Near Honda Classic champion Russell Knox is Scottish to the core but then in a bizarre twist he could be eligible to represent the USA if he qualifies for the Ryder Cup.
Good friend and Sunday Post colleague, Doug Proctor has raised the possibility of the 28-year old Knox teeing-up in Tom Watson’s Gleneagles side should he qualify automatically.
Of course having grown up in Inverness Knox would be expected to play for Europe and that would also mean, as Doug rightfully pointed out, joining the European Tour card and contesting the prerequisite number of tournaments to have any chance of being on Paul McGinley’s team.
Scotland-born Russell Knox could very well be eligible to play for the USA Ryder Cup team. (Photo – Fran Caffrey/www.golffile.ie)
But it has emerged Knox has an equal chance of making the UNITED STATES team!
While he was born in the Highland capital to a Scottish mother, Russell’s father is American, so he is an American/British citizen and he holds a US passport.
The US PGA list a pretty stringent list of requirements that players have to meet to be eligible to represent the United States in the Ryder Cup.
But, while they will only entertain American citizens, nowhere does it stipulate that team members have to have been born in the Land of the Free.
As an example from yesteryear, take Chi Chi Rodriguez.
He played for the USA against Great Britain & Ireland in the Ryder Cup at Muirfield in 1973, despite being born in Puerto Rico, a country he played for countless times in the World Cup.
But he qualified as a US citizen because Puerto Rico is an American Commonwealth country.
So, through his dad, there appears to be an opening that Knox, once an Inverness Caley Thistle youth team footballer, could exploit.
Julius Mason of the US PGA says: “Knox’s position has not arisen — yet.
“But we have had similar situations in the Presidents’ Cup where players have dual citizenship. So they have to declare in advance which team they want to try and qualify for.”
So Russell will soon have a decision to make.
Right now, if he was in the American dogfight for Ryder Cup points, he would be alongside the likes of Keegan Bradley, Brandt Snedeker, and Bill Haas. But he’s not even listed.
So you can bet that if Knox was to win two or three tournaments before the end of August, you would see the balloon go up from PGA HQ in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.
The man himself is intrigued.
“I’ve never really ever thought about the Ryder Cup,” he admits.
“I have no idea what I would have to do to make either team, and I’ve never even dreamt about it, to be perfectly honest.
“I’ve always been an American/British citizen, and have always had an American passport as well because my dad is an American, while my mum is Scottish.
“So I could probably play for both teams. But that’s light years away.”
Maybe so. But can you imagine it? Knox qualifying for both teams and having to make a choice between playing for Paul McGinley or Tom Watson!
Now that would be a first and a HUGE decision for the likeable Knox.
For now, what the Scot most wants is an invitation to land in his letter box to play the Scottish Open in Aberdeen in July!
“My hope is if, and hopefully when, my PGA Tour card is secure, I can get the opportunity to go to Aberdeen,” he says.
“That’s a huge goal of mine. I would have to get an invitation. But that would be the cream on the top of the bottle.”
AND there is a recent precedent as Doug pointed out today ahead of this week’s PGA Tour event in Tampa, and that is the fact Australia’s Aaron Baddeley was born to an American father yet has represented the International Team in Presidents Cup competition.
* Many thanks to Doug and the Sunday Post for this great story.
