Adrian Meronk’s rookie season on the PGA Tour may be ending before it begins.
Meronk is leaving the Tour for LIV Golf and will compete in next week’s season-opening event in Mexico, Sports Illustrated’s Bob Harig reported Wednesday. The story was first reported by The Times of London.
Meronk, 30, earned his PGA Tour card by finishing among the top 10 in last year’s DP World Tour Eligibility Ranking. The four-time DPWT winner finished second to Rory McIlroy at last week’s Hero Dubai Desert Classic.
Ranked 39th in the world, Meronk was scheduled to make his PGA Tour season debut at the Farmers Insurance Open but withdrew prior to the start of Wednesday’s first round. A source close to the situation told Golf Channel that the WD was because of illness after traveling from the Middle East to San Diego, California, and not LIV-related. The source would not comment on Meronk’s tour status.
According to both SI and The Times, Meronk would join Martin Kaymer’s Cleeks team. The stories also stated that Tyrrell Hatton, who last week in Dubai said he was staying on the PGA Tour, was close to a LIV deal to join Jon Rahm’s team, but that nothing was confirmed.
Hatton was announced earlier on Wednesday to be in the field for the PGA Tour’s WM Phoenix Open, Feb. 8-11, the week of LIV Golf’s second event in Las Vegas.