Adrian Meronk outlasts Adam Scott to win 2022 Australian Open
Lanky Pole Adrian Meronk continued his trailblazing year with a striking five-shot victory over crowd favourite Adam Scott at Victoria Golf Club on Sunday to add the Australian Open title to his Irish Open breakthrough win earlier this year.
Locked in a dogfight with Scott for much of the day, Meronk took a vice-like grip on the Stonehaven Cup on the 17th when Scott came to grief with a double bogey after his tee shot sailed out of bounds and he was forced to hit a provisional ball.
Meronk stepped onto the 72nd hole for his final tee shot with an invincible three-shot lead, slamming the door shut on Scott, who had eagled the 18th the previous two days, with a long-range eagle of his own to finish with a four-under 66 and a 72-hole total of 14-under 268.
He is the first golfer from Poland to win the Australian Open.
“I’m so happy and excited,” said a jubilant Meronk.
“I had family here, so we spent some quality time. It was a great week for me and I’m just very honoured to be here”
When asked after his win if he’d had a chance to look at some of the great names on the trophy, he replied: “Yeah, I already did and I just looked at how old this trophy is. It’s just incredible. I’m very proud and excited to be joining that company.”
The German-born Meronk said he never felt really comfortable until the 17th hole.
“Yeah, I think the 17th was a big hole for us, I made a bogey and Adam made a double, so then I had three shots on the last hole and I knew if I hit it further, I had a good chance,” he said.
The victory could catapult Meronk into the world’s top 50 and get him a start in next year’s US Masters at Augusta.
As it is, his rounds of 73-66-63-68 have clinched him a start in next year’s British Open at Royal Liverpool.
Scott felt he blew his chances of winning his second Australian Open on the closing holes of the front nine.
“I think the costly part for me today was seven, eight and nine. I didn’t get up and down on either of those three holes and fell three behind,” he said.
“On Thursday I didn’t think I’d make the cut this week, so it’s nice to be able to turn it around.
“I would have loved to have played just a little bit better today, been a little bit tighter with a couple of shots, and maybe put the pressure on a bit more at the end.
“But you know 15 was the turning point and then he played solid from there, so that’s what makes it hard for guys to catch you, especially around
this golf course.”
Meronk made a birdie at 15 which swung the momentum heavily in his favour.
South African Ashleigh Buhai emerged from a tense day’s battle to add the Australian Open title to her British Open win this year — a feat that eluded Queensland’s Cameron Smith at the weekend.
Buhai (69-69-66-73) outlasted Korea’s former number one Jayai Shin (68-68-63-75) who, despite birdies on two of her last four holes, came up one shot short at 11-under.
Like Meronk for Poland, Buhai is the first South African to win the Women’s Australian Open.
Early on the final day Buhai, Shin, and Australia’s Hannah Green were locked in a three-way tie for the lead on 13-under.
Green, unfortunately, could get her irons working, struggling to a two-over 74 to finish in third place — one shot ahead of the highly promising Grace Kim, who closed with an even par round of 72.
Meanwhile, England’s world number one, Kipp Poppert, closed with a 69 to record a seven-shot win over Canadian Kurtis Barkley in the Australian All Abilities Championship.
Poppert, who suffers from a form of cerebral palsy called spastic diplegia that affects his lower body, has endured many surgeries on his legs.
“It’s been an absolute honour to be here in Melbourne. I’ve got good family and friends here, so it was nice to play in front of them and the crowds were so good,” he said.
