JAY AGGARWAL: We welcome Adrian Meronk Champion of the 2026 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.
Adrian, what does this win mean to you?
ADRIAN MERONK: It's been a tough year for me, so yeah, it feels like such a relief and to be able to do it here at the Home of Golf, ten years after I started my professional career here, as well, it feels amazing and I'm very proud and very, very happy.
Q. You have seven wins. Where does this one rate?
ADRIAN MERONK: I think quite high. Probably I would put this one after my Irish Open win because that was the first one and that was such a great feeling to finally getting over the line.
But this one feels special, as well, because of the place, because of the point of career where I am right now as well. Yeah, I would say hope to.
Q. To win at the Old Course and Home of Golf, does that give it an extra boost?
ADRIAN MERONK: Yeah, definitely. Definitely. You know, the walk after the drive on 18, knowing that I probably have to make a birdie but still after a good tee shot, it was an unbelievable feeling. I had goosebumps walking towards the green and I tried to enjoy it as much as possible.
Q. Had you talked about how it had been a tough year. Can you give us a taste of why that's been the case?
ADRIAN MERONK: Yeah, I felt like I've been in like a weird place. Felt like I played quite solid golf and I couldn't get any results and it was very frustrating, and I was getting very angry, very sad sometimes, very disappointed. Because every week, I felt like I played good, and just was making silly mistakes and finishing bottom of the tournament. And it kept going for months.
So to be honest, two months ago, I was in that place that I was thinking maybe even taking some break from golf. I wasn't enjoying it as much as I used to.
And to be standing here -- to be sitting here now with that trophy just shows you how quick it can change, and just unbelievable. I mean, golf is such a strange sport. One day, you know, you're fighting for life, and then you win one of the biggest tournaments on Tour.
So it's amazing, and it just shows you to keep on going, keep on believing and keep on working. And that's what I did. And I'm super, super grateful for my people around me that push me every day to keep on going and keep believing in myself.
Q. Stuart has been on the bag for quite a while. How much of a help was he to you on golf course?
ADRIAN MERONK: Yeah, Stewart's been great. We've been together five years. He's from Scotland, from one hour away from here, and I think for him it's super special as well. But to have him all week, he's been super helpful with the wind, especially -- especially with the putting and the wind. I think that comes with experience and he definitely helped me a lot this week with that. I'm super grateful for him as well. He's been with me through highs and lows, and yeah, he's a great guy. Great caddie.
Q. How helpful can this be to getting to Adare Manor?
ADRIAN MERONK: It's too far away. I was super close last time. I felt I would get in and I didn't. This time, I'll just take it day-by-day. Play my golf, and if it's enough, it's enough. If it's not, it's not. You can't really control those things. I would rather qualify on my own than lean on someone else's decision. I'll do my best to get on the team but definitely I will not be focusing on that.
Q. You probably know one other question from me: Your card, what is the situation at the moment?
ADRIAN MERONK: It's a little bit unknown, to be honest. Obviously I came here after the LIV season was done to keep my status, to keep my playing rights for next season. Obviously this helps me tremendous -- a lot. So I'm going to have to re-evaluate my goals, my schedule and how my future will look like but this helps a lot for sure.
Q. You see like Sergio -- is that shocking to some of you guys?
ADRIAN MERONK: It is -- it's been weird. It's been a very strange year on LIV, obviously finding about Saudis backing off and finding new investors. There's still a lot of unknowns that we are not sure of.
And to be honest, it's hard from a player's perspective to make a decision. So I'll just wait and see. We still have a couple weeks but as I said, this helps a lot. I have to really reconsider and see what's going to happen.
Q. When you were talking about thinking about potentially taking a break, you also said you worked with a psychologist. Just wondering how important is that relationship for you?
ADRIAN MERONK: Yeah, very. I've been working with Bevis Moynan, that's his name, my psychologist, for the last several years. He's been super helpful.
I texted him yesterday. Obviously I'm playing great and I'm in great position. I knew the forecast would be tough and I knew I would be nervous. We went through like a mental rehearsal of the round, seeing the shots, feeling the wind, feeling the pressure, feeling the nerves, and that kind of set me up for the day.
I felt quite good starting the day. Obviously get off to a good start, as well. I think that helped me a lot. We tend to do that before every tournament to kind of mentally get me ready and prepare me for what might happen on the golf course.
Q. Did that mental rehearsal also include the walk up 18 and what that would feel like?
ADRIAN MERONK: Yeah, we always kind of start -- we start from me standing after the tournament with the trophy -- not the trophy but we call it the winning performance, and then kind of trying to imagine what would I feel, what kind of emotions, and I'm trying to see myself like ten minutes after the winning performance on the 18th green, and that's what we did. And then we kind of work backwards with the round, and that's how we do it.
Q. Did your emotional reaction surprise you?
ADRIAN MERONK: Yeah, to be honest, it surprised me because I never really cry. I'm not -- it's hard for me to cry. But this one, I think it's quite special because as I said before, like the year was quite hard and I couldn't get any results. I was trying really hard to get some results, and my wife knows best, like, when I was in some low moments of this year and after a few tournaments, I was angry, sad and disappointed. She knows the best. I thought about those moments and the emotion come out and that's when you lose it, I guess.
Q. How proud are you to win again on the DP World Tour?
ADRIAN MERONK: Yeah, I'm super proud. It feels relief, again. I said that, as well after my Irish Open win, my first win because I was so many times, so close. To win that first event felt like such a relief but now to be back on top, feels like such a relief and to keep on going, I'm sure this experience will like build my confidence going forward, and it feels amazing.
Q. Is this victory going to shift your plans, your schedule, for the future? And did you envision, did you see this victory yesterday or prior to today?
ADRIAN MERONK: I did. I did envision it, yes. I'm writing my little notebook, little sentence, it's in Polish but I'll translate it. It says, "I'm grateful for the winnings of tournaments on DP in 2026 and 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 towards that goal.
But I did say that, I imagine myself sitting here or standing on 18 with the trophy, and definitely helps. Definitely helps.
Q. Did you have some next step?
ADRIAN MERONK: Yeah, definitely the goal was to play all of the tournaments until the end of the year until I reach my goal to keep my status. But now, I think I move to top 40 which helps me to kind of change the schedule a little bit. I'm not exactly sure how yet but I'm going to decide, probably today or tomorrow.
I'm definitely going to India, and then obviously going to play Abu Dhabi and Dubai, which is a super bonus for me, as well. Probably play Spain, as well, next week, and I might skip Korea. But let's see.
I'll definitely think about it, yeah.
Q. You expressed gratitude; what are you grateful for?
ADRIAN MERONK: First of all, for being able to play on such a good level and win tournaments like this, healthy. I have great parents, I have a great wife. I have great supporters. What more to be grateful for? Just amazing. Just feels -- I'm very fortunate to be here and to have people around me.
Q. (What's the key to being a five-time European Tour or DP World Tour winner?)
ADRIAN MERONK: I think the belief and consistency in yourself. When I started winning on tour, I felt like I always do the same kind of routine. Always believe in my process and always follow my process, and that kind of helps to put me in the position to win the tournament.
And then it comes to details. It comes to luck. It comes to self-belief. It comes to self-talk. It's just a lot of factors that help you to reach that line.
Yeah, I was fortunate enough today that it was enough to sit here, so yeah. I mean, you cannot control it. Just put yourself in that situation, follow your process, keep believing.
Q. (You played The Open at St Andrews in 2022. How keen are you to play when it goes back there next year in 2027?)
ADRIAN MERONK: Yeah, definitely, definitely. I had such good memories playing The Open here. I think it's a special -- probably the most unique place in the history of golf. And I played nine holes with Tiger here, as well in my Open debut and practise rounds. This place is forever going to be one of my favourite places on earth, and yeah, I hope to be back and play The Open, yeah.
Q. What's your victory doing for the state of Polish golf?
ADRIAN MERONK: You know, golf it still very small in Poland. My job is to grow it. It's getting better, slowly, but still, we need much more golf courses to -- and we have to educate -- we have to educate people that this is the game for everyone. There is still a lot of stereo types that this is only for rich people; that this is expensive.
So, yeah, we are trying to change that mindset and to grow the game. But definitely moments like this will help promote the game and hopefully more and more people will start playing and see how beautiful and great the game of golf is.
Q. (How important was it to get off to a strong start today?)
ADRIAN MERONK: It was huge. I holed a monster putt on first and set me up nicely, and I birdied the second and I birdied the par five, as well. I was 3-under after five holes. You know, it was a great start of the round. Obviously it was playing tricky. Crosswinds on every hole. I thought putting was quite tough, especially the short ones. The ball was moving, shaking a little bit. But I think it's very important to get off to a great start on Sunday when you're chasing a win.
Q. How important was the par save and not dropping shots --
ADRIAN MERONK: Can you repeat that?
Q. How important was the par save and not dropping the shots?
ADRIAN MERONK: Yeah, the putt on 6 was huge. Miscalculated a little bit the second shot. But to walk away with par was really good. Pro obviously disappointed on the 7th hole but short putts were tricky, especially putting across the wind. Sooner or later, you're going to miss one. I did a good job accepting it and focusing on the next shots. The birdie on nine was very good, as well.
17 was very difficult today, especially with that flag. We were playing for a big draw with the wind but the ball for some reason went quite straight, and I was quite surprised. I was expecting a much bigger draw, and we ended up in a tricky situation, tricky spot. I didn't have a great lie on 17. I was actually thinking about putting it.
But Stuart, my caddie, said to kind of give myself a chance going past the hole and give myself a chance for par. Yeah, it was playing very, very hard. I think probably the best -- the worst -- the most difficult hole on the golf course.
But then to give myself a chance on 18, as well, obviously didn't drop it but I had a great look for birdie, as well.
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