TOTEM POLE

Italian Open champion Meronk aims to become the first Polish player to make the European Ryder Cup'team

- NEIL SQUIRES

ADRIAN MERONK believes his Italian Open triumph will have turned Luke Donald's head as he aims to become the first Pole to play for Europe in the Ryder Cup.

Meronk, who broke into the world's top 50 for the first time yesterday, had already impressed Europe captain Donald by holing the winning putt in the Hero Cup match play clash between Continental Europe and Great Britain & Ireland in Abu Dhabi back in January.

But his one-shot triumph on Sunday in front of a watching Donald, on the same Marco Simone course Rome in where the clash with Team USA  will be staged in September, has made an even stronger for his case inclusion.