Knox at the door after opening round leaves Scot two off lead
RUSSELL KNOX is too down to earth to use the phrase, ‘Don’t you know who I am?’ But he may be tempted. Prior to his defence of this week’s WGC HSBC Champions title in China, Knox reported how the replica trophy that was sent to him as a keepsake had his surname mistakenly engraved as Know.
The 31-year-old also revealed how he occasionally gets mistaken for pop star, Justin Timberlake. It’s a funny old game but away from misspellings and dodgy doppelgangers Knox continues to make a name for himself on the golf course and a tidy six-under 66 in yesterday’s first round left him just two shots behind the early pacesetter, Rikard Karlberg.
In the company of Rickie Fowler, who shot a 65, Knox got his bid to retain his crown off to a purposeful start with a neatly assembled card which was illuminated by a telling thrust of four straight birdies from the 14th.
Knox’s victory in this event a year ago, his first on the PGA Tour, propelled his career onto a different level but, in this global game of superstars, the Inverness exile is more than happy to keep a low profile. “When you’re playing with Rickie Fowler no one cares if you’re the defending champion so that takes the pressure off,” he said.
Given the added pressure of being the holder, and the fact he has never defended a title before, yesterday’s polished round was an admirable effort from the Scot as he proved, once again, that he is more than a match for the world’s big hitters.
“I’m always thrilled with no bogeys, and my first round is never my strongest round,” said Knox, who is ranked at No 20 on the global pecking order. “I didn’t put any pressure on myself. I didn’t feel overly tight out there either, so I was proud of myself for relaxing and enjoying it.
“It can only be your first defence once, so I want to make sure I’m going to have a good time over the next three days.
“The conditions were just like this on the Sunday last year. Very dark and dreich, as the Scots would say, with a little mist and rain. The course played long, which is fine for me. As long as I’m on the fairway, I can compete around here.”
Frontrunner Karlberg, who began on the back nine, picked up four birdies in a row from the first as he bounded into a one stroke advantage over Fowler.
“Everything was so easy,” Karlberg said. “It was just one of those days, it was a walk in the park. I committed to a lot of shots, hit them perfectly and I stayed aggressive on my putting.”
Two birdies and a bogey on the last gave Rory McIlroy a largely uneventful 71 as he found himself seven shots off the early pace.
Back in the UK, meanwhile, Tartan Tour stalwarts Greig Hutcheon and Graham Fox earned a potentially lucrative place in next year’s BMW PGA Championship on the European Tour by finishing in the top-10 of the PGA Play-Offs in Devon.
Hutcheon closed with a battling 67 for a five-under 279 and shared third behind eventual winner Mathew Cort. Fox, meanwhile, slipped to a 74 but managed to share eighth with a 283.
Hutcheon can also look forward to helping GB&I defend the PGA Cup next year after he birdied the first play-off hole to secure one of three places on offer for the team.