Russell Knox :: front nine was year’s best

Two shots off the lead at The Barclays, after opening up with a round of 67, Russell Knox believes his three-under-par front nine at Ridgewood, New Jersey was his best performance of the year.

The Scotsman made a solid start to the first FedExCup Playoff event with three straight pars. He then birdied four of the next five holes, which saw him lead the tournament after eight.

“The front nine I played excellent,” said the 29-year-old. “It was as good a nine holes as I’ve played all year really.

“I kept it in play, hit good iron shots and made some great puts. The back nine I didn’t play as good but I hung in there and made some nice ‘up n downs’.”

“It was as good a nine holes as I’ve played all year really.” – Russell Knox

The world No.105 finished the round in joint tenth place after ending the day on a four-under-par. If he manages to keep his tenth spot in the tournament it will be Knox’s first top ten finish since the RBC Heritage way back in April.

However, the Scotsman will surely be looking to reproduce the performance that saw him come within a shot of victory at the Honda Classic in early March.

He tees off today at 5:33pm GMT, two shots behind leader Bo Van Pelt on six-under, hoping to do just that.

Practice makes perfect for Russell Knox

Knox’s first round 67 at The Barclays was eight shots better than his opening round in his last event, the PGA Championship at Valhalla.

After missing the cut in the year’s final major, Russell Knox put his disappointing finish down to his ‘horrific’ wedge play. After regrouping, he then hit the range, determined to put things right.

“I took three or four days off,” said Jacksonville University graduate. “It rained a lot in Jacksonville, so it was easy to sit on the couch. And then I worked hard.”

“I hit some horrific wedge shots at Valhalla so I worked hard on my wedge game and today it paid off. I hit some nice ones.”