Russell Knox has “never wanted to prove anyone wrong so much in all my life” for the next few weeks as he takes in that his Ryder Cup dream will have to wait.
The 30-year-old from Inverness missed out on selection as a wildcard for Darren Clarke’s European team to take on the USA at Hazeltine at the end of next month with the Northern Irishman opting instead to take Belgium’s Thomas Pieters in a straight choice between rookies.
Clarke also picked experienced hands Lee Westwood and Martin Kaymer to complete his team of 12, which now includes six Ryder Cup debutants – the most in an away fixture since Brookline in 1999.
Knox said that when he got Clarke’s call on Monday night “it was obvious within one second that it wasn’t going to be good news for me”.
“It was a short call, a tough one for him to make, I didn’t feel like asking questions or give my opinion on it. I was very disappointed, but there’s nothing I can do now but use this as motivation in the FedEx Cup.
“I’m motivated now for the next three weeks, that’s for sure. I’ve never wanted to prove someone wrong so badly in my life.
“It’s not sour grapes or anything like that. Thomas deserves it, 100 per cent, he’s been incredible these last few weeks. I feel like I deserved it too but they decided otherwise.”
Knox wouldn’t change his plans over the last few weeks, including declining to play in the Wyndham Championship on the PGA Tour the week after he won the Travelers event, where another strong result might have seen him qualify automatically.
“If I’d played there and played well I might have been in exactly the same position as Thomas, but it’s impossible to say what would have happened had I done this or not,” he added. “If I hadn’t hit it in the water three times at the 17th at the Players I might have won there and then I’d definitely be on the team.
“I made the best decision for me. I’m happy with my life the way it is at the moment. Obviously I’m playing the best golf of my life and whatever I’m doing right now is working.”
He won’t find watching Hazeltine easy, but he’ll still back the team.
“It’s going to be difficult for me to watch it, but I probably will, and I’ll be rooting for Europe,” he said.
“Of course I feel like I deserve to be there and should be playing but I’m not, so I have to respect the decision that’s been made.
“Every year there’s a guy in my position that doesn’t get picked and it’s a story right now, but in a couple of week s time when it all starts, I’m sure it’ll be forgotten that I’m not in the team.”
