Opportunity Knox

Funny how life turns out, isn’t it?

Had things been different, Russell Knox might have been lining up against Rangers and Celtic in the Scottish Premier League for Inverness Caledonian Thistle. As it is, however, the 26-year-old is getting gearing up to take on the likes of Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Luke Donald as he prepares for his first season on the PGA Tour.

Inverness-born Knox earned that right after finishing 12th on the Nationwide Tour rankings this season, coining in over $240,000 in prize-money from 20 events. Not bad going considering he didn’t have a status on any tour at the beginning of the year.

And so as Caley Thistle’s players look forward – if that is the right expression – to a winter of inevitably postponed fixtures and bitterly cold nights under the floodlights, former youth team player Knox is eyeing a few weeks in Hawaii at the start of January as he begins life on golf’s richest tour.

“Yeah, I’m pretty happy with my decision,” he laughs, looking back on the time when he had to choose between a career in golf and one in football. “It’s amazing to think I’m going to be playing on the PGA Tour next season. This whole year has been a bit of a blur, everything has happened so quickly. It’s great, though. I can’t wait to get started.”

To fully understand and appreciate Knox’ excitement, you really have to go back 12 months to the start of 2011, where an unsuccessful bash at Tour School had left him without anywhere to play. “Because of that, I decided to fully commit myself to the Monday qualifiers for the Nationwide Tour events,” he explains. “Luckily, I managed to get into the first event and finished tied for second which earned me Special Temporary Member status on the Nationwide Tour. At that stage, my goal was to use the rest of the season to hopefully secure full playing privileges for the Nationwide Tour in 2012. But it went a bit better than that.”

That’s an understatement. After that phenomenal first event, Knox went on a superb run, which saw him miss only three cuts in his next 19 tournaments. Oh, and there was also the small matter of a win in the Chiquita Classic on the same weekend as Darren Clarke won the Open.

“Winning was fantastic,” he says, with just a hint of a trans-Atlantic drawl seeping through his Highland tones, which can be partly explained by having an American father. “I just had a really good week. I changed my putter before the tournament got underway, switching to a centre-shafted mallet for the first time, and I ended up putting the best that I ever have for four straight days. The thing about golf is that it’s a real easy game when you’re holing putts and, towards the end of the fourth round, I remember turning to my caddie and saying, ‘Wow, we’re really gonna win this thing’. It was unreal and, of course, put me in a really good position on the rankings.”

A steady second half of the season yielded three more top 20 finishes and resulted in Knox sealing his card. He will get his season underway in Hawaii at the Sony Open and admits that, whilst excited at the prospect on playing on the tour, he is also a little bit nervous.

“I played in the Transitions Championship on the regular tour this season and I found it a bit strange to suddenly find myself in the same field as the then world No.1 Martin Kaymer and sitting next to Sergio Garcia in the locker room,” he explains. “I remember thinking to myself, ‘Where am I?’ It’s like you spend forever watching these guys and these events on TV and then, suddenly, you’re there amongst it, taking part.

“The best way to get people to give you attention out here is by beating other people and consistently playing well and that’s exactly what I’m aiming to do” – Russell Knox

“So, I guess the big thing for me next year is going to be to try and settle as quick as possible and find my feet as soon as I can. You do think to yourself, ‘Am I good enough?’ but, likewise, I know that I finished ahead of a lot of good players in the Transitions event, so I know I have it in me to compete. And if I’m good enough, I’ll keep my card. If I am as good as I know I can be, then there’s nothing to stop me having a long and successful career. It’s up to me. It’s in my hands. This is what I have always wanted and now it’s time to build on it.”

Of course, by qualifying for the PGA Tour, Knox has doubled the Scottish representation on the circuit, joining Glasgow’s Martin Laird out there. Like Knox, Laird also came through the Nationwide Tour and has now firmly established himself at golf’s top table, winning twice in the past two seasons.

“I’m definitely inspired by what Martin’s done,” says Knox. “I’ve only met him once briefly before now but it would be good to get to know him a little bit and have another Scot to talk to. I’m really looking forward to getting to know all the guys, though, and it would be nice to have an older, more experienced player who has been there and done that to turn to for advice. You know, somebody like Jim Furyk or someone like that.”

Knox should also have no problems dealing with the new-found attention that is likely to be lavished on him if he plays well given that his sister, Diane, is a successful radio DJ in the west of Scotland.

“It’s funny,” he says, “I got a text from her when I locked up my card that said, ‘Well done. I’m now the second most famous person in the family.’ That was cool. As for attention, you know, I’m looking forward to it. I’m not going to be the sort of guy who dresses real flamboyant or does wild, outrageous things so that I get noticed. The best way to get people to give you attention out here is by beating other people and consistently playing well and that’s exactly what I’m aiming to do.”

Speaking to Knox, who moved to America in 2004 to attend Jacksonsville University on a golf scholarship, his ambition and enthusiasm for the game is obvious. But, equally, he’s got his feet firmly on the ground and hasn’t forgotten his roots. Indeed, he is a proud, passionate Scotsman who has no intention of turning in his Saltire anytime soon.

He says: “My dad’s American but my mum’s Scottish and I was raised in Scotland. I learned to play golf at Nairn Dunbar and I still have family over there. So, there’s no doubt in my mind that I am as Scottish as they come and being a US citizen won’t change that. I’m proud to fly the flag for the country out here on tour.”

What’s more, despite all the high-profile, big-money events he will be eligible for States-side in the coming 12 months, there is one event in particular that he is desperate to play in.

“Obviously, being from Inverness, and Castle Stuart being so close to there, I would love to get an invite for the Scottish Open,” says Knox. “In fact, I would go so far as to say that, outwith any of the majors, it is the one event I would most like to play next season. It would be amazing to come home for that week and play in front of a home crowd. I can’t describe how much it would mean to me.”

• This interview with Russell Knox first appeared in issue 112 of bunkered

Michael McEwan is the Deputy Editor of bunkered and has been part of the team since 2004. In that time, he has interviewed almost every major figure within the sport, from Jack Nicklaus, to Rory McIlroy, to Donald Trump. The host of the multi award-winning bunkered Podcast and a member of Balfron Golfing Society, Michael is the author of three books and is the 2023 PPA Scotland 'Writer of the Year' and 'Columnist of the Year'. Dislikes white belts, yellow balls and iron headcovers. Likes being drawn out of the media ballot to play Augusta National.

Deputy Editor