Scotland’s Russell Knox has welcomed the start of the ‘Florida Swing’ in boosting his bid to earn a long-overdue Masters return invitation.
Knox tees up in this week’s Honda Classic and the first of four events the Scot is currently exempt on his home ‘Swing’.
His return to Florida corresponds with an improvement in Knox’s world ranking and back to 230th in the world having corrected a recent Rankings slide in picking up 32 places in his last two events.
And Knox has done so in a bizarre manner with three straight similarly placed results.
Russell Knox saying all Florida roads lead to Augusta, GA
Since starting 2022 with a T-7th at the Sony Open, and his best Tour finish since a T-5th at Firestone in August of 2017, Knox has posted the exact same result in the last three consecutive weeks finishing T-33rd at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, T-33rd at the Phoenix Open and T-33rd last week at the Genesis Invitational.
Knox said: “There have been plenty of times when I’ve had three missed cuts in a row but never three 33rd place finishes though it would be nice if they were three first-place results (smiling)”.
Helping the 36-year-olds quest for a first drive down Magnolia Lane since 2017 is being exempt also into next week’s $10m Arnold Palmer Invitational, the following week’s whopping $12m Players Championship, and the March 17th commencing $7.8m Valspar Championship at Naples on the Florida west coast.
A win in any, or a leap back into the world’s top-50, will see Knox joining fellow Scots Sandy Lyle and Robert MacIntyre teeing-up on April 7 at Augusta National.
Knox said: “It’s been a good last few weeks with solid performances in Phoenix and last week at the Genesis. It was a great start on Thursday and Friday last week and then playing all four days which is something I’ve not done before at Riviera, so there’s another positive.
“It’s great now being back in Florida as the first part of the year always involves a lot of travel to Hawaii and also California and over to Phoenix, so it’s a lot easier getting about in being here in Florida.
“We’ve got the same four Florida events starting here at the Honda Classic, and where I’ve always liked the course. I just love coming here to PGA National as it’s been a good tournament for me, going so close after being in the play-off in ’14.
“It also can be windy here and I guess here is where growing up in Scotland can help. I like those conditions while you have to drive the ball well here while your iron-play has to be spot-on.
“There’s no way you get away with anything around here, and the guy who wins this tournament will have driven it well and played his irons well all week.
“I enjoyed my west coast swing and I was very happy with my performances and while I didn’t quite finish tournaments off, I did play really well at the Sony and happy, as I said, with last week which is hopefully a good sign for a really good season ahead.
“So, I was happy and I saw some very positive signs that I am encouraged about, so I am really enjoying my golf again, and with all roads at this time of year hopefully leading to Augusta”.
Knox finds himself the lone Scot in the Honda Classic field that does include Luke Donald, who was runner-up in the 2008 event and who is believed close to being announced as the 2023 European Ryder Cup captain.
Also missing this week will be each of the world’s top-12 with the highest-ranked, World No. 13 Louis Oosthuizen.
