference.

Meronk began the final round at St. Andrews two shots behind Jarvis, but opened with back-to-back birdies and took the outright lead on the 12th hole. A final-round 68 put him at 20 under par. When Jarvis missed his final eagle attempt, Meronk claimed his first DP World Tour title in more than 1,000 days.

“To be sitting here now with that trophy just shows you how quickly things can change. Golf is such a strange sport. One day, you’re fighting for your life, and then you win one of the biggest tournaments on tour. It’s amazing, and it shows you to keep going, keep believing and keep working. That’s what I did, and I’m super, super grateful for my people around me who push me every day to keep going and keep believing in myself,” he said.

The win moved Meronk to 38th in the Race to Dubai standings, inside the cutoff to retain DP World Tour membership for 2027. He had been outside the top 200 when the LIV Golf season ended.

Meronk told Ben Parsons of Today’s Golfer that his LIV Golf contract had ended. He said he enjoyed his time on LIV and was intrigued by the idea of “LIV Golf 2.0,” but now had to decide what was best for his career in the long term.

Meronk was one of eight LIV players who reached an agreement with the DP World Tour this year, allowing them to play on LIV without punishment as long as they paid their outstanding fines. However, if the breakaway league continues in a reinvented form, the DP World Tour is unlikely to offer LIV players those “conditional releases” for 2027.

That is why Meronk spent the fall playing as many DP World Tour events as possible, ensuring he had a full-time home for 2027 regardless of LIV Golf’s fate.

After his emotional St. Andrews victory, Meronk is in a much stronger position to retain his playing rights on the European circuit. The trophy will also force him to reassess what comes next in his professional career.

“It’s a little bit unknown, to be honest. I came to play on the DP World Tour after the LIV season was done to keep my playing rights for next season. Obviously, this helps me a lot. So I’m going to have to reevaluate my goals, my schedule and what my future will look like, but this definitely helps a lot,” Meronk said.