The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Scots golfer Russell Knox moves up rankings after stunning start to season
GOLF: Scot produces strong finish to claim joint 11th in Hawaii
Russell Knox has moved up a place in the world rankings to 18th.
The Scot tied for 11th after a closing 69 for 14-under at the Sony Open in Hawaii.
He was two-over after 11 during Sunday’s last round, before picking up three birdies in the last seven holes.
With three top 10s and five top 25s in five starts so far this season on the PGA Tour’s wraparound schedule, he is sitting eighth in the FedEx Cup with earnings of $1,038,334.
The tournament was won by Justin Thomas, who ended his recordbreaking week in style as he bettered the previous best 72-hole score on the PGA Tour to claim a seven-shot victory.
Thomas started the event by becoming the youngest man to register a sub60 round on the PGA Tour with an opening 59 in Honolulu, and he followed that up by setting the lowest 36-hole total before equalling the record for the 54-hole mark.
That gave the 23-year-old a seven-shot lead heading into the final day and it was one he did not surrender as a closing 65 took him to 27 under par overall which secured back-to-back victories on the PGA Tour.
After backing up his win at last week’s SBS Tournament of Champions with a tremendous wire-to-wire victory at the Waialae Country Club, Thomas said: “It’s awesome, it’s been an unbelievable week, unforgettable.
“I was really nervous (before the round). I just had a hard time getting in a comfortable mindframe.”
The previous lowest 72-hole score was 254, made by Tommy Armour III at the Valero Texas Open in September 2003.
England’s Justin Rose finished runner-up on 20 under par, with a closing 64 enough to finish above Jordan Spieth.
The world No 5 placed third after a seven under 63, while fellow Americans Kevin Kisner and Jamie Lovemark claimed a share of fourth.