Travelers Championship
Sunday, August 7, 2016
Russell Knox
Press Conference
AMANDA HERRINGTON: We'd like to welcome our 2016 Travelers Championship winner Russell Knox, now a two-time winner on the PGA TOUR, fielded in dramatic fashion with an epic par on the final hole and an excellent hat throw I might add. How is it feeling, Russell?
RUSSELL KNOX: Yeah, it's amazing. I mean, golf is so difficult, you lose every week pretty much, and to make that putt, I mean, it's just the greatest feeling ever. I wish I could share it with you.
AMANDA HERRINGTON: Besides the mathematics of it, what's the difference between being a one-time PGA TOUR winner and two-time?
RUSSELL KNOX: Yeah, I think it's big. I'm not saying everyone can win a tournament. I mean, it's -- four days, you can finish first. You can get hot. But if you do it again, then it's like, okay, well now I can start believing in myself even more and be like, okay, I've beaten everyone over four days two times now.
I think it was big for me. I made it a big deal. I finished second three times since I've won, and I mean, I really wanted to get another one so I could really show myself that I can win multiple times. And to do it in one season is pretty amazing.
Q. Had you ever made a putt like that before to win a tournament or close to that? Had it ever happened before?
RUSSELL KNOX: No. When I won on the Web.com, I two-putted and won by two or three. When I won in China, I two-putted and won by two, I think, and then I did have a putt to win in México at Mayakoba at the end of last year. I missed, and then I lost in a playoff. So I told myself while I walked into the putt, don't miss this putt again. I've been on the bad end of it, so I mean, everybody dreams of making a putt on the last hole to win a tournament, and I just kept telling myself, this is your chance to make a putt, to have a great celebration and hear the roars, and I'm glad it went in.
Q. I wanted to get your thoughts on Jim Furyk's 58, and with the way this played out, do you feel like you kind of share the spotlight with him?
RUSSELL KNOX: Heck no. I dominated him. (Laughter.) I guarantee you he would trade places very quickly with me.
But no, I mean, I'm friends with Jim. We live close to each other. I was very jealous of him. I wanted to be the first person to break 60 two times. I shot 59 a few years back in Boise on the Web.com, and I mean, for -- I woke up this morning and was looking at the scores on my phone, and all of a sudden I saw he was 10-under after 11, I think, and I was like, man, he's going to shoot -- I don't know what he's going to shoot, 55. But no, I'm very happy for him, and it couldn't happen to a nicer guy. He's the best.
Q. The other day you called yourself a beast. When did you become a beast, and do you feel more beastly now?
RUSSELL KNOX: Yeah, I'm a bigger beast now for making that putt. I don't know where that came from. It just came out.
I've joked with a few people that I'm a beast, and I think it's because I'm the opposite of a beast, to be honest.
But no, maybe I am a beast, maybe because it worked. If I keep saying it, maybe I'll win more. Yeah, I'm not really sure where that came from.
Q. That last hole, where does that rank on the best pars you've ever made in your life?
RUSSELL KNOX: The top. I mean, it's so hard. The tee shot today was much harder today than the first three days, the wind direction. I was able just to smash it over the right bunker the last three days, and it was just a little in off the left, and it's a tough wind for me, and I made a pathetic swing. It's one of those holes if you hit the fairway it's a very easy par and if you miss the fairway it's an extremely difficult par. I knew I had my work cut out, and I just needed to hit one good shot on the hole to make a par, and fortunately it was the putt.
Q. Just tell us what you saw as you were looking at the putt, how you lined it up and what the degree of difficulty is that you'd give to your putt.
RUSSELL KNOX: It was very -- it was a weird putt to be honest because the hole was in a shadow from one of the grandstands about two feet short of the cup, so it was kind of tricky to see the break, to be honest. My caddie had been reading a few of my putts for me, and we probably hadn't done a very good job. Right before I asked him what he was going to -- what he thought, how much break, I told him, I got it, because I didn't want to hear what he had to say in case it was slightly different from what I was thinking. I just trusted my read, and it was just a nice gentle, right-to-left putt, and I saw when Daniel Berger putted down, I thought he had left it a mile short, and it just kept rolling and rolling and rolling. I said, well, if his putt was so fast, mine had to break even more than maybe I thought.
I played it just a little higher to the right, and about halfway I had a good feeling it was right in the middle.
Q. How long have you been working on that celebratory hat toss?
RUSSELL KNOX: Fred Funk is my idol, so he -- fellow Ponte Vedra person. Of course when he won THE PLAYERS he had the famous hat throw, and then Tiger has obviously done it at Bay Hill once or twice. I think Aaron Baddeley might have chucked it a few weeks ago when he won.
I mean, it's one of those things, you're never thinking, okay, if this goes in I'm going to throw my hat. But I felt like the Incredible Hulk when it went in. I could have ripped my shirt off.
Q. Thank you for not doing that.
RUSSELL KNOX: There's a six-pack under here.
Q. Not that you're thinking about it in the moment, but Ryder Cup, do you feel like this made it enough of a statement to garner a pick? I know there's still some time left, but do you think you would be in if it wasn't for the technicality of not being a member, Shanghai?
RUSSELL KNOX: I thought about it on the last tee to be honest. I knew by winning this tournament, it's put Darren Clarke in a very difficult position not to pick me. I think -- but I mean, it's his decision. If I don't make the team, I can't think I'm worthy of a pick. It's his decision. He can pick whoever he wants, and that's the luxury of it. If I make the top nine, then I deserve to be on the team. If I'm No. 10, he can quite happily pass on me, and that's just the way it is.
Yeah, I mean, if my points would have counted in Shanghai and that puts me on the team, pretty hard position for him not to pick me. If I would have made it, if I was a member. But like I said, I hope I'm on the team. I would love to be there. It would be a huge honor. Maybe -- holing nice putts like that obviously helps.
Q. Can we claim you eminent domain if they don't take you?
RUSSELL KNOX: I am a U.S. citizen. My dad was born in California, so I have dual nationality. I'm not sure if there's ever been someone in my position before. But no, I'm Scottish down to the core, so I'll be on Team Europe hopefully.
Q. How does it feel to make it to your first TOUR Championship, too, and make it into that top 30 of the FedExCup?
RUSSELL KNOX: Yeah, that's going to be sweet. Louis is my good-luck charm. We ate dinner with him last night at a fine Mexican establishment, so he'll be traveling with me hopefully, dinner on Saturday nights. But no, the TOUR Championship was my main goal starting the year. I wanted to -- I failed the last two years to make it there. I was close, but it was a huge goal of mine. I mean, you get to play in all the majors obviously, WGCs, so yeah, to get into the TOUR Championship was big.
I've been stressing a little bit about it. I wanted 1,500 points before the FedEx Playoffs started, and going into this week, I think I had 1,502 or something. Technically I didn't need to play. I'm glad I did. No, it'll be a dream come true to make it there, and now let's go win the thing.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports
Rev #1 by #166 at 2016-08-07 22:53:00 GMT
