Did Adrian Meronk deserve to be on European Ryder Cup team? Exploring his record against Shane Lowry

Luke Donald announced the final members of the European team for the 2023 Ryder Cup on September 4. While the team had the likes of Rory McIlroy, Viktor Hovland, and Matt Fitzpatrick, a stir among the fans increased as Adrian Meronk was left out and Shane Lowry was selected as one of the six captain's picks.

In the 23 events, Meronk had been part of across the PGA Tour and DP World Tour, he just missed seven cuts. He finished in the top 25 eleven times, including five top 5 finishes. He also won the ISPS Handa Australian Open and DS Automobiles Italian Open this season.

On the contrary, Shane Lowry had undoubtedly struggled in the 2022-23 season. He had 18 starts on the PGA Tour and had just one top-10 finish. The Irishman finished tied fifth on the leaderboard of the Honda Classic. While in the four tournaments, he played on the DP World Tour, he missed the cut in two of them and didn't even have a single top-25 finish.

Lowry had been part of the 2021 European team. He ended with an overall score of 1-2-0, earning just one point in the losing cause. Meanwhile, Adrian Meronk is still waiting for his first Ryder Cup call, which is seemingly delayed, at least, for the 44th edition.

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Exploring Shane Lowry and Adrian Meronk's performances in the 2022-23 season

Despite having a multi-win season, Adrian Meronk's snub from the European team is shocking to fans, as well as experts. He surely had a slight edge over Shane Lowry.

Let's look at the leaderboard standings of both players:

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Shane Lowry

• THE CJ CUP - T23
• Hero World Challenge - 18
• WM Phoenix Open - Missed the Cut
• The Genesis Invitational - T14
• The Honda Classic - T5
• Arnold Palmer Invitational - 67
• THE PLAYERS Championship - T35
• Masters Tournament - T16
• RBC Heritage - 67
• Wells Fargo Championship - Missed the Cut
• PGA Championship - T12
• The Memorial Tournament - T16
• RBC Canadian Open - T43
• US Open - T20
• Travelers Championship - T19
• Genesis Scottish Open - T12
• The Open Championship - Missed the Cut
• Wyndham Championship - T51
• Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship - T28
• Dubai Desert Classic - Missed the Cut
• D+D Real Czech Masters - Missed the Cut

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Adrian Meronk

• Butterfield Bermuda Championship - Missed the Cut
• The Genesis Invitational - T45
• The Honda Classic - T14
• Arnold Palmer Invitational - Missed the Cut
• Masters Tournament - Missed the Cut
• PGA Championship - T40
• RBC Canadian Open - Missed the Cut
• U.S. Open - Missed the Cut
• Genesis Scottish Open - Missed the Cut
• The Open - T23
• Fortinet Australian PGA Championship - T34
• ISPS Handa Australian Open - 1
• Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship - T10
• Dubai Desert Classic - Missed the Cut
• Ras al Khaimah Championship - T4
• Korea Championship - T21
• DS Automobiles Italian Open - 1
• KLM Open - T5
• BMW International Open - T3
• Betfred British Masters - T15
• D+D Real Czech Masters - T62
• Omega European Masters - T13

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Who made it into the European team for the upcoming 2023 Ryder Cup?

The European skipper Luke Donald selected Sepp Straka, Justin Rose, Shane Lowry, Nicolai Hojgaard, and Ludvig Aberg as his six captain's picks for the upcoming Rome event.

Here are the members of the European team for the 2023 Ryder Cup:

• Rory McIlroy (European Point List)
• Jon Rahm (European Point List)
• Robert MacIntyre (European Point List)
• Viktor Hovland (World Point List)
• Tyrrell Hatton (World Point List)
• Matt Fitzpatrick (World Point List)
• Tommy Fleetwood (Captain's pick)
• Sepp Straka (Captain's pick)
• Justin Rose (Captain's pick)
• Shane Lowry (Captain's pick)
• Nicolai Hojgaard (Captain's pick)
• Ludvig Aberg (Captain's pick)

The 44th edition of Ryder Cup is scheduled to start on September 29 and will be held at the Marco Simone Golf & Country Club.