Adrian Meronk won the Australian Open, Italian Open and Andalucia Masters during memorable 2023 DP World Tour campaign; Meronk won more votes than Rory McIlroy, Viktor Hovland and Nicolai Hojgaard to claim the Seve Ballesteros Award
Tuesday 16 January 2024 13:04, UK
Adrian Meronk has won the 2023 Seve Ballesteros Award after being voted Player of the Year for last season by his fellow professionals on the DP World Tour.
Meronk beat off competition from Race to Dubai champion Rory McIlroy, Ryder Cup debutant Nicolai Hojgaard and FedExCup winner Viktor Hovland to win the award for the first time.
The 31-year-old earned 38 per cent of votes from DP World Tour members after an impressive campaign, where he finished a career-high fourth on the Race to Dubai Rankings after winning three times during the season.
Meronk won the season-opening Australian Open to break inside the world's top 50 and qualify for all four majors in 2023, then followed a one-shot victory at the Italian Open by winning the Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters shortly after missing out on a Ryder Cup debut.
"It [winning] feels amazing," Meronk said. "I'm shocked to be honest, I didn't expect that. You got me by surprise but seeing my name next to all of these players, it's unbelievable. I'm very grateful for this award.
"It means a lot to me that other players appreciate my season last year. It's a great feeling. Last year was the best season so far in my career. I'm really happy that other players saw that, as well and give that award. Just thank you for that and I have to keep going."
McIlroy took second spot after winning two Rolex Series events in 2023 on his way to topping the season-long Order of Merit for a fifth time, while Hojgaard - who won the season-ending DP World Tour Championship - and Hovland shared the third place in the votes.
The Player of the Year Award, named after the legendary Seve Ballesteros, incorporates the former Golfer of the Year Award after the two accolades were combined to become one single honour voted for by the DP World Tour's members.
Keith Pelley, chief executive of the DP World Tour, said: "Adrian has made history throughout his career, and I'm delighted to congratulate him once again, this time for becoming the first Polish player to add their name to the illustrious list of winners of the Seve Ballesteros Award.
"Any season that includes three trophies - including two national opens - is always impressive, and Adrian's peers clearly thought so. I also want to thank Javier Ballesteros for travelling to Dubai to present the award to Adrian. It meant a lot to have him there to represent his father."
Meronk, who has started the 2024 DP World Tour season with back-to-back top-10 finishes, earned dual membership on the PGA Tour for the year ahead by his finish in the Race to Dubai standings.
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