Magnificent Meronk wins Alfred Dunhill Links Championship

World Number 527 wins Dunhill Championship ten years after making his professional debut

On Sunday 4 October, World number 527, Adrian Meronk of Poland, secured a two-shot victory at the 25th Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. The win was his first on the European Tour in 1079 days and his fifth overall. Meronk played with impeccable concentration and accuracy throughout the tournament. The highlight, his nine-under-par (63) at Kingsbarns on Saturday, moved him into a position to challenge for The Title. 

In last year’s competition, Scotland’s Bob MacIntyre strolled to a four-shot victory at a tournament curtailed to 54 holes. Similarly, Matt Fitzpatrick’s three-shot win in 2023 was a damp squib after a washout weekend, which meant the 54-hole championship ended on a Monday. This year was different: at last some good weather and a well-contested final round with the twists, turns, and tension the tournament desperately needed.

Sunshine across the East Coast allowed for good scoring on all three courses for the first three days. At times, even Carnoustie, home to the so-called ‘toughest finish in golf,’ was no match for the prolific professionals. Eagle hole-outs and abundant birdies saw the cut mark rise to -6 as only the top 60 and ties of the 168-strong field played the fourth round on the recently revamped Old Course. It was Sunday when the drama truly began, with Race to Dubai and Ryder Cup points both up for grabs. The weather played its part too — the dark clouds and biting wind were a highly commendable attempt at pathetic fallacy. 

Gritty determination was required in the face of the crosswind gusting up to 35 mph and an 8°C ‘feels like’ temperature. 23-year-old South African Casey Jarvis (-18), who had played with quiet confidence over the first three days, led the way. Jarvis’ Saturday on the Old Course began with a 103-yard hole-out on the 10th (his first hole). He followed this with three birdies in his next four holes to go five-under through five. Talk of a course record began to spread, though he couldn’t keep up the incredible scoring and eventually signed for a bogey-free 65 (-7).

A two-shot overnight lead for the youngster heading into Sunday at the Home of Golf; “I know the pressure will be on,” he admitted. Behind him on -16 were England’s Matthew Jordan and Poland’s Adrian Meronk. Further back, a star-studded chasing pack included European Ryder Cup Team stars Tommy Fleetwood, Matt Fitzpatrick, and Bob MacIntyre. 

Teeing off two hours before the final group, Fleetwood applied early pressure to the leaders with attacking shots and clinical putting. A run of four consecutive birdies on holes 11-14 saw him surge up the leaderboard. A birdie at the last sealed a bogey-free 64 (-8) and set the clubhouse lead at -17. Fleetwood’s brilliant charge was the first of many moves made by the chasing pack.

Home favourite MacIntyre reignited his title defence with a chip-in eagle on the par-five 14th, having made a clumsy double-bogey on the tenth hole. The lefty consistently drew the biggest crowds all week, as they hoped he would become the first player to defend the Dunhill since England’s Tyrrell Hatton in 2017. Frustratingly, MacIntyre had to settle for par on the 18th after driving through the green, finishing one behind his Ryder Cup teammate on -16.

It was then down to Michael Stewart, world number 979, to carry the hopes of the host nation. After his outrageous hole-out for eagle from 112 yards on the 13th (his third eagle of the week), he was within touching distance of the lead. Agonisingly, Stewart only managed pars on the last five holes. This was still enough to tie Fleetwood’s clubhouse lead, which was beginning to feel insufficient in the face of Meronk’s brilliance.

Meronk’s birdie-birdie start put Jarvis on the ropes early doors, as the 6’ 6” Pole drew level with the leader. Jarvis responded defiantly with birdies on four and five, becoming the first player to reach -20 for the week. However, costly short-game errors around the turn from the young South African, alongside more birdies from Poland’s number one, saw a gap open at the top. 

The other closest challenger to Jarvis at the start of the day, Matthew Jordan, put up about as much fight as England’s top order down under and signed for a 75 (+3). In the midst of the chaos, Denmark’s Niklas Nørgaard produced an enthralling final round of 68 (-4), including an eagle three on the fifth. His three-birdie finish in the final five holes saw him eclipse Fleetwood and Stewart, and set a new clubhouse lead at -18. 

The team competition — in which celebrities play alongside professionals — was hotting up as Meronk and Tom Chaplin, the frontman for Keane, looked to beat David Law and Will Ahmed (WHOOP CEO)’s score of -40. A bogey from Meronk on the Road Hole after hitting his approach somewhere only we know meant Chaplin had to drain a crucial putt to maintain their one-shot lead. It also opened the door for Jarvis in the group behind, who had birdied 15. A par on the last for Meronk secured the team title with a score of -41 and meant Jarvis needed a par-birdie finish to match him at -20 and force a playoff. But a missed seven-foot par putt on the 17th all but ended Jarvis’s hopes of a third win of the season. The young man was visibly distraught on the final green after missing his attempted chip for eagle. 

Victory was “a dream come true” for the delighted Pole who had “goosebumps” walking up the last hole, according to The Links Times. It is fitting that he won where his professional career had begun ten years ago. He takes home $816,000 plus $50,000 for the team event and moves to 145th in the Official World Golf Rankings and 38th in the Race to Dubai. More gripping finishes like Sunday’s will only increase the popularity of this well-loved championship that draws global attention from its star-studded fields and rare quirks.

Photo credit: George Rook