He came from Dundonald feeling as if he had been “punched over and over.”
But Russell Knox is ready to fight back at Royal Birkdale.
A frustrating spell of form has seen Scotland’s number one golfer fall from 18th in the world rankings to 47th and hopes that getting home turf under his spikes would spark an instant improvement were dashed by a missed cut at the Scottish Open – his ninth out of 17 this season.
Patience was being tested.
Open week has brought a bit of perspective for Knox, though, who has settled on a path of least change as the way out of this golfing wilderness.
“There is no panic,” he said. “I mean, it’s not like I’m losing my card. I’ve still got many years of exemption left, which is nice.
“It sucks to miss the cut, especially in the Scottish Open. I mean, I played nicely on the Friday and might have moved up over the weekend, in tough conditions.
“It was really disappointing to miss the cut but that’s the way things have gone recently. It can turn around quickly.
“I just don’t need to rush to change things. Some people, when they’re struggling a bit, they start swapping equipment, getting a new coach here or there.
“I think I just need to stay on the course and keep battling away. Seriously, it’s the difference between hitting one good shot and one bad shot a round.
“That could make the world of difference. So I’ll stick at it. I’m looking forward to the battle.”
Knox added: “I’m playing better than I’m scoring at the moment. For months now, that’s been the case.
“Around the green, I’ve been a little untidy and hit the occasional poor shot. I’m very optimistic that things are going to improve.
“There is nothing wrong with my game. I just need to find a way to score better.”
Knox does a good job of keeping his emotions in check on the course but he revealed that it hasn’t always been that way.
“It’s hard,” he admitted. “I mean, every golfer finds that hard.
“In the past, I’ve had a real temper. Over the past couple of years, I’ve worked to remain more calm.
“But I’m still mad inside, especially missing cuts.
“When that happens, you want to snap every club in your bag. But that’s not going to help.
“I try to stay even. Maybe being calm isn’t working and I’ll have a good club throw this week!”
Seven is far from the worst head count for Scots in an Open in recent times but none are leaping out as Claret Jug contenders.
Knox is adamant he isn’t in Southport just to make a cut and stop the bleeding, however. He’s here to win.
“I sure hope I’m serious about challenging,” he said. “I mean, I’m capable of it.
“For me, it’s all going to be about the first round, just getting off to a good start.
“It’s been a long time since I shot a good score and sat in the top 10 or 20 after the opening round.
“It would be nice to play my way into contention early. And I have a chance, playing early on Thursday morning.
“Then, you never know. I mean, I’ve beaten everyone in this field before. There is no reason why I can’t do it again.”
There certainly won’t be any complaints from Knox about the venue.
“This is definitely in my top three links courses,” he said. “It could be the very best. I think everyone would say that, because it’s just unbelievable.
“And I think it does suit my eye. There is a lot of hitting into areas, so it takes away the long hitters’ advantage on a lot of holes.
“You still have to keep it out of the bunkers and it’s really a mid-iron course. That has been my strength in the past.
“I drove the ball fairly decent last week and have been pretty good in practice. It would be nice to have a week of striping it down the middle at every hole. It would make a huge difference here.
“I played nine holes on Sunday, 18 on Monday and 18 on Tuesday. That’s the most I’ve ever practised before any major.
“I’ve only been to the range to warm up. I don’t want to practice on the range this week. I’m hitting it fine, just messing up scoring. So I’ve been practising on the course.
“I would say I’ve prepared really well. I’m happy with the way I feel right now.”
