Scotland’s Russell Knox has his heart set this new season on two ‘home’ majors – this week’s Players Championship and July’s Genesis Scottish Open.

In an exclusive, Knox talks about the events either side of ‘The Pond’ as his two ‘biggies’ this season.

Knox, 37, has been living close to this week’s host TPC Sawgrass course for near on 20-years, so for wife, Andrea and their now two-year-old cute cavapoo dog, Rusty this week it’s get to stay in your own bed week.

In July, he’ll venture home to Scotland where he’s surrounded by family and friends in teeing-up in Scotland’s premier event.

Russell Knox contesting this week at TPC Sawgrass the first of two ‘home’ events this year. (Photo – PGA Tour)

He said: “This week’s Players and the Scottish Open are my two biggest tournaments of the year and given I am currently not into the majors these two are the two biggies for me.

“I’ve qualified for the Players for a few years now while I made my European Tour debut in the 2014 Scottish Open at Royal Aberdeen, so looking forward to heading back to the Renaissance Club in a few months.

“But this week it’s just great to be at home, and I also get the kick the football with Rusty (smiling)”.

The seven-time pro career winning Knox heads into what will be an eighth straight Sawgrass showing, since his debut in 2015, on the back of last year’s tournament best of T6th.  It was not only his best finish at Tour HQ but one of two top-10s in 28 events last season.

He said: “It comforting for me to be able to do that last year as I right in the mix, including starting the final round birdie, birdie and then also taking birdie on four, and out on the course about an hour or so before the leaders had teed-off.

“So, I felt I legitimately had a chance after that start but I would single out my best year being in 2016 when Jason Day won, and the year I had that debacle at 17.

“I recall that for the other 71 holes I was pretty much in the mix, so that year would be the best I played here, other than that one hole (smiling)”.

It had been a solid start for the current World No. 202 to his 2022/23 wrapround PGA Tour season having contested 11 events, and with only one missed cut, until his last three in missing the cut in each and though disappointed, Knox has really never been a player to get too down on himself.

He said: “My form just deserted me over those three weeks and while that was tough, I worked hard this past week off and probably the hardest I’ve worked that hard for a while.

“I was here at Sawgrass every day, hitting balls and worked a bit on a few different things so it was nice also to be at home and put in a bit of a shift.

“I kept telling people that my best golf is the best it’s ever been but unfortunately my worst golf it’s the worst it’s ever been..

“I guess I’ve just been having one of those key momentum battles which you can have in this game but then teeing-up this week where I had my best finish last year, does wonders for the confidence this week”.

Helping Knox with club selection and yardage advice is caddy, Matt Hauser who formerly looped for fellow Americans Johnson Wagner, Matt Kuchar and J.J. Henry.

Knox said: “Matt’s a great caddy.  He was on the bag here last year.  He’s a good guy, a great caddy and knows this course pretty well also.

“He clearly sees the potential we have but probably been frustrated we haven’t done it yet but Matt knows we can do it around here.

“I still know what to do to win out here so, hopefully something will click and we’ll be off to the races”.