Opportunity Knox as Scot faces his hero
WHEN the whole world doubted Tiger Woods, one aspiring professional halfway round the globe retained the faith of a true believer — while harbouring one deeply personal fear.
‘I always thought he would come back,’ insists Russell Knox. ‘But I never thought my career would be fully complete if I didn’t get to play with him.
‘Hopefully I have a long way to go, but at the darkest times for Tiger with injuries and whatnot, I didn’t think I’d ever get to play with him.
‘He has come back differently, but if he walks on the range, people know — and he is never going to lose that presence.
‘He is more than capable of winning this tournament by 10 shots. Everyone has seen he has come back just as good and he will win tournaments. He might not win this week. But he might.’
Knox, thrilled beyond belief to be paired with Woods and Hideki Matsuyama for the first two rounds of this Open, freely admits to full fanboy status when it comes to the greatest golfer ever to pick up a club.
Like many in the field here this week, the Scot was inspired to commit himself to the game by watching Woods.
He was 12 when the most famous athlete of his generation shook up the world with ‘that’ win at Augusta.
Awestruck as he watched from his home in Inverness, a young Knox suddenly had a plan. The PGA Tour regular, who went to college in the States and never moved back, revealed: ‘I had a poster of him on my wall. He changed the game for everyone.
‘ I watched him win the Masters in ’97 when I was 12. He is the reason why I played golf. I loved watching him dominate for years.
‘To play with him in a major in my own country is even more amazing. It’s pretty cool. This is a dream come true.’
It was pointed out to Knox yesterday that the R&A are not prone to just throwing these three- balls together. Matsuyama has become a regular playing partner of Woods because he’s big in his native Japan. Being made the third member of that trio is down to box-office logic, with Knox — winner of the Irish Open just over a week ago — the leading Scot in the field.
Knox said: ‘I was talking to my caddie and he said, “You deserve this tee time with your play recently”.
‘It was nice of the R&A to do that, being a Scottish golfer and in form, so playing in that atmosphere will be pretty cool.
‘If I hadn’t done anything in the last month or so, there was no way I’d be in that pairing.
‘ It has been an amazing couple of weeks. Almost winning a tournament (the French Open), winning a tournament (the Irish), contending at the Scottish Open — and then to get to play with your hero.
‘ I’m expecting craziness. Even Rory McIlroy came out a few weeks ago and said playing with him was tough, so I’m expecting it to be difficult.
‘I do care how I play. Of course I do. But this is a oncein-a-lifetime opportunity to play with your hero. I’m just floating on air.
‘Play great or play awful, I just have to enjoy it. The adrenaline will be pumping, for sure.’