Russell Knox took a huge step towards bagging an automatic place in next month’s European Ryder Cup team after winning the PGA Tour’s Travelers Championship in Connecticut by one shot.
The 31 year old Scot carded a final round 68 at River Highlands in Cromwell to finish on 14 under par. He claimed the title after getting up-and-down from a greenside bunker on the final hole to edge out American veteran Jerry Kelly, who shot a six-under-par 64.
Knox holds dual nationality, on account of having an America father, but has already stated that he would play for Europe if he was ever given the chance to compete in the Ryder Cup.
“I’m not sure there’s ever been someone in my position before, but I’m Scottish down to the core, so I’ll be on team Europe hopefully,” the Inverness-born Knox said.
The win lifted Knox inside the top 20 in the world rankings and gave European Ryder Cup Darren Clarke even more to think about as the final pieces of the team jigsaw begin to fall into ahead of the biennial event against the United States in Minnesota at the end of September.
Only five European players are currently ahead of Knox on the world rankings – Rory McIlroy, Henrik Stenson, Danny Willett, Sergio Garcia and Justin Rose.