Dubai-based Adrian Meronk heaps praise on World Amateur Team Championships

The stars of the future at this month’s World Amateur Team Championships (WATC) will be hoping to use the prestigious amateur event as a springboard to success, just as Adrian Meronk did before becoming a three-time winner on the DP World Tour.

The men’s Eisenhower Trophy runs from October 18-21 with the women in action from October 25-28 at the Abu Dhabi Golf Club’s National Course.

Meronk played in the Eisenhower Trophy on three occasions, with the last of those coming in 2016 where he carded three rounds in the ’60s to finish in a share of third in the individual competition, while also leading the Polish team to a historic eighth place finish in the team competition – the country’s first, and only, top ten in the biennial event.

“The Eisenhower Trophy was my favourite amateur tournament, I would always look forward to competing. But it was only every two years, so it was a long wait between editions,” said the Pole, who is now based in Dubai.

“It was definitely the highlight of my amateur career. I usually played very well, and it was actually the final amateur tournament I played in 2016 before turning professional.

“It’s great to see the tournament head to the Middle East for the first time. I’m sure it’s going to be a fantastic event.”

Three years after that historic outing in Mexico, Meronk became the first player from Poland to win on a major golf tour with his triumph at the Open de Portugal @ Morgado Golf Resort in 2019, helping him graduate from the Challenge Tour and become the first Polish player to earn full DP World Tour playing privileges.

Fast forward four years, the 30-year-old is now a three-time winner on the DP World Tour, picking up the Horizon Irish Open, ISPS Handa Australian Open and the DS Automobiles Italian Open between July 2022 and May of this year and currently sits fourth on the DP World Tour’s Race to Dubai Rankings and 52nd on the Official World Golf Ranking.

Despite the glitz and glamour that comes with being Poland’s first-ever DP World Tour winner, Meronk admits he misses the camaraderie that he and his teammates used to have when playing the Eisenhower Trophy.

“My advice to those competing is to just go out there and enjoy yourself with your teammates,” he said.

The World Amateur Team Championships is hosted by the Emirates Golf Federation in collaboration with the Abu Dhabi Sports Council and their Destination Partner, the Department of Culture and Tourism.