Opportunity has certainly come knocking for Russell Knox with his profitable push over the last couple of weeks, writes Nick Rodger.

This game can be a school of hard knocks too, though. “After about three holes I felt like I’d been hit by a bus and my whole body was aching from head to toe,” said the Inverness man whose rigorous schedule of late, which includes a second in France and a win in Ireland has clearly taken a hefty physical toll. The mental toughness of Knox remains unwavering, however.

He may have been creaking like an outhouse door in a stiff breeze but he knuckled down and battled on to post a three-under 67 to finish alongside his compatriot, Connor Syme, on a seven-under tally.

“I think that was probably my best round of the year,” admitted Knox whose burst of form has thrust him back into the Ryder Cup fray.

“I’d said at the start of the week that at some point I would crash and burn, and that might have just happened. So I was proud of myself the way I hung in there.

“Everyone gets tired at times so you’ve just got to dig in. I tried to just completely check out after I’d hit, then when it’s my time to hit I’d flick the switch and get into it as much as I could.

“In between those moments I was thinking about everything from cheeseburgers and lasagne to whether I’m going to nap for two hours or three after the round. Whatever gets you through it.”