Scot Russell Knox had a possible Valentine’s Day victory snatched from from his grip after a controversial ruling very early on the final day of the AT & T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
Knox hit a superb 230-yard, 3-wood tee-shot at the first but then after momentarily placing his club behind his ball he moved aside declaring his ball had moved albeit by mere millimetres.
Then in the next some 30-seconds, as he weighed-up what had happened, his ball visibly rolled into a small depression.
Knox spoke with playing partners, Daniel Berger and Patrick Cantlay before seeking a ruling from a referee.
Russell Knox chatting with a rules official on the first fairway at the start of the final round of the 2021 AT & T Pebble Beach Pro-A,
“I hit a nice tee ball there and had an 8-iron for my second shot so I just was getting comfortable a little. I guess I put the club down, moved up, a little waggle, come down and the ball just creeped a little bit, and then obviously I was deemed to have addressed it,” he said following his round.
“And even after I kind of walked away, the ball still moved a little further, like 30 seconds later, which was weird. It’s just on of those horrible rules which every one of us is against. There’s no advantage gained in any way, and it happened to Maverick (McNealy) yesterday, my playing partner, so it’s just, it’s one of those kind of horrible rules that got me on the first hole.
“At first, the ruling was that I didn’t cause it to move, because it was such a gray area there, and ultimately we got it right and I did address the ball. I should have been penalized. Obviously it’s a rule which I wish they would eliminate because obviously it happened to Maverick McNealy yesterday, no advantage, and me, obviously, no advantage today and we get penalized for it.”
But waiting for Knox at the par-3 fifth tee was a second rules referee who advised Knox after his ball found a greenside bunker, and an eventual bogey, that he had to add a penalty shot for the incident at the first.
“It was like the worst timing ever, probably, because I birdied 2 and birdied 3 and it was flying and I hit it close on 4, full horseshoe from 3 feet, and then I hit it in the worst spot ever on No. 5, and then I got told walking up there,” said Knox.
“So it was, I mean, really I kind of went from 3-under to even in about 30 seconds, so it was, that was tough.
“It’s just one of those things that it just kind of got me on edge all day, to be honest, starting that way. On No. 5 I got told they looked at it and I had to add a shot and right after a full horseshoe and a downhill dead bunker shot. So it was like a triple whammy on No. 5. But I mean, it’s one of those things. I mean, you got to take it on the chin. I battled away after that and proud of my finish.”
The ‘double’ bogey blow sent Knox tumbling from a share of second to a tie for seventh.
It was a bitter blow for Knox and looked to collect an eighth pro success and his first PGA Tour win since August, 2016.
Past Open Champion, Ian Baker-Finch calling the action for CBS, said: “They are tough penalties to accept and for Russell even tougher to stomach.”
Knox put aside the controversy to bounce straight back holing a 26-foot birdie gem at the sixth to get back to 12-under par.
The Scot then saved par on seven, got up-and-down from 42-feet for par from a greenside bunker on eight and then brilliantly saved par from 12-feet on nine.
Though the birdies dried-up with Knox producing nine straight pars from the seventh to 16th before a three-putt bogey on 16 but Knox bravely then birdied 17 to get back to 11-under.
Knox then birdied the last from a greenside bunker in a round of 70 for a 13-under tally.
Berger, 27 sensationally eagled the last, and his fourth of the week, in a round seven-under 65 to capture a fourth Tour win by two shots at 18-under par.
A day earlier the American had driven out-of-bounds right off the 18th in taking a humbling double bogey.
