Russell Knox will make his first appearance as a full European Tour Member in this week’s Nedbank Golf Challenge, a month after his career-changing victory in the WGC-HSBC Champions.
The Scotsman, who has made his home in the USA after studying at college in Florida, decided to take up European Tour Membership for the first time in 2016 following the win in China, stating his desire to qualify for the European Ryder Cup team.
With US$6.5million on offer at the Gary Player Country Club in Sun City this week – not to mention the World Ranking points on offer – Knox could take a big step towards that goal with a strong debut performance.
“I’m thrilled to be here,” said the 30 year old. “It’s my first event as a European Tour Member and it’s my first time ever to South Africa, so it’s a pretty cool week for me.
“It’s a beautiful country and a beautiful place.
Russell Knox
"It feels like I’m on vacation – it’s a shame I have to play golf! Seriously though, it’s a big event and is a great opportunity to get some points on the board early in the season. It’s a fantastic way to finish the year.”
He added: “The course is hard. I’ve looked at the scores from previous years and I don’t know how on earth I’m going to shoot 20 under par round here.”
Knox is one of 14 players making their Nedbank Golf Challenge debut, and all will be hoping to emulate Danny Willett, who won on his first appearance in the tournament last year.
Korean Byeong Hun An, England’s Matthew Fitzpatrick and Austrian Bernd Wiesberger are also among that group having all enjoyed brilliant 2015 campaigns.
Fitzpatrick, who won the British Masters supported by Sky Sports in October, said: “I’m definitely happy to be here. I’ve heard so many good things about the place, so it’s nice to be part of it.
“I finished off my year pretty well and I’m looking to start the new season the same way. Obviously that’s the plan. We’ll see what happens.”
An, the reigning BMW PGA Champion who has had three top four finishes in his last four events, added: “I just want to keep the momentum going, having played well for the last four weeks. I hope I get another win this week.
“You can’t get any better than this – you’ve got everything here – water park, nice hotels, good views, safaris and a great golf course.
Byeong Hun An
“I like the course. It’s not easy. You’ve got to place the ball well off the tee and you’ve got be really precise with the second shots as well. It’s going to be fun.”
