Adrian Meronk claims victory in the Andalucía Masters

Adrian Meronk was crowned champion of the Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters as the tournament drew to a close at a wet Sotogrande Golf Club on Sunday.

With a final round of 66 strokes, finishing at -16, the Polish golfer earned a one-stroke lead over his German competitor, Matti Schmid (-15), during an exciting day that saw several players contending for the title.

Schmid had been in the lead until a bogey on the 16th hole opened the door for Meronk. Despite a shaky start with bogeys on the first and third holes, Meronk regained confidence with two eagles on the sixth and ninth holes. He relied on his putting to secure four more birdies on the 10th, 12th, 14th and 17th holes without further mistakes.

The victory marks Meronk's third win of the season (his fifth as a professional golfer), solidifying his position among the world's top 50 golfers and placing him third in the Race to Dubai standings. He now has his sights set on securing a PGA Tour card.

Spaniard Adrián Otaegui, who was defending his title, struggled and finished in ninth place, tied with a score of 74 strokes (+2). Despite his challenges on the final day, Otaegui expressed satisfaction with his performance during the week.

"It was a challenging and hard-fought day, but things didn't go as planned," he said. "I aimed to maintain my performance as I have been doing, but we made a few mistakes. I found myself a bit less confident with the wind, and I didn't feel entirely at ease on the course. Looking beyond today, the week has been quite successful. Any progress in accumulating points and climbing the rankings is a positive outcome."

His compatriots, Adri Arnaus and Jorge Campillo, had notable showings, finishing in joint nineteenth position with a score of -8.