(Ep 129) Mateusz Gradecki

In what is my 35th Professional player interview episode of the podcast I was joined by 2022 Limpopo Championship winner, 3x Pro Golf Tour Champion & Polish Number 2 Mateusz Gradecki who joins from back home in Poland after a few days of working on the Golf game with his coach in Spain. We discuss the tough start to Challenge Tour season with his last event being a season best T42nd in South Africa. We discuss growing up in South Western Poland, Adrian Meronk, going to East Tennessee State University from 2013-17, being a role model to future Polish players & look into some of the most notable career results including in April 2022 winning the co-sanctioned Challenge Tour/Sunshine Tour event at Limpopo by 3 shots.

Mateusz was born in Trzebnica 12 miles outside of the main city of Wroclaw & grew up in Oberbiki Śląskie in Southwest Poland near the Czech border & grew up playing Football before choosing Golf where Poland has limited resources in comparison to other Golfing Nations. Mateusz won a minimum of 7 times at Amateur level including 5x Polish Amateur Champion (2011,2012,2013,2015 & 2016), 2014 Faldo Series Poland & 2017 MVK Turkish International Amateur Open as well as representing Poland in 3 Eisenhower Trophy's in Turkey/Japan & Mexico alongside Adrian Meronk & Jan Szmidt with the latter being a success with the Polish side finishing T8th & Meronk finishing 3rd individually a massive feat for the country. Mateusz is a 3x Pro Golf Tour title winner with wins at 2018 New Golf Club Matchplay, 2019 Open Prestigia & 2021 Red Sea Egyptian Classic.

2022 would be Gradecki's best year on the Challenge with the win in South Africa in April, 2nd at Big Green Egg German Challenge losing in a playoff to Alejandro Del Rey, T7th at British Challenge & T18th at the season ending Grand Final at Alcanada where putts from John Parry & a late 20 foot putt from Deon Germishuys at 18 would leave Mateusz 1 place short of reaching the DP World Tour in 21st a feeling that still hurts him to date. 

With the Polish Challenge returning for the first time in years to Challenge Tour later this year at Rosa Golf Club a club he knows well it would be no surprise to see this proud Pole in contention at his home national Open.

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