It nonetheless wanted Russell Knox’s spouse Andrea to power him to do one thing in regards to the nagging weak spot in his recreation.
“She mentioned ‘you’ve performed skilled golf for therefore lengthy, 15 years, and also you’re horrible at placing. Please, strive one thing completely different’,” he mentioned.
If you’re 198th out of 204 on the placing stats on the PGA Tour, then determined measures are wanted, even for those who’re taking part in in an occasion meaning most to you in golf.
So Knox had a broomhandle putter, which he’d tailored to his personal specs, within the bag for the primary time on the Genesis Scottish Open. And admitted he was “terrified”.
“I stored considering to myself, ‘are you actually going to do that at a Scottish Open?’” he continued. He had not even hit a single ball with a protracted putter till three days earlier than he left for Scotland from his residence in Florida.
“You already know, I may get away with it at an occasion within the US, and this implies far more. I may mess up understanding my tee to inexperienced recreation has been so strong.”
Nicely, regardless of fearing how “bizarre” he appeared, the person from Inverness produced a positive two-under 68.
“It’s been terrible for years,” he mentioned of his placing. “Vacationers, my final occasion, I used to be minus 6 strokes gained placing and that was sufficient. Tee to inexperienced I used to be adequate to be excessive up, and as a substitute I’m going residence.
“I’ve thrown in some good placing weeks every now and then, however I play this recreation for a residing, and that you must be extra constant than a superb week each couple of months.”
Knox began with a 47 inch shaft and regularly whittled it down – “in a couple of weeks, it could be regular size once more”, he quipped.
Nevertheless at 40 inches with a grip of his personal making, “amazingly, the ball began going the place I used to be trying.”
“I don’t shrink back from making an attempt one thing, and you realize I’ll at all times hold making an attempt till it’s recreation over,” he mentioned. “However I used to be 95% positive I used to be going to rooster out. I even mentioned to Andrea once I left that I’d in all probability be again earlier than my tee-time.
“I used to be completely terrified on the primary gap. The primary three-footer for par was perhaps the most effective putt of my life. If that didn’t go in we had been in for a protracted day!”
“I give myself a B plus at present,” he added. “It was good, I missed a couple of after all however made a couple of. However my lengthy placing, which I used to be terribly anxious about, was terrific.”
