Hurricane Irma put bad putts and poor swings in perspective for Knox
Russell Knox has made his home and fortune in Florida ever since he left Scotland to accept a college golf scholarship there in 2003.
But just like any other resident of the Sunshine State, Knox was forced to sit and wait it out recently to see what damage was done by Hurricane Irma.
The 32-year-old from Inverness had to leave the Jacksonville home he shares with wife, Andrea, as the high winds and rains passed over.
And upon his return, he was grateful to find that his house was still in one piece, even if his garden was in a bit of a state.
It was a worrying time, and certainly a sobering experience.
Suddenly, the Scot’s struggles on the PGA Tour this season did not seem so bad after all.
“We had to evacuate,” Russell revealed. “It was nuts as we were just sitting there waiting to see what would happen.
“We only lost a couple of big trees in our garden, which fell over. We were lucky they didn’t hit anything.
“We had just finished a little renovation on our house and it could have been totally flattened. It could have been a complete waste of money.
“So we were lucky to escape without too much damage.
“Down by the beach area where I live, it was windy and a few trees fell and there was a bit of local flooding.
“But it was pretty bad in downtown Jacksonville. They got a lot more flooding. We were very fortunate not to suffer that.
“Some parts of Florida got hammered. Those hurricanes are incredible. If you’re in the wrong place at the wrong time, it’s goodbye.
“I guess it’s one of the down sides to living in Florida, but there are certainly plenty of good points, too.”
Knox has been over in Europe for the last couple of weeks, playing on the European Tour in Portugal last week and then the British Masters at Close House.
He missed the cut in the latter, and is trying to regain his form after a disappointing 2017 to date.
He finished in 71st place in the FedEx Cup, failing to make it to the final two events. A tie for fifth at the WGC Bridgestone Invitational in August has been his only top-ten finish.
Knox missed the cut in all four Majors and his World Ranking has tumbled from inside the top 20 at the start of the season to its current position of 61st.
But he is trying to remain philosophical.
The previous 12 months had been a break-out in his career as he won his first two events on Tour – the WGC event in Shanghai and the Travelers Championship in Connecticut.
Having done that, a repeat was always going to be a tall order.
Throw in the depth of talent on the PGA Tour, led by Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas, and Knox recognises that any drop in play causes a big effect.
“It was always going to be difficult to follow up a season in which I had two wins,” he reflected.
“Last year, it seemed like I played well every week.
“So I knew the chances were not going to be as good as last year, and I have taken that on the chin.
“I’m now ready to move on and start doing well again.
“The PGA Tour is hard. The standard has gone up every year that I have been out here. It’s incredible.
“To win a tournament in which all the top guys are playing, you have to be firing on all cylinders. But it’s fun and it’s what makes golf exciting.
“There are so many great, young players and you have to earn your right to compete.”