Knox Bravely Battles Butterfield Bermuda Opening Day Breeze

10 months ago by Comments Off on Knox Bravely Battles Butterfield Bermuda Opening Day Breeze

Florida-based Scot Russell Knox must have felt at home on the opening day of the sixth hosting of the Butterfield Bermuda Championship.

Knox, and the only golfer to have played all six editions of the Bermuda tournament, braved the bright, chilly and windy conditions in posting a three- under 68 on the exposed host Port Royal course.

Indeed, the wind was measured at between  18-22 mph and gusting to 32 mph while play was suspended due to darkness at 5:19 p.m. local time with 21 players to finish.

Knox created a tournament first this week as he enjoys the proud honour of being the only player having teed-up in all six editions of the PGA Tour event and this after being among 14 colleagues who has each played the first five.

His opening day effort handed him a share of 15th and just three adrift of American Justin Lower who signed for a six-under 68.

Knox’s effort was a shot more than a year ago when he kick-started the event with a 67 on route a lowly share of 76th place while he began the 2022 Bermuda tournament with a 66 and the ’21 tournament signing for a first round 72.

However the opening day of this year’s event certainly favoued those out in the morning before the wind picked-up and that includes Lower who teed-up in the second group of the day and leads the event thanks to a six-under 65.

“It’s definitely challenging and one of the more demanding rounds I’ve played in my years coming here to Bermuda”, he said.

“There is holes that are playing into a crosswinds while the ball’s curving quite a bit. Then you’re hitting into the wind, wo you’re just judging that, as well.

“Thankfully there is some respite on the downwind holes as they’re probably the easiest to judge at least and you’re hitting shorter shots. Yeah, it definitely was challenging out there.

“Given the condtitions a 68 is a decent score.  My game hopefully is trending the right way and it’s all about just keeping the mind in the right place that is always the toughest thing”.

Also out in the morning half of the draw was Knox’s compatriot Martin Laird who produced a 68.

As we know, the seven-time pro-winning Knox lost full PGA Tour membership at the end of the 2023 season in being ranked No. 147 in the FedEx Cup standings though he has enjoyed conditional 2014 status for players who finish inside the top 150.

Though it’s meant this week is only Knox’s eighth start on the main PGA Tour with a best finish of T19th in the team event at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans while disappointingly he has missed the cut in four of those half-a-dozen tournaments.

Knox has also been competing on the secondary Korn Ferry Tour contesting 10 events with a best result of 19th in June.

Though you look at Knox’s golfing CV and he’s won twice on the DP World Tour that included a ‘never forget’ curling birdie putt at the first extra hole to win the 2018 Irish Open at Ballyliffin.  While his last victory on the PGA Tour was at the 2018 Travelers Championship and the same Sunday afternoon in August in Connecticut when Jim Furyk signed for 58.

Knox is one of the nicest guys you could meet and along with wife Andrea they’re a super couple while I cannot leave out ‘Rusty’ – their really cute-looking Cavapoo and a cross between a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and a Poodle.

Some of the best golfers have been down and fought their way back as evident this year with Matteo Manassero, and now proudly heading next year and his debut on the PGA Tour.

Knox is far too good a golfer to be battling on the Korn Ferry Tour but then it only takes one really good week and he’ll be back where he belongs.

 

 



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