Russell Knox upbeat despite final hurdle fall in Las Vegas

Last weekend was not the first time Russell Knox had been leading at the halfway stage of a tournament.

It was not the first time the 29-year-old Scot had faltered at the final hurdle, either.

But was he crestfallen and entering a period of self-doubt after only managing third in Las Vegas? Not a bit of it.

“The way I look at it is that there were 144 in the field last week, and only two people beat me,” he retorts.

“It is really satisfying to say that. And although I played really well, it wasn’t as good as I can play because I still made some ridiculous mistakes.”

So the man from Inverness is philosophical and certainly not discouraged, preferring to look at the broader picture of his three years on the US PGA Tour.

“I’m making progress all the time, considering I made 12 cuts from 23 starts in 2012 and finished 143rd on the money list,” Russell continues.

“Last year I made 20 cuts from 26 starts and finished 68th in the money-winners’ list.

“Even so, I was still feeling a bit of pressure going into the tournament in Vegas.

“So finishing solo third was a huge sigh of relief. Now I have a gazillion tournaments to play and hopefully I can relax and play well.

“Nobody would believe the comfort zone that has put me in.”

The £400,000 cheque and 190 FedEx Cup points will have helped in that regard.

It followed on from probably his best display to date, when along with Ryan Palmer and Rory McIlroy, he lost a play-off to Russell Henley at the Honda Classic earlier this year.

Knox’s performance last weekend earned him a lot of praise Stateside, with TV pundit Gary Koch, a former winner on the US Tour, to the fore.

“He had a 59 on the Web.com Tour the other year, but in going so close at a ‘bomber’s paradise’ like Vegas, Russell reminded me of Jim Furyk,” he said.

“Russell is 120th in driving distance, 18th in driving accuracy, 22nd in greens hit in regulation, and 8th in scrambling.

“These numbers are very similar to how Furyk plays the game.”

Knox laughs off the comparison with an “I wish” retort.

He may have earned himself some breathing space with his schedule, but he dismisses changing his routine.

“This is what I love to do, though I may pick and choose a little bit more.

“I’m living the dream I’ve had all my life to play the US PGA Tour, so it is hard to sit out any tournament when it is a chance to fulfil the dream even more by winning.

“I know I am close, and it is very satisfying to be that close.

“Now my aim is to be there more often because anyone can do it a couple of times. But can you be that guy who is knocking at the door over and over and finally open it?

“That is my goal this year.”