CARNOUSTIE, Scotland – The last time Russell Knox came to Carnoustie for an Open Championship, he was a teenaged fan trying to get a souvenir from one of the game’s best players. Now he will play alongside Tiger Woods just hours from his boyhood home. Knox was 14 years old when he attended the 1999 Open with boyhood friend Duncan McRae. They were sitting behind Carnoustie’s sixth green when Sergio Garcia’s caddie rolled a ball their way. “We wrestled and Duncan got the ball,� Knox said. “I was kind of annoyed.� Now, as the leading hope of the home country, Knox has earned a tee time with Tiger (and Hideki Matsuyama) at Carnoustie. It will be Knox’s first time playing with Woods. “Getting to play with (Tiger), that was a huge goal of mine in my career,� Knox said. “To get to play with him at a major, an Open, in Scotland, is kind of a pinch yourself moment.� Less than three weeks ago, Knox didn’t even have a spot in The Open. The undersized Scotsman has regained the form that made him a top-20 player in a game dominated by power, though. He qualified for the U.S. Open and finished T12 at Shinnecock Hills. He followed with a second-place finish in the French Open, then won the Irish Open with a pair of 40-foot putts. It was his first victory in more than two years. He also contended at last week’s Scottish Open – he started Sunday two shots off the lead – before fading with a final-round 75. “He’s never been in better form heading into The Open,� said his sister, Diane, who is working this week for BBC Radio. A firm and fast Carnoustie could benefit Knox, who is one of the TOUR’s shortest, but straightest, hitters. He ranks 144th in driving distance but 23rd in driving accuracy and sixth in greens hit. Carnoustie has been kind to its countrymen, as well. Two of the last three Scottish-born winners of The Open hoisted the Claret Jug at Carnoustie. Paul Lawrie, who won the 1999 Open, is the last Scot to win golf’s oldest championship. “It’s a hard links course. It takes experience playing links golf to win here,� Knox said. “Padraig (Harrington, who won here in 2007) has played a ton of links. Paul Lawrie played a ton of links. “If you’ve won this tournament here, you really know how to play links golf. There’s a lot of angles off the tee, angles coming into the green. It is going to take a lot of experience here. There won’t be someone who comes out of the woodwork who wins here.� Knox’s Irish Open win came on a links course, Ballyliffin. Returning to the slower greens that he grew up on has helped Knox, who had been struggling with his putting. “Once you start seeing them go in, you can hole putts. Everything kind of snowballed. It’s not like everything changed or I found a magic formula,� he said. “I have been this good before.� Knox won the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions and Travelers Championship in the 2015-16 season to finish 10th in the FedExCup and crack the top 20 in the Official World Golf Ranking. He was 30 years old, and making his 93rd TOUR start, when he won his first event. His second win came just 17 starts later. That rapid ascension to the game’s elite level led to a common pratfall for a player whose career has been defined by slow and steady progress. “I tried to get better too quickly,� he said. “I think I got to the point where I was really close to being right where I wanted to be, top-10 in the world, and I just pushed too hard and I got worse. “I worked hard to get back to where I am now, so it’s nice to get rewarded with a win.� And a tee time with Woods.
Russell Knox carries hopes of a country into The Open Championship
Do you want to feel the buzz of a real casino at home? Check our partners guide to the best Live Casinos for USA players. |
Final Round Match-Up – Lee / Kim v List / Norlander | |
Type: Final Round Match-Up – Status: OPEN | |
K.H. Lee / Michael Kim | -120 |
Luke List / Henrik Norlander | +100 |
Final Round 2 Balls – Lee / Kim v Yu / Pan | |
Type: Final Round 2 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
K.H. Lee / Michael Kim | -120 |
Kevin Yu / C.T. Pan | +100 |
Tie | |
Final Round Match-Up – Brehm / Hubbard v Blair / Fishburn | |
Type: Final Round Match-Up – Status: OPEN | |
Ryan Brehm / Mark Hubbard | -140 |
Zac Blair / Patrick Fishburn | +115 |
Final Round 2 Balls – McIlroy / Lowry v Brehm / Hubbard | |
Type: Final Round 2 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Rory McIlroy / Shane Lowry | -270 |
Ryan Brehm / Mark Hubbard | +220 |
Tie | |
Final Round 2 Balls – List / Norlander v Blair / Fishburn | |
Type: Final Round 2 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Luke List / Henrik Norlander | -150 |
Zac Blair / Patrick Fishburn | +125 |
Tie | |
JM Eagle LA Championship | |
Type: Winner – Status: OPEN | |
Hannah Green | +275 |
Grace Kim | +550 |
Maja Stark | +550 |
Jin Hee Im | +700 |
Nasa Hataoka | +700 |
Esther Henseleit | +750 |
Haeran Ryu | +1600 |
Jennifer Kupcho | +2500 |
Ayaka Furue | +3500 |
Ally Ewing | +5000 |
Click here for more… | |
Final Round 2 Balls – E. Pedersen v N. Guseva | |
Type: Final Round 2 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Emily Pedersen | -140 |
Nataliya Guseva | +155 |
Tie | +750 |
Final Round 2 Balls – A. Ewing v K. Davidson | |
Type: Final Round 2 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Ally Ewing | -150 |
Karis Davidson | +165 |
Tie | +750 |
Final Round 2 Balls – A. Furue v H. Ryu | |
Type: Final Round 2 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Ayaka Furue | -125 |
Haeran Ryu | +135 |
Tie | +750 |
Final Round 2 Balls – J. Kupcho v W.L Hsu | |
Type: Final Round 2 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Jennifer Kupcho | -105 |
Wei Ling Hsu | +115 |
Tie | +750 |
Final Round 2 Balls – N. Hataoka v M. Stark | |
Type: Final Round 2 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Nasa Hataoka | -125 |
Maja Stark | +135 |
Tie | +750 |
Final Round 2 Balls – J. Im v E. Henseleit | |
Type: Final Round 2 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Jin Hee Im | -105 |
Esther Henseleit | +115 |
Tie | +750 |
Final Round 2 Balls – H. Green v G. Kim | |
Type: Final Round 2 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Hannah Green | -135 |
Grace Kim | +150 |
Tie | +750 |
Scottie Scheffler Specials | |
Type: Scottie Scheffler Specials – Status: OPEN | |
Win Any Remaining Signature Event | -200 |
PGA Championship (Top 10 Finish) & US Open (Top 10 Finish) | +115 |
PGA Championship (Top 10 Finish) & The Open (Top 10 Finish) | +125 |
US Open (Top 10 Finish) & The Open (Top 10 Finish) | +135 |
All Remaining Signature Events – Top 10 Finish | +200 |
PGA Championship (Top 5 Finish) & The Open (Top 5 Finish) | +200 |
US Open (Top 5 Finish) & The Open (Top 5 Finish) | +210 |
PGA Championship (Top 10 Finish) & US Open (Top 10 Finish) & The Open (Top 10 Finish) | +240 |
PGA Championship (Top 5 Finish) & US Open (Top 5 Finish) | +280 |
Win 2 Remaining Signature Events | +450 |
Click here for more… | |
PGA Championship 2024 | |
Type: Winner – Status: OPEN | |
Scottie Scheffler | +350 |
Jon Rahm | +1200 |
Rory McIlroy | +1200 |
Ludvig Aberg | +1600 |
Brooks Koepka | +2000 |
Xander Schauffele | +2000 |
Bryson DeChambeau | +2500 |
Collin Morikawa | +2500 |
Max Homa | +2500 |
Patrick Cantlay | +2500 |
Click here for more… | |
Requests | |
Type: Requests – Status: OPEN | |
Miles Russell – Win a Major before 30th birthday | +10000 |
Scottie Scheffler & Nelly Korda – Win All Remaining 2024 Majors | +250000 |
US Open 2024 | |
Type: Winner – Status: OPEN | |
Scottie Scheffler | +350 |
Jon Rahm | +1200 |
Rory McIlroy | +1200 |
Ludvig Aberg | +1600 |
Collin Morikawa | +2000 |
Viktor Hovland | +2000 |
Brooks Koepka | +2500 |
Cameron Smith | +2500 |
Patrick Cantlay | +2500 |
Xander Schauffele | +2500 |
Click here for more… | |
The Open Championship 2024 | |
Type: Winner – Status: OPEN | |
Scottie Scheffler | +500 |
Jon Rahm | +1000 |
Rory McIlroy | +1000 |
Viktor Hovland | +1100 |
Brooks Koepka | +2000 |
Cameron Smith | +2000 |
Cameron Young | +2000 |
Collin Morikawa | +2000 |
Ludvig Aberg | +2000 |
Jordan Spieth | +2500 |
Click here for more… | |
Requests | |
Type: Requests – Status: OPEN | |
The Open Championship – Alex Noren – Top 20 Finish | +200 |
Solheim Cup 2024 | |
Type: Winner – Status: OPEN | |
USA | -140 |
Europe | +135 |
Tie | +1200 |
Ryder Cup 2025 | |
Type: Winner – Status: OPEN | |
USA | -135 |
Europe | +135 |
Tie | +1000 |