Mateusz Gradecki is looking to inspire the next generation of golfing talent in his home country after securing a maiden European Challenge Tour title at the 2022 Limpopo Championship, and in doing so becoming the second Challenge Tour winner to hail from Poland.
The 27-year-old entered the final round at Euphoria Golf Club five strokes off the lead but carded a brilliant bogey-free six under par round of 66 to claim a three-shot victory and follow in the footsteps of countryman Adrian Meronk.
Meronk became the first Polish winner in Challenge Tour history after he triumphed at the 57° Open de Portugal @ Morgado Golf Resort in 2019 and has since gone on to impress on the DP World Tour, currently sitting in 16th position on the DP World Tour Rankings in Partnership with Rolex.
Gradecki admitted he was inspired by his compatriot’s achievements and now wants the next generation of golfers in Poland to use them both as a catalyst for their own success.
“It’s a great achievement for me to follow in Adrian’s footsteps,” said Gradecki. “Adrian and I have always been very good friends and we speak all the time. We went to the same college and played many times together on the Challenge Tour and I hope we are moving golf in Poland in the right direction and making it easier for the younger guys to come through.
“Seeing Adrian play so well on the DP World Tour gives me confidence that I am also good enough to compete at that level. I need to keep my head down and hopefully I can join him next season.”
The Pole teed it up in five out of the six co-sanctioned events between the Challenge Tour and Sunshine Tour in South Africa and despite missing his first two cuts, he maintained self-belief that he was good enough to win.
The East Tennessee State University graduate began to show signs of unearthing his talent at the Mangaung Open, the fourth event in South Africa, after carding rounds of 73-65-68-70 to finish in a tie for 33rd, however he continued to struggle both mentally and physically on the greens before some detailed work in Limpopo helped him turn a corner.
“I loved my time in South Africa,” he said. “It was amazing to visit the different locations and even though I missed the first two cuts I remained positive because I was in such a nice environment. The first few weeks didn’t go to plan and that was because the standard around me was so high.
“I don’t think my victory in Limpopo came as a surprise because I know what I am capable of and I have always believed I can win on the Challenge Tour. I was playing good golf in the build up to Limpopo, however my putter was cold. That week I remained calm throughout because I had done some work with my psychologist to work on my routine and focus on staying in the moment.”
The Pole catapulted to sixth on the Road to Mallorca Rankings after his victory in Limpopo and he is now looking to join Meronk on the DP World Tour in 2023.
“My goal at the start of the year was to get into the top 20 on the Rankings and move on,” he said. “Getting that first win is a huge step in the right direction for me, however we have three quarters of the season left so I need to focus on enjoying the process and not think I have achieved my goal yet.”
Gradecki will look to continue his impressive start to the season as the Road to Mallorca moves to Europe for the Challenge de España, which takes place from May 19-22.
