McILROY MISERY
Will lost boy Rory ever find his major mojo again?
THE OPEN SPECIAL
RUSSELL KNOX edged ahead of compatriot Robert MacIntyre at Portrush in the race to finish top Scot at The Open.
The Inverness-born PGA Tour winner posted a third-round 68 to MacIntyre’s 71 to move to four under par, two ahead of the Oban rookie.
But Knox has loftier ambitions as he targets his best-ever finish in a major in his fifth Open appearance.
A share of 12th at last year’s US Open represents the 34-yearold’s top showing to date, while a tie for 30th spot at Royal Troon in 2016 is the best he has managed in an Open.
He said: ‘My goal is to beat my finish at the US Open. I’m swinging well and the course suits me, so I’m going to give it everything.
‘I’ve played probably 200 events as a pro and won three so, realistically, you are not standing on the first tee thinking: “I’m going to win”.
‘It does happen, but you stand on the tee and say you want your best finish. Top 10 in a major is the next big step and I would love to do it here.
‘We all have doubts. You hit a couple of squirrely shots and find it hard to see a shape. But I haven’t doubted myself much this week. I’m the best I’ve ever been at the moment.’
MacIntyre, meanwhile, was clearly of a mind to beat himself up after failing to take advantage of excellent play tee to green.
He stopped short of hurling his putter into the nearest bin but the Open debutant was not a happy chappy as he reflected on his levelpar round after opening with a 68 and following up with a 72.
MacIntyre, who has twice finished runnerup on the European Tour after graduating for the second-tier Challenge Tour last November, was frustrated at leaving several shots out on the course.
He said: ‘I had good chances but was just struggling with the putter. I holed a few good ones as in eight-footers but other than that it was just the same story.
‘It was a good experience playing with Justin Thomas, another good guy who made me welcome.
‘I’ve had some good pairings the last two weeks and it’s been a valuable learning experience with the top boys.’