Palm Beach Gardens, FL …

After feeling very deflated at sea level in Florida Russell Knox heads to this week’s inaugural WGC – Mexico Championship inflated to compete a mile-and-a-half in Mexico City.

Literally, minutes before being formally confirmed as ‘Scottish Golfer of the Year’ at a black-tie dinner at the Corn Exchange in Edinburgh, Knox was very downbeat in being bundled out of the Honda Classic with scores of 73 and 72.

It was the first occasion in since finishing joint runner-up in 2014 and then third a year later, Knox has missed the cut at PGA National.

He said:  “I just made too many bogeys from the middle of the fairway and thing about my game is that I pride myself on not taking bogey from the middle of the fairway.

Venue for the 2017 WGC – Mexico Championship – The Club de Golf Chapultepec, Mexico City.

“Maybe with a WGC next week missing the cut can be a good thing for me, and maybe in view of my good record here I put too much pressure on myself.

“The guys I played with played great and it was just like I was tagging along making up the three-ball.”

Knox was remaining in the West Palm Beach region and residing at the exclusive Bears Club for two nights ahead of boarding a special charter flight leaving West Palm Beach Airport later tonight (Sunday US time) and bound direct to the Mexican capital and this week’s $US 9.25m event.

He said:  “The Bears Club has great practice facilities and I was actually up there earlier this week where I bumped into Rory (McIlroy) who was working on his game.”

The WGC – Mexico Championship is replacing the WGC – Cadillac Championship and with organising officials pulling the plug on remaining at Trump Doral in Miami to compete in Mexico.

Golf at 8,600 feet – the La Cima GC near Bogota, Columbia.

Knox has fond memories also of playing well in Mexico having ended runner-up in the PGA Tour’s 2015 Mayakoba Championship, and week after capturing the WGC – Champions event in Shanghai.

But then the Mayakoba is held each year at Cancum on Mexico’s Caribbean shoreline.

Mexico City at 8, 400 feet is the eighth highest capital city in the world and is also some 3,000 feet higher than Crans-sur-Sierre in the Swiss Alps where fellow Scot Ritchie Ramsay captured the 2012 European Masters.

But then Knox is used to heights.

He said:  “I’ve been Bogota in Columbia to play golf and that’s like about 8,600 feet above sea level.

“You hit your drive up there well over 340-yards so I can’t wait to see how guys like Dustin Johnson hit the ball next week as they’ll be driving 400-yards plus.

“So maybe due to the high altitude I can hit the ball plus 300-yards all week as that would be great (smiling).

“It’s going to be a massive difference compared to the Mayakoba that is right on the coast, and that is why I am taking the charter to get there early and get acclimatised.

“It’s going to take a few days to get the feel of the ball going so far but I’m looking forward to it as I will be bombing it.”