Kitted out for an Ayrshire summer’s day in full winter gear, Russell Knox could have been excused more than a little relief at the prospect of a return to his Florida base looming large.
But the leading Scot in the world rankings and the leading Scot at Royal Troon was only joking when he answered “never” to the question, “when will you be coming back to Europe?”
Knox has no reason to curse leaving the United States for a weather-beaten excursion to his homeland.
He’ll be flying home with his game in excellent shape and having achieved a creditable two over par Open (and two under par final round) that would probably have been a good deal better had he not been on the wrong side of the Thursday and Friday draw.
“I played excellent today,” he said. “I hit a lot of really good shots but I didn’t hole very much. I was thrilled to finish with a good score.
“I had two goals today – one was to par the second (which he failed to do on the first three days) and the other was to hit the 11th fairway (ditto) and I managed to check both boxes.
“I said after I hit the 11th that I could bogey in and still be happy!”
Knox added: “The week has been good. I will probably finish where I deserve to finish.
“But there are positives to take from the week. I am hitting the ball well and I feel like I am improving every week. The short game is good, the putting is good but the ball just didn’t want to go in. I am delighted.”
Of all the second half of the season targets that are still alive for Knox, one is at the top of the list.
“FedExCup is now my goal,” he said. “Obviously the Ryder Cup is very important to me but I’m trying not to think about it to be honest.
“I am in a great position in the FedExCup and I would love to stay where I am or move up. I have never made it to East Lake but I have got a pretty good chance to do it now. That is my main goal.”
Knox will need at least one big week to leap into serious Ryder Cup contention and there have been no conversations with captain Darren Clarke at Troon on that subject.
He said: “I think he gave up on me!
“I bumped into him on Saturday. We haven’t spoken about anything since the potential rookie meeting at the Players Championship, which I think is great.
“I don’t need him to give me a pep talk or to tell me anything. It is up to me. I need to crack the whip and play good. If I don’t then I don’t deserve to make it.”
