Russell Knox glad to be back in UK… for two reasons

After failing to qualify for the Tour Championship, Russell Knox spent last week at the Portugal Masters before returning to the UK for this week’s British Masters.

In teeing it up at Close House, it marks his first time back in the UK since the Scottish Open and Open Championship double-header back in July – and it seems he isn’t just happy to be back for golfing reasons.

“I’ve missed the baked beans and the bacon rolls in the morning,” said Scotland’s No.1, who has slipped down to No.61 in the world after a disappointing campaign. 

“I’ve never been to Newcastle before so it’s nice to be here. Hopefully the weather stays like this all week. The condition of the course looks unbelievable and it looks like there are some fun holes. I think it’s going to be a good test and it’s going to be fun to play.”

It was always going to be tough for Knox to follow up his 2015/16 season, which saw him capture the WGC-HSBC Champions and Travelers Championship and finish tenth in the FedEx Cup, but the 32-year-old managed just four top tens on the PGA Tour – only one of which came in 2017.

However, he believes a strong performance is just around the corner after putting together four consistent rounds of 69, 69, 67 and 71 at Dom Pedro Golf last week in a T34 finish.

“The game is pretty good,” he added. “Everything feels better than I’ve been scoring, so that’s always a plus. I’ve just got to put it all together. Golf is tricky, but I’m optimistic that things are going to turn around here and I’m looking forward to a good week.”

Knox tees off at 12.20pm tomorrow alongside Graeme McDowell and 2018 Ryder Cup captain Thomas Bjorn.