It was a fantastic conclusion to the season. 100 players participated in the three-day sports competition, under the supervision of Adrian Meronk, in challenging October conditions at the Wrocław Golf Club.
The final tournament of the 5 Stars Junior Cup series by Adrian Meronk took place from October 13th to 15th at the Wrocław Golf Club, where Adrian Meronk himself began his golf career. Adrian was with the players throughout all three days of the tournament, answering questions, talking, and even hitting shots with them from the tee of one hole. When asked for his golden advice for juniors who aspire to be in his place someday, he said, “Aim high, strive for it, believe in yourself, train hard, surround yourself with good people, and never give up.”
Despite the changing weather conditions, the juniors achieved excellent results. After the first round, the lowest score – 68 strokes – belonged to Czech representative Matous Zach. On the second day, he improved his score by one stroke, playing phenomenally- 67 strokes (29 strokes on the back nine). Before the final round, he was leading by 5 strokes over the next competitor, also from the Czech Republic, Ondrej Sustek, who played 68 strokes on the second day as well. In the overall standings before the final round, Maciej Janusiewicz was in third place, playing consistently with 70 and 71 strokes. The final round didn’t change the standings significantly in the boys’ WAGR classification. Zach played par and secured victory in the overall standings, with a seven-stroke lead over Maciej Janusiewicz, whose consistent performance earned him second place. Ondrej Sustek had the third lowest score among the boys. Since all these players were in the U18 group, this was the final tournament ranking as well.
In the girls’ overall standings after the first round, the leaders were Martyna Muchajer and Matylda Krawczyńska, both playing 71 strokes. Marysia Moczarska trailed by six strokes. On the second day, Matylda Krawczyńska took the lead, gaining a two-stroke advantage over Martyna Muchajer. The final round belonged to Martyna, who played 69 strokes and secured the first place in the girls’ WAGR standings. Matylda Krawczyńska took second place, and Marysia Moczarska took third. All three girls represented the U18 group.
In the 5 Stars 19-25 tournament, the podium belonged to the Czech representative, although the decision came after the last round. For two days, Jan Sustek and Michał Bargenda played consistently with 73 and 71 strokes. After two days, Konrad Bargenda also recorded the same result – 144 strokes – playing 70 strokes on the second day, although the chances were for a much lower score. Konrad was at -6 after the first nine, with 6 birdies and 3 pars, but unfortunately, he didn’t perform well on the back nine – 40 strokes (3 bogeys and one double bogey). Sunday’s round of 70 strokes by Sustek ensured his victory in the 5 Stars 19-25 tournament. Michał Bargenda played par, securing him second place. The third place belonged to Konrad Bargenda.
“This was my first tournament in Poland, and I am pleasantly surprised. The organization was top-notch, and the course was superbly prepared. I didn’t play my best today, but I saved a lot of putts. An amazing experience was also meeting and talking to Adrian Meronk and the opportunity to play a round with him,” said Jan Sustek.
In the junior group below 15 years old, Antoni Hawkins took the first place (221 strokes) ahead of Jan Pyla and Michał Cygan. Among the girls in this group, Aleksandra Buczkowska triumphed (247 strokes), followed by Zuzanna Mordaka in second place and Blanca Libera in third.
Karol Gil won in the boys U12 group with a three-stroke lead over Jan Pawluczuk. Theo Oderinde took third place. Among the girls in this age group, Julia Fijałkowska was the best, followed by Lena Szymańska in second place and Oliwia Gałka in third.
In the children’s group below 10 years old, Mateusz Niedworok took first place among the boys, with an 11-stroke lead over Krzysztof Bereszyński in second place, and Jan Styczek in third. Among the girls, Zofia Szermach performed the best with 133 strokes. Lu YiChen took second place with two strokes more, and Alicja Derek took third.
Adrian Meronk was present at the awards ceremony, where he compared today’s junior golf to his own time as a junior: “Honestly, junior golf in Poland is looking better and better. There are more and more good juniors; I looked at their swings, and technically, they are really good. The number of juniors is increasing year by year, and that’s comforting. More and more players are going to the States on golf scholarships, so it’s a good measure of their golf level. It’s slowly moving; it’s much better than when I was a junior, and there were only 3-4 good players. I hope it will get better year by year,” Adrian concluded.
Thus, the 5 Stars Junior Cup series by Adrian Meronk came to an end, and the next junior tournament – 5 Stars International Cup – will take place in early 2024 in Turkey.
