TOTEM POLE

Italian Open champion Meronk aims to become the first Polish player to make the European Ryder Cup team

ADRIAN MERONK believes his Italian Open triumph will have turned Luke Donald’s head as he aims to become the first Pole to play for Europe in the Ryder Cup.

Meronk, who broke into the world’s top 50 for the first time yesterday, had already impressed Europe captain Donald by holing the winning putt in the Hero Cup match play clash between Continental Europe and Great Britain & Ireland in Abu Dhabi back in January. But his one-shot triumph on Sunday in front of a watching Donald, on the same Marco Simone course in Rome where the clash with Team USA will be staged in September, has made an even stronger case for his inclusion.

“It was definitely on my mind c oming here, performing well in front of Luke,” said Meronk. I wanted to play well and to win the tournament is just such a relief.

“I saw him in the locker room before the final round and he said, ‘ Keep it going. Good luck’ so those were nice, encouraging words from him.

“I think it might help – but there’s still a lot of time left. I still have to work on my game and get better to make the team.” While Meronk still lies just outside the automatic qualification places for Rome – the race finishes on September 3 – it was his third win on the DP World Tour (left) in 10 months.

The Pole’s success on a narrow course which plays to his driving strengths means Donald is likely to consider him for one of his six wildcards whether or not he makes it by right.

Donald tweeted: “Superb win for @AdrianMeronk. Some solid golf played all week and came up with the right shots when he needed them most, starting to make winning a habit. Well done.”

LIV defections have taken out five of the team thrashed at Whistling Straits two years ago so even if Donald brings back Justin Rose and Francesco Molinari Europe will need to blood some new faces.

Dane Nicolai Hojgaard, the top points scorer in January’s desert dress rehearsal, did his chances of a debut no harm with a fifth-place finish in Rome.

Germany’s Yannik Paul occupies the final automatic qualification spot while there are other rookie alternatives in England’s Matt Wallace, Scotland’s Bob MacIntyre, France’s Victor Perez and the other Hojgaard twin, Rasmus.

USA captain Zach Johnson yesterday named Jim Furyk as his third assistant after Davis Love and Steve Stricker.