Adrian Mellonk at the Dubai Desert Classic last week.
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Adrian Melonk called in sick. Around 9 a.m. ET on Wednesday, he posted the news to his Instagram Story along with what appeared to be a photo of data from his fitness tracker Whoop.
Around that time, his employer also confirmed that he would not be coming.
“Adrian Melonk WD before the first round of the Farmers Insurance Open” tweeted Communications Department of the PGA Tour. “Eric Burns has come in.”
And so speculation was born.
Next is the report.
Melonku may appear. He might go to LIV Golf.
He may not be alone either.
As first reported, Times” Tom Kershaw and subsequent reporters sports illustrated Bob Harig and Melonk will join LIV ahead of next week's Saudi Supported League season opener. That means if you have never played a round as an official tour member, you are likely to be suspended from the PGA Tour. The 30-year-old, who grew up in Poland, earned his tour card last year by finishing in the top 10 in the DP World Tour's season-long points race.
It was here that Melonk won three times last season, and despite being left out of Europe's Ryder Cup team, he was voted DP World Tour Player of the Year by his peers. Last week, he finished second at the DP World Tour's Dubai Desert Classic, and on Monday he rose to a career-best 39th place in the World Golf Rankings.
after that, according to golf digest Evin Priest, Melonk flew out of Dubai and checked into a hotel to skip the PGA Tour's Farmers Insurance Open ahead of Wednesday's first round. Kershaw reported that Melonk's representatives would not comment, but Melonk posted a photo of the hoop on his Instagram story with the caption, “Unfortunately due to illness I have had to withdraw from @farmersinsopen.” did.
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But later on Wednesday, Kershaw and Harig reported that Melonk would join LIV as part of the Creeks team captained by Martin Kaymer.
Notably, however, LIV has additional spots available, including a potential team led by Jon Rahm, who surprised the golf world and left the PGA Tour early last month. And Kershaw and Harig say LIV may be attacking a player who just last week offered a commitment to remain on the PGA Tour, which sounds lukewarm.
Tyrrell Hatton is ranked 16th in the world.
Hatton memorably teamed up with Rahm twice as part of the European Ryder Cup winning team last year, but his name has been floated in connection with the Spaniard's arrival at LIV. But last week, Scottish Martin Dempster and Hutton exchanged the following:
“I think there are a few people who have had conversations,” Hutton said of the LIV talks. “I think that's part of golf at this point, but he's very happy with the PGA Tour and playing on the DP World Tour.”
Has he ever had such a conversation?
“I just said that,” Hutton told Dempster. “There are a lot of people who do that, and I don’t think there’s any need to hold back.”
But will he stay there?
“At this point, yes,” Hutton told Dempster.
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Hatton also played in Dubai last week, finishing tied for 31st place, but did not play in the Farmers Insurance Open. On Wednesday, PGA Tour Waste Management Open officials announced that Hatton had committed to participate in the event, which will be held in two weeks.
Of course, all of this is coming to an end as the PGA Tour and LIV Golf's backers, the Saudi Public Investment Fund, continue to negotiate funding agreements. Now, Mellonk and Hutton's report raises at least a few questions, primarily:
Q: Does this indicate where the negotiations are heading?
–Does that mean LIV Golf will continue for a while?
As of now, we know the following:
— The second round of the Farmers Insurance Open begins Thursday. There will be no Melonk.
— LIV's season opener begins next Friday in Mexico. Melonk will reportedly be there unless he is already sick. So might Hatton.
