Golf

Russell Knox ‘very disappointed’ to miss out on Ryder Cup wildcard

Europe’s top earner and world No 20 has had a trying week

Russell Knox plays a shot on the 13th hole during the first round of the Deutsche Bank Championship at TPC Boston in Norton, Massachusetts. Photograph: David Cannon/Getty Images
Russell Knox plays a shot on the 13th hole during the first round of the Deutsche Bank Championship at TPC Boston in Norton, Massachusetts. Photograph: David Cannon/Getty Images
Peter May
Sun Sept 04 2016 - 11:27

Two holes before he finished his opening round at the Deutsche Bank Championship on Friday, Russell Knox sought out his wife, Andrea, in the gallery. He told her he needed to see a doctor. His wife was not surprised. Both had been ill last week, when Knox struggled to a tie for 60th at the Barclays. Knox's wife knew something was still amiss as she watched her husband struggle – five bogeys on a spectacular day and on a layout accurately described by Rory McIlroy as "scorable."

For Knox, the round of two-over-par 73 was the inevitable byproduct of a whirlwind week of outings, an illness that has not subsided, and the disappointing news that he would not be a member of Team Europe for the 2016 Ryder Cup this month.

All in all, this is shaping up to be a week Knox would just as soon forget. He will probably shake his illness, and he may well be a factor in the remaining FedEx Cup tournaments. But the sting of not being chosen for Team Europe lingers, even as Knox publicly takes the high road. Privately, friends said he was stunned and hurt when he got the call from Darren Clarke, Team Europe's captain.

“It has been difficult,” he said Friday after his round. “Obviously, I was very disappointed to get the call telling me I wasn’t on the team. It was a very short call. But at the same time, I’ve got to respect the decision-making process of Darren and his team.”

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Before the Barclays, Knox, a 31-year-old native of Scotland, was No 4 in the FedEx Cup rankings. He is now No 7. He has two wins and two second-place finishes on the PGA Tour this year. He has a world ranking of 20, and only five Europeans are ranked higher. He is the top-ranked European in official earnings, with nearly $4.8 million.

But Knox did not automatically qualify for the European team because he did not play enough events on the European Tour. He competed in only four, though he was the runner-up to McIlroy in one of them – the Irish Open. That put his decision in the hands of Clarke, who used his captain's picks on Ryder Cup veterans Lee Westwood and Martin Kaymer along with rookie Thomas Pieters, who won the Made in Denmark tournament last Sunday. All three play extensively, though not exclusively, on the European Tour. Kaymer competed in 10 PGA events this year, Westwood in seven and Pieters in five. None are here this week.

"I've been on both sides of this," said Paul Casey, a former European Ryder Cup player whose five-under 66 here Friday left him one stroke behind the co-leaders, James Hahn and Ryan Moore. "I've been in Russell's position and I've also received a pick. So I totally get it. Everybody feels for Russell. Even the guys on the team feel for Russell."

Knox’s two victories this season came nine months apart. He won one of the World Golf Championship tournaments – the HSBC Champions in China in November. Had he been a European Tour member, that win would have given him enough points to qualify. A week later, he lost in a playoff to Graeme McDowell at the OHL Classic in Mexico.

Knox also won the Travelers Championship last month outside Hartford, Connecticut, a victory that was overshadowed in part by Jim Furyk's closing-round 58. He finished second to Branden Grace at the Heritage in April. It looks like an impressive resume.

“If I was Russell Knox right now, I’d be feeling very hard done by with the year that he’s had,” McIlroy said. Knox said he was trying to focus on a strong finish to the season. He said he would feel that way with or without the Ryder Cup. He is guaranteed a spot in the remaining FedEx tournaments – the BMW Championship next week in Indiana and the Tour Championship in Atlanta from September 22nd-25th. The Ryder Cup will be played the week after that.

Knox is also aware of, but is not condoning, a covert, albeit fanciful operation begun by his friends to have him chosen for the US Ryder Cup team. Knox has lived in the United States since attending Jacksonville University and has dual citizenship. His father was born in the United States.

Despite his illness, Knox chuckled when presented with the thought of receiving an invitation from Davis Love III, captain of the US Ryder Cup team. "I know a few people have been talking about it, and I am a US citizen," Knox said, "but no, that's not going to happen."

(New York Times service)