The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Knox sees body language as key to ending slump at Scottish Open
Scot hopes body language can help rediscover form
Russell Knox knows how he wants to get out of his first serious slump as a professional – walking tall.
“I think a huge thing in golf is body language,” said the Inverness-born player, listed as a slightly generous 5 foot 11 inches in the European Tour’s yearbook. “I always look up to those guys, Tiger was obviously great at it, Rory’s brilliant – he’s all shoulders back, strong when he walks.
“When I’m out there I try to think, I’m going to walk like them. Even if I’ve whacked one into the woods, head up, stride out there.
“Body language is a thing that’s helped me a lot in the past, and maybe to get out of this little hole I’m in, that’s going to be something which I need to highlight even more. You don’t want to see someone with their head down, pouting. It’s especially good for junior golf, but I think it’s a good tip for anyone.”
Last year at this time in the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open Knox was nearing a peak of 18th in the world, and still at that level when he was controversially not selected for the Ryder Cup at Hazeltine. He actually maintained his lofty ranking for the next few months, the gradual slide down to his present 46th starting in February.
“Not being picked didn’t affect my play in a negative way, in fact quite the opposite,” he said on arriving at Dundonald Links for this year’s Scottish. “I contended in Malaysia and could have won in China and Mexico. It almost went the other way of spurring me on.
“I felt like I was going to contend every week. Now, I’ve tried not to think about it, I’ve dropped a little bit in the last year, but that’s what’s great about it. You have to earn it.
“When I was 18th in the world, I deserved to be there. I haven’t played well enough the last three or four months, and I don’t deserve to be up there anymore.
“So I’ve got to dig deep and find a way to finish well, because if I’m not doing well, the next person is coming right on past me. That’s golf.”
Knox has tried a number of things, the latest being nine days without touching a club while on a family break to Italy. But he knows exactly what he has to do.
“It all comes down to putting, really,” he said. “I haven’t felt like I’ve had a really nice putting tournament in a long time.
“I’ve had days and spurts during rounds where I’ve holed nice putts, but if you’re not making those chances where you’ve hit a nice shot here and there and you’ve got just eight feet or 10 feet, you’ve got to start making those to create the momentum.
“I just haven’t been making enough of those momentum moments, and I’ve just made too many mistakes. I don’t know if I’ve just got a little too aggressive where I’m making mistakes or I’m playing too conservative. I think I’m just going to aim for the pin now and see what happens!”
Knox has seen Martin Laird get his form back and has the most recent example of Richie Ramsay’s performance in Ireland.
“You see that every week, here and in the US, everyone is capable. It just takes that one round where a guy goes out and shoots eight-under and it’s like, ‘Oh, I remember what to do.’
“The guys did well and that’s great for all of us. Makes those who hadn’t played well think, OK, maybe it’s my turn to play good next. It’s great for Scottish golf and hopefully a bunch of us can do it.”