Adrian Meronk climbed a huge 11 places on the European Points List after a thrilling victory at the DS Automobiles Italian Open.
Held at the 2023 Ryder Cup venue Marco Simone Golf & Country Club, Meronk’s victory puts the Pole into fifth place with 1,297.57 points, just two places off the automatic Ryder Cup qualification spots.
The three-time DP World Tour winner also climbed nine places on the World Points List where he occupies tenth position with 57.93 points.
Rounds of 68-68-66-69 saw Meronk finish one stroke ahead of France’s Romain Langasque, after an incredible back nine battle in Rome.
Meronk said: "It (the Ryder Cup) was definitely on my mind coming here, performing well in front of Luke. I think it might help but there's still a lot of time left. I still have to work on my game and get better to make the team.
"I didn't play as well as previous days so I had to grind a little bit, but I'm proud of myself and my caddie that we kept believing, kept hitting good shots and the putts on 17 and 18 were very big.
"I knew 16 and 18 were birdieable. I had an amazing shot on 16 so that was quite an easy birdie. Seventeen was a bit of a struggle but the putt saved me. On 18 I just focused on making a birdie because I didn't want to go to a play-off."
Should Meronk make Luke Donald’s European team in September, he will make history as the first Polish golfer to play in the Ryder Cup.
Meanwhile, 2018 Ryder Cup debutants Tyrrell Hatton and Tommy Fleetwood impressed on the PGA TOUR as the English duo finished in a tie for third and fifth, respectively, at the Wells Fargo Championship.
Hatton therefore leapfrogs Matt Fitzpatrick and Viktor Hovland on the World Points List and now its in the first automatic qualifying spot with 139.19 points.
As it stands Jon Rahm (2,883.53 points), Rory McIlroy (2,189.20 points) and Yannik Paul (1,389.14 points) would claim the three automatic qualifying spots on the European Points List, with Hatton (139.19 points), Fitzpatrick (128.47 points) and Hovland (123.88 points) currently sitting in the top three positions on the World Points List.
The 2023 Ryder Cup will take place between September 25 – October 1 at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club, Rome, Italy.
Click here to see full rankings.
