SUGAR GROVE, Ill. – Coming off a pair of strong wins in Friday’s opening round of the Palmer Cup, ETSU junior Adrian Meronk was primed to deliver the Europeans another point in Saturday’s singles matches.
However, Meronk – who led by two with three holes remaining – halved his match with Baylor’s Kyle Jones on Saturday afternoon at Rich Harvest Farms. Meronk couldn’t finish off the All-American golfer as Jones won the par-3 16th and birdied the par-5 18th to halve the match.
Meronk grabbed an early lead to start the match as he birdied the par-5 No. 2 to go up one, but Jones – who will be playing in next week’s U.S. Open – won Nos. 3 and 4 to grab his first lead. The seesaw battle continued as Meronk birdied No. 6 to move all-square, until the Buccaneer won the par-4 No. 12 to regain the lead. Meronk held the advantage until the final hole as Jones rallied to earn a half-point in the match.
The United States claimed 7.5 of 10 points during Saturday’s singles session to extend its lead to 13.5-6.5 heading into Sunday’s final round of singles match play.
Meronk is paired with Maverick McNealy and tees off at 9:27 a.m. EDT. Like Jones, McNealy is also playing in the U.S. Open, while he also landed the Haskins Award, which is given to college golf’s top player.