It’s perhaps fitting that Russell Knox is playing in this week’s Hero World Challenge. The Scotsman is finally getting to meet his boyhood idol, after all.
As tournament host Tiger Woods makes his long-awaited competitive comeback after 15 months on the sidelines, Knox, the world No 19, admitted the opportunity to compete in this elite, 18-man field in the Bahamas was an offer he couldn’t refuse.
“When I got the call, I was really, really happy,” said Knox, who played in last weekend’s World Cup of Golf in Melbourne and travelled to the Bahamas on a 22-hour flight from Australia on the private jet belonging to Adam Scott. “Tiger and I have never officially met although we did bump into each other once in the locker room at the Quicken Loans event this year, so I look forward to officially meeting him.
“He was one of my heroes growing up and he still is. Anyone my age grew up watching and admiring Tiger and how he dominated the game. I had posters of Tiger all over my bedroom walls along with all the records he broke. I used to watch him all the time on TV and when the PGA Tour came to TPC Sawgrass, I’d be out there following Tiger around the golf course. It was just brilliant watching him play. We all looked up to him and that’s the reason I am here this week.”
While all the focus will be on the returning Woods, Knox is keen for the Tiger to get back to something resembling his former majesty even if the Scot is determined to hunt him down this week
“I am definitely going to be out there trying to beat him but we just all want him to do well,” said Knox, who has reeled off a trio of top-10 finishes in his last three outings. “That’s what everybody wants. We all want a crack at Tiger at least one time in our careers but we just want to see him being competitive again.
“I just hope he’s healthy and he can play four rounds but then for me, it doesn’t really matter how he plays as long as he gets stronger with each round and each tournament he plays. The golf world needs a fit Tiger Woods and it may not be this week but hopefully it is.”
Elsewhere in the golfing world, the 2017 European Tour season gets underway with two events running at the same time. The Scottish quartet of Stephen Gallacher, Duncan Stewart, Ross Kellett and Bradley Neil have made the trek to the gold coast to contest the Australian PGA Championship. In South Africa, meanwhile, there is a three-strong tartan army competing in the Alfred Dunhill Championship. Scott Henry, who regained his tour card at the qualifying school final recently, will be looking to hit the ground running in an event that also features Scott Jamieson and David Drysdale.
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