Scots golfer Duncan Stewart is backing his close friend Russell Knox to dig himself out of a rut – starting at this week’s Open Championship at Royal Birkdale.

While Grantown man Stewart signed off from his Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open campaign at Dundonald yesterday with a level-par 72 for a three-over tally, his fellow Highlander Knox was already down the road in Southport having made an early exit from the domestic showpiece.

That was Knox’s third missed cut in his last four events as the two-time PGA Tour champ find himself in the first real slump of his career at the top table.

After departing from Dundonald on Friday, world No 48 Knox expressed his frustrations and admitted to feeling “lost” as the fickle fortunes of golf begin to wear him down.

But Stewart, who was a US college team-mate of Knox during their time at Jacksonville University, insists his old pal can turn the corner.

Stewart, who earned promotion to the main European circuit through last year’s Challenge Tour, said: “He’s extremely frustrated at the moment. He knows himself that he’s a far better player than the results he’s getting just now but it’s certainly not far away.

“It’s not like he’s hitting horrendous shots, it’s just golf being golf to him at the moment. It can be hard.

“When things are going your way, you get the lucky bounce and when it’s not you get the bad break and that’s what’s happening to him at the moment.

“It’s the first down spell he’s had since he broke through and he knew that was always going to come. It’s just lasted longer than he would have wanted - but I think next week will suit him.

“He hits it so straight that if he can get off to a good start and build some momentum he can be in contention at the weekend.”