Scotland’s Russell Knox has a former Tour caddy back on his bag though it was a 16-year old local high school lad calling the shots in the lead-up to the ultra-lucrative Players Championship at Ponte Vedre in Florida.
Knox has missed the halfway cut in his last four events – AT & T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, Genesis Invitational, Honda Classic and last week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational.
The Scot had shot a 65 on day two at Pebble Beach but in his other eight rounds Know had not broken 70.
And as in the scenario at Tour level and when a player is playing poorly unusually the first to go is the caddy, and that was Knox’s England-born bagman, David Clark.
Back on the Scot’s bag is Canadian-born Brad Whittle, who enjoyed great success with Knox capturing the 2015 WGC – HSBC Champions in Shanghai and they then flew to Mexico where Knox lost a play-off in the Mayakoba Classic.
Scotland’s Russell Knox with 16-year Ponte Vedre High School student, Teddy Sotsky acting as caddy for a nine-hole practice round Wednesday at the Players Championship. Image – GolfByTourMiss
Whittle, had worked as far back in 1994 with South African David Frost when he beat Greg Norman in the Greater Hartford Open and then 22-years later, and on the same Connecticut course, Whittle helped steer Knox to success in the 2016 Travelers Championship in Connecticut, the same event Jim Furyk shot 58 over the final round.
Knox said: “Brad and I have had some good times together winning twice out here, so it’s nice to have a familiar face on the bag.
“It just didn’t work out for my previous caddy and I. It was a business and it just wasn’t working. The decision to split was mutual as I wasn’t making him any money but then we are still friends. He’s a great caddy and he’s now with a great player.
“The great thing in having Brad back on the bag is that he knows my game so well and coming into a massive week like this week, I didn’t want to start completely fresh with someone I don’t know.”
Though Whittle’s uncertain of his future as he’s been caddying for former World No. 1 Luke Donald but the Englishman is not competing this week.
Whittle said: “Russell and I go back a few years and I was available this week and we’ll just see how the week goes.”
Whittle, however, was not on the bag yesterday (WED) and lost his job to 16-year old Teddy Sotsky who attends the local Ponte Vedre High School and who is a member of the North Florida Junior Foundation that Knox is ambassador.
Sotsky ‘won’ the job of caddying for the nine-practice round, and holes 10 to 18, in having his name drawn from a hat.
And he’s no stranger to this week’s famed TPC Sawgrass course.
Sotsky said: “I was pretty excited in meeting Mr. Knox on the range this morning and looking forward to be his caddy.
“I have been lucky to play the Stadium Course many times and when I was nine, I had a birdie on the 17th and then when I was 11 I had a hole-in-one at the number three.”‘
And what did the teenager think of Knox’s game.
“To go around the course today with someone of Russell’s calibre was unbelievable just to see the lines they take, how they set themselves up for a shot and then hit the shot was quite amazing.
Knox is contesting this week’ $US 15m event for a seventh straight year and having let victory slip in 2016 in 1980 with a horror third round 80 and that included taking a ‘9’ that included sending three balls into the water guarding the island green.
It was the third highest score at the famed 17th.
He said: “I have played here at TPC Sawgrass so many times I cannot remember and I played 71 holes good enough to win here back in 2016.
“So, I know I can do well here as the golf course is right up my alley and being a home week it’s a big one but you have to play well also.”
Laird, who joined Knox in their final practice outing, has teed-up ever year since 2009 and with the exception of 2015 and with a best finish of T2nd in 2012 behind Matt Kuchar.
But in the past five years, the new Denver, Colorado resident has missed the cut on four occasions.
Laird said: “My game is good and I have a nice run coming up as I’m playing this week and the next three in a row, so looking forward to it.
“I struggled before Christmas but I worked very hard in the off-season though I’ve not been getting the results I wanted.
“It was nice though to get into the mix and into the final group at Puerto Rico and while I didn’t get it done there it was just nice to be giving myself opportunities.”
Laird’s fourth event will be the Valero Texas Open in the week prior to the Masters and with the San Antonio tournament the last qualifying event into the Masters.
Scottish fan will recall Laird winning in 2013 to secure an Augusta invitation, and the last occasion he competed in the Masters.
And Laird and wife Meagan, and along with sons Jack (6) and Andrew (4) have uprooted from Scottsdale, Arizona and now call Denver home.
