Adrian Meronk closed with a 66 to claim a one-stroke victory over Matti Schmid at the Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucia Masters in Spain.
After two bogeys in his first three holes, Meronk had dropped seven shots off the pace, but he recovered with two front-nine eagles, highlighted by a hole-out from 121 yards, to turn on 12 under.
On the back nine, Meronk made four birdies, including a gain on the par-3 17th to take the lead at 16 under par, which proved the winning mark after Schmid missed a 40-foot birdie putt on the final green to force overtime.
“I didn’t get off to a hot start, I was trying to talk to myself, stay positive,” said Meronk. “I was hitting good shots on the range in the morning so I knew I had the game.”
The taste of victory @AdrianMeronk ??#EDAM2023 pic.twitter.com/oT8UfLF49N
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) October 22, 2023
The Pole, who was surprisingly left off the European Ryder Cup team, becomes the first three-time winner on the DP World Tour in 2023.
With the victory – his fourth in a little over 15 months, Meronk climbs above Ryan Fox into third place on the Race to Dubai Rankings, becoming the top-ranked player in line to earn a PGA Tour card at the end of the current DP World Tour season.
2023 Andalucia Masters
Final Top 5
Pos-Player-Score (Final Rd)
1. Adrian Meronk -16 (-6)
2. Matti Schmid -15 (-1)
3. Richard Mansell -14 (-4)
4. Louis De Jager -13 (-4)
4. Chase Hanna -13 (-6)
6. Jeff Winther -12 (+2)
7. Jeong weon Ko -11 (E)
7. Marcel Siem -11 (-4)
9. Thorbjorn Olesen -10 (-2)
9. Adrian Otaegui -10 (+2)
9. Matthieu Pavon -10 (-3)
9. Victor Perez -10 (-2)
