KNOX EYES ANOTHER FRUITFUL WEEKEND
STILL knackered from the victory party, including a distinctly beery rendition of
Flower of Scotland in the company of the Ballyliffin greenkeeping staff, Russell Knox pitched up at Gullane yesterday hoping for the adrenaline to carry him through the next fortnight. Well, the adrenaline and maybe the odd apple. As long as it’s the right colour. The newly-crowned Irish Open champion, caught on camera almost braining his playing partner when trying to throw an apple into the rough during last week’s tournament, apparently has a complicated relationship with everyone’s favourite fruit. Explaining that he will only eat the red variety, Knox revealed: ‘I almost died in Malaysia a couple of years ago on a green apple. I was on the par five there on the front nine and hit a nice drive, and they only had green apples. ‘I was munching away, ate it too quickly and started to choke — it got stuck in my throat. ‘I ended up throwing up in the fairway and then pinged a hybrid on the green and two-putted for birdie!’ Knox holed not one but two monster putts to win in Ireland, the first to secure a play-off and the second to edge out Ryan Fox for the title. As he admits himself, his victories to date have all tended to be won in similarly dramatic fashion. So, has he always been — to use a Scottish word — just jammy? ‘Yeah, I think I was,’ said the Inverness-born star. ‘Maybe that’s why I got here. ‘To be sitting here takes a lot of luck, a lot of hard work, a lot of talent, obviously, as well. ‘I ask myself all the time: “Why me? Why was I the one that was able to do it and all these other guys who are equally as talented, if not more, why did they not make it?”. ‘There’s no answer to that. I just got jammy.’ Knox took more time to celebrate his Irish win than he had previous victories, confessing: ‘Obviously the festivities went on a bit. ‘The most fun was the trip to the greenkeepers’ area, which was nice. Quite a few of the boys there were Scottish, they had a little live band on the go and a few beverages going. It was a good time. ‘I’d love everyone to feel the rush that you get when you win a tournament like that. It truly is the most amazing feeling ever. It’s just a complete blur for a couple hours — weeks, to be honest! It really is an amazing feeling. It was fun. ‘Going back to my hometown the last couple days has been nice, too, in Inverness, so it’s been quite relaxing before the madness of this week.’