Russell Knox has already logged around 1,100 miles driving from his residence in Florida to Texas in the first leg of a more than 4,000-mile round journey to tee-up in a return to PGA Tour competition.

Knox and his wife, Andrea shared the driving in the couples 45-foot long RV motorhome leaving their Jacksonville, Florida home last Friday morning and arriving into Fort Worth, Texas mid-afternoon Sunday.

The PGA Tour is returning to competition after a three-month Coronavirus ‘lockdown’ with Thursday’s start to the Charles Schwab Challenge.  The event will be the first of four ‘no spectator’ tournaments and with Knox’s to then drive 1,100 miles back to the east coast for next week’s RBC Heritage Classic at Hilton Head in South Carolina.

They will then hit the I-95 for the 900-miles north to Connecticut for the Travelers Championship, and an event won by Knox in 2016, before the 1,100-miles return trip back down the I-95 to their Florida home.

Russell Knox looking at a more than 4,000 mile round trip from Jacksonville to tee-up in the opening three events in the return of the PGA Tour

All up, it’s a round trip of some 4,300-miles and that’s about the same distance as the crow flies from Knox’s Florida home to Inverness, and where he grew-up in Scotland.

“Andrea and I split the driving so we did each probably half each of the 1,100 miles or so in getting here to Fort Worth,” said Knox.

“We just took our time driving about 400 miles the first day, 500 miles the second day and the last 200 miles our so today (Sunday).

“We also wanted to arrive a bit early so we got here late Sunday afternoon, so we are rigged-up and this is home for the next three weeks.

“The only real issue will be getting out of the first two tournaments on the Sunday and getting as many miles behind us as we can, and not arriving too late into Hilton Head and the Travelers.

“So, the next two Sunday nights and the Monday’s could be long but Andrea will be ‘Red Bull’ upped and ready to go (laughing).  The great thing too about the RV is when you do feel tired you can pull into a rest area and chill out comfortably for a few hours, and then get back on the Interstate.

“We’ve taken the RV before to Texas but this is the first time, we’ve actually driven it between tournaments.”

And while Knox is no stranger to the route west to the Lone Star State, he’s also familiar to this week’s host Colonial Club having last year posted a final round 65 to secure a best 2019 season of eighth.

“Fort Worth was my best finish of the year last year, and it’s a golf course I enjoy.  Temperature-wise, it’s going to be really hot this week while with the grass they have on the course will ensure a lot of watering will be taking place,” said Knox.

“It’s one of those courses if you are on your game then it’s not that difficult but if you are off your game, you will find it tricky as it’s only a par-70 and certainly not a bombers course.”

And while excited to be returning to competition it was a very different first in his eight-years full-time on the PGA Tour for Knox when he officially registered on Sunday.

“When I arrived at the course, I had my temperature taken while the registration point was in a different area than normal but the biggest change being there is no grandstands about the course,” said Knox.

“Admittedly, it was a Sunday but there was just no atmosphere.  It is going to feel so different and I was thinking how much different it will be to play the holes that have always been framed by big grandstands, and especially the par-3s.

“I’ve never played a PGA Tour event without grandstands so there is going to be four to five holes over these next three weeks that will look so visually different as there will be no grandstands, and especially around the greens.

“It’s going to be strange because I remember holing that putt on 18 to win the Travelers and they have this huge amphitheatre-like setting at the last where there are always thousands cheering you on, and as they did for me when I won.

“So, someone is going to hole a putt to win a tournament over these four weeks and there will be probably just some 20 people on hand to see it.

“Though in saying that, I feel excited to be back on the Tour as we have all been thinking about this week for the past 12 weeks, and it’s going to be interesting to see who comes out of the gate hot and who doesn’t, so hopefully I can come out hot.”