Adrian Meronk produced a composed final round performance at the Old Course to win the 2026 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, holding off Casey Jarvis and securing an emotional fifth DP World Tour title at St Andrews.
The Polish LIV Golf player entered Sunday chasing overnight leader Jarvis but steadily took control of the tournament as the South African’s challenge began to fade.
Meronk closed with a four under par 68 to finish on 20 under, two shots ahead of Jarvis and Denmark’s Niklas Norgaard, who shared second place at 18 under.
The victory ended a wait of more than 1,000 days since Meronk’s previous DP World Tour title at the 2023 Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters and gave the 33 year old his first win at one of golf’s most historic venues.
For Meronk, the occasion carried added significance.
The Alfred Dunhill Links Championship was the tournament in which he made his first professional DP World Tour appearance a decade earlier, making his return to the winner’s circle at St Andrews an emotional full circle moment.
Meronk starts fast on the Old Course
Jarvis began the final day with the advantage after producing a superb third round 65 at St Andrews.
The 23 year old South African reached 18 under after 54 holes and entered Sunday seeking his third DP World Tour title of an outstanding 2026 season.
Meronk, however, immediately applied pressure.
He rolled in a lengthy birdie putt at the opening hole and followed it with another birdie at the second, rapidly reducing Jarvis’ advantage.
Jarvis responded with a birdie at the fourth before both players gained another shot at the par five fifth.
The contest remained tight throughout the front nine.
Meronk dropped a shot at the seventh but recovered with an excellent birdie at the ninth, while Jarvis three putted the same hole for bogey.
Suddenly, the two players were level with nine holes remaining.
That sequence proved to be one of the most important turning points of the championship.
Jarvis loses momentum on the back nine
Jarvis had played almost flawless golf during the first three rounds, but the pressure of trying to close out another victory became increasingly visible on Sunday.
A bogey at the par three 11th handed Meronk an opportunity.
Playing in the group ahead, Meronk took full advantage at the 12th, hitting his approach close and converting the birdie putt to move into the outright lead.
Another birdie followed at the 14th, extending his advantage.
Jarvis responded brilliantly by holing from off the green at the 15th, keeping himself within striking distance.
But Meronk continued to control his own destiny.
His biggest scare arrived at the famous Road Hole, the par four 17th.
Meronk sent his approach long and was unable to save par, reducing his advantage and briefly reopening the door for Jarvis.
Yet Jarvis encountered problems of his own at the same hole and also made bogey.
That left Meronk heading to the iconic 18th with a two shot cushion.
Famous walk down the 18th
Meronk safely drove down the final hole before walking across the Swilcan Bridge towards the famous St Andrews green.
He later revealed that the moment made him think about some of the legends who had made the same walk, including Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus.
With Jarvis needing a dramatic eagle to force extra holes, Meronk completed the job with par.
Jarvis gave himself an outside opportunity from distance but could not convert, confirming Meronk as champion.
For a player who had endured a difficult season, the emotions were obvious.
Meronk described the victory as particularly special and admitted he struggled to put the feeling into words immediately afterwards.
Fifth DP World Tour title
The win takes Meronk’s DP World Tour victory total to five.
His previous titles came at the 2022 Horizon Irish Open, the 2023 Australian Open, the 2023 Italian Open and the 2023 Andalucía Masters.
The St Andrews success is also important for his future on the DP World Tour.
Meronk entered the week well down the Race to Dubai rankings and needing a strong result to secure his playing status for next season.
Winning the tournament transformed that position and ensured he retained his DP World Tour status for 2027.
That gives the LIV Golf player significantly more flexibility in planning his schedule next year.
Meronk has said he intends to compete in as many DP World Tour events as possible when his schedule allows.
Jarvis falls short of third win
For Jarvis, the final round brought disappointment after three excellent days.
The South African had entered Sunday in position to complete another major victory in what has already been a breakthrough season.
He had previously won the Kenya Open and South African Open in consecutive weeks during February and was seeking a third DP World Tour title of 2026.
Instead, his level par 72 left him on 18 under.
Jarvis ultimately shared second place with Norgaard, who finished strongly to join him on that total.
Despite missing out on the trophy, Jarvis’ performance further demonstrated why he has become one of the rising players on the DP World Tour.
Leading a high quality field into Sunday at St Andrews remains another significant achievement in his rapidly developing career.
Fleetwood charges through the field
Tommy Fleetwood produced one of the performances of the final day.
The Englishman fired an impressive eight under 64, the lowest round of Sunday, to surge up the leaderboard.
He finished on 17 under alongside Scotland’s Michael Stewart, who closed with a 66 and produced one of the shots of the tournament by holing out for eagle.
Fleetwood’s charge ultimately came too late to seriously threaten Meronk, but his round demonstrated how quickly the Old Course could reward aggressive play when opportunities appeared.
Brooks Koepka and defending champion Robert MacIntyre finished another shot further back at 16 under.
Meronk also celebrates team success
Meronk’s week became even more memorable because he also won the tournament’s Team Championship alongside Pro Am partner Tom Chaplin.
The pair finished on a combined 41 under, making Meronk only the third player in the tournament’s 25 year history to win both the individual and team competitions in the same week.
The Alfred Dunhill Links Championship is unusual on the DP World Tour because professionals and amateur partners compete alongside each other across three famous Scottish courses St Andrews, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns.
That format made Meronk’s double victory particularly noteworthy.
A timely return to the winner’s circle
Meronk’s success at St Andrews represents much more than another tournament victory.
The Pole entered the week searching for form, DP World Tour status and a significant result after a challenging period.
He leaves Scotland with all three.
He has secured his fifth DP World Tour title, protected his playing opportunities for 2027 and won at one of the most historically significant venues in world golf.
The fact that the victory came ten years after he made his professional debut at the same tournament only added to the emotion.
Jarvis had looked capable of completing another impressive victory when he began Sunday in control, but Meronk’s experience and composure eventually proved decisive.
At the Home of Golf, Adrian Meronk produced the performance he needed most surviving a tense final round, holding off Casey Jarvis and ending a lengthy title drought with a memorable Alfred Dunhill Links Championship triumph.
