Russell Knox admits to being in awe of playing partner Woods

Russell Knox has admitted that he felt a little uncomfortable playing in the company of his “hero” Tiger Woods for the first time today.

The Scot recovered well from a nervy bogey-bogey start in the opening round at Carnoustie to post a two-over opening round of 73 and afterwards he admitted to having been a little overawed by the company he kept.

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“Obviously, I’ve won three times and I’ve played in front of loads of people for the last eight years – but I think it’s a little different knowing who you’re playing with,” said Knox. “I think [Tiger] is the best golfer of all time. He’s definitely the person I looked up to. So getting to play with him is pretty unique.”

Asked if he had been in awe of the former world No.1 and three-time Open champion, Knox added: “Yeah. I mean, I’m not going to lie. He’s a person I’ve seen on the range in the past. He’s almost like a mythical figure.

“I wanted to chat with him a little bit. Obviously, Hideki [Matsuyama] is not the easiest person to talk to with the language barrier. So I was like, yeah, I’m out here with Tiger for five hours, might as well talk to him.

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“I knew it was going to be an uncomfortable round. I was never going to feel like I was out playing with my buddies, just free-wheeling it, and that’s understandable. Major championship, Open in Scotland, playing with your hero, you’re never going to feel like you’re just winging it.

“So, I was overall fairly satisfied with how I did.”