Russell Knox: ‘I want Rory-esque support’

• Russell Knox wants Rory-esque support at the Scottish Open
• “If I can get same support as Rory at The K Club, I’ll love that”
• The Scot says Castle Stuart win would be ‘biggest of career’

Russell Knox has called on Scottish fans to give him Rory-esque support when he tees it up in his home region for the Scottish Open next month.

The 30-year-old experienced first-hand the support McIlroy received at the Irish Open last month, where he played in the final group with the four-time major winner and recent Masters champion Danny Willett.

And after narrowly missing out on victory at The K Club due to the heroics of the tournament host, Knox is hoping he will get the same backing at Castle Stuart next month.

“The Irish crowd were obviously pulling for Rory, but they were also very respectful of me,” said Russell Knox, who grew up playing at Nairn Dunbar before moving on to Inverness Golf Club. “So they weren’t rooting against me, which was nice.

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“If I can get the same level of support at Castle Stuart that Rory had at The K Club, then I’ll love that. The Scottish crowd will be rooting for all the home players, but hopefully they’ll be cheering for me just that bit harder.”

Russell Knox’s breakthrough win at the WGC-HSBC Champions propelled him into the world’s golfing spotlight, becoming the highest ranked Scottish player, while he has since finished runner-up on three occasions at the OHL Classic of Mayakoba, RBC Heritage and at The K Club.

But despite landing a cheque for more than $1m in Shanghai, Knox insisted that a win on home soil would be the biggest of his career.

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“It’s going to be one of the biggest tournaments I’m ever going to play in,” added Russell Knox. “I’ve waited to play in the Scottish Open at Castle Stuart for a number of years, so I can’t wait for it. I get to play in all the majors for the first time this year, and for me the Scottish Open at Castle Stuart will be the same as playing a major.

“If I was to win, it’d be the biggest win of my career. Of course, winning the WGC in China was massive, but every golfer in the world wants to win their home Open, and with it being held in my hometown of Inverness this year, it would be a dream come true. Just to play in it is going to be amazing, but getting to lift the trophy would be a huge bonus.”

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Russell Knox :: A Scottish Open favourite?

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