Good news folks. Russell Knox has already brought Augusta National to its knees. “I am sure I have shot 18-under on the computer … it used to be so easy,” said the Scotsman with a chuckle.
Of course, thrashing away with a hand-held computer controller is slightly different from plotting a successful path through its myriad rigours and nuances with real clubs in your clutches.
Prior to pitching up in Augusta yesterday, Knox had only had one round over this enchanting, bamboozling piece of golfing real estate. A quiet, care-free batter about with his dad back in February helped take away the awe factor. Now he has to see if he has the X-factor.
“I was going through the motions that day and was just very happy to be there,” recalled Knox. “I didn’t care about how I played. I birdied the first hole and thought ‘this is not bad’. The shot that stood out was on number 12, the par-3 over the water. The pin was on the front left and I hit a 9-iron. My Dad was videoing it which I’m not 100% sure is allowed but he did it anyway. I hit it straight down the pin and it landed three feet short. Another three feet it would have been a hole in one. I won’t tell you I missed the putt but the shot was good.”
Getting that dimpled ba’ to disappear down a small hole on those mind-mangling Augusta greens is key to success in this neck of the dogwoods. When Jack Nicklaus won his final major, and sixth Masters Green Jacket, back in 1986, the then 46-year-old brandished a MacGregor Response putter which had one of the biggest heads around at the time.
This week, Knox has gone for something that is big but not necessarily beautiful. If it does the job though, he won’t be complaining. “It is massive, just a huge ugly putter,” said the 30-year-old from Inverness. “I don’t care what it looks like. If I am able to putt better with it I would use a sledgehammer. I hadn’t been putting great and my confidence wasn’t as high as it needed to be. There is a local company in Jacksonville called Cure Putters. I spoke to the guy a few times and tested putters with them. They were good so I gave them a go.”
Last summer, Knox was given a last-gasp place in the Open Championship at St Andrews after Rory McIlroy’s late withdrawal. This week’s preparation for his Masters debut has been a little less fraught. Ever since he made his global breakthrough in the WGC HSBC Champions back in November, the Florida-based Scot has had Georgia on his mind for a while.
“I have known since the win in China that I was going to get to play,” he said. “I have had quite a lot of time to think about it and prepare. I haven’t really done anything above and beyond to prepare but knowing in my mind that I would be playing has been good for me.”
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