Russell Knox was being extremely hard on himself suggesting he’s now teed-up in four Major Championships and competed like a ‘child’ in each of them.
It didn’t enhance Knox’s demeanour after having bogeyed the last hole in a round of 71 for a four-over par total to miss the cut by the expected Whistling Straits cut-off mark by a stroke.”
Apart from sharing 45th place on his Major’s debut at the 2013 U.S. Open, Knox has sat out the weekend rounds at last year’s PGA Championship and in last month’s Open Championship.
“The way I’ve played this week I didn’t deserve to make the cut even though I played half-decent today, but it was the 77 yesterday that did the serious damage,” he said.
Russell Knox .. “I have played the major’s like a ‘child’. (Photo – Fran Caffrey/www.golffile.ie)
“I played so good in the practice rounds but then I came out on Thursday and with the wind it was a totally different golf course, so it was a tough day that first round and I just didn’t deal with it well enough.
“I felt I hung in there pretty good today but then just threw away two shots over my last two holes, and if I hadn’t dropped those two shots I would be making the cut.
“And while it is all part of the learning curve, I still played like a child and that’s true of the four Major’s I have played in as I am so much better than that.
“So I just feel like I’ve played like an amateur in the Major’s I’ve competed in, and maybe except for the 2013 U.S. Open so I don’t if I am trying too hard or not.”
Knox is due to return to the PGA Tour at next week’s Wyndham Championship in North Carolina.
The plight of Knox in upstate Wisconsin mirrored all but one of the seven Scot’s competing in the season’s final Major with all but Marc Warren, and the country’s highest world-ranked player, likely to play all four rounds.
