Russell Knox talks about his experience at the Kentucky Derby

Scotland’s Russell Knox, now residing in Jacksonville Beach, Florida, is a two-time PGA TOUR winner. He turned professional in 2007 and made his mark on the Web.com Tour, shooting a rare 59 at the 2013 Albertsons Boise Open presented by Kraft Nabisco. On the PGA TOUR, Knox became the first Scottish golfer to claim a World Golf Championships title, defeating Kevin Kisner by two strokes at the 2015 WGC-HSBC Champions. His second PGA TOUR victory came at the 2016 Travelers Championship, where he celebrated with an epic hat toss after holing the winning putt. Knox was named Scottish Player of the Year in front of 650 guests at an awards ceremony in Edinburgh in March 2016, an honor accepted by his radio DJ sister, Diane, who co-hosted the event. Although Knox’s childhood nickname was “Roo,” he recently spent a day with horses when he and wife, Andrea, took their first trip to the Kentucky Derby. We caught up with him at THE PLAYERS Championship two days after the race where he shared some thoughts on the experience. Question: Was this the first time at the Kentucky Derby for you? Russell Knox: “It was the first time. My wife has been at me for a few years now to go. I always wanted to go. I always thought it would be cool to experience it but I wasn’t really in a rush. I’m very fortunate to be associated with Vineyard Vines clothing company and they’re heavily involved with the Kentucky Derby, so we asked them for tickets and we went. It was a blast. We really did have a good time.â€� Q: Was the timing not convenient to attend in the past? Russell Knox: “I’d played the Wells Fargo Championship the last few years which coincides with the Derby and it’s tough to schedule an event like going to the Derby when you know you might be playing golf, but this year I knew I was taking that week off and everything just worked out so it was perfect timing for us.â€� Q: Are you a horse-racing fan? Russell Knox: “Not really. I mean, I started watching the Derby when I was playing on the mini-tours and we used to play a tournament just north of Augusta at a place called Savannah Lakes in South Carolina and the people I stayed with that week were from Louisville. It just so happened it was the week of the Derby. Of course, they had it on television so that was my first introduction to it. Since then, I’ve always tuned in to it on television. I’m not a super-big horse-racing fan but the whole experience was amazing, What a place.â€� Q: Did you place a bet? Who did you back? Russell Knox: “I did. I bet Bolt d’Oro and he was 8-1 and he did not win me any money. The whole experience of the races leading up to the Derby was pretty cool. It’s a giant party with 14 races in the day. It was probably just like I expected it to be. It was awesome.â€� Q: Was there something that stood out? Sights, sounds, smells? Russell Knox: “Unfortunately, it rained all day for us, so that was kind of a bummer. Our experience would have differed slightly if it was sunny. There were concerts and activities happening and we probably would have tripped around a little bit more and experienced some of that, but because it was raining we would have gotten soaked if we’d ventured out from our covered seats. That part of it was a little bit of a downer, but it was busy – a lot of people, a lot of cool outfits. I was dressed brightly and a lot of ladies were ‘dressed to the nines’ as they say.â€� Q: The race occurred on Cinco de Mayo this year. Are you a tequila guy or a bourbon guy? Russell Knox: “I don’t really dabble into that much, but I’ll admit I did have a mint julep or two. I expected it to be a fruity drink, but it wasn’t. You definitely get a good taste of bourbon when you have a mint julep. I had a few, but mostly just to cheer on the horses.â€� Q: Did you run into any celebrities or other PGA TOUR professionals? Russell Knox: “I didn’t run into anyone but a did speak with Justin Thomas a few weeks before the race. He told me we were going to have an amazing time because, being from Kentucky, he’d been to the race in previous years. So, I knew we were going to have a good time before we went.â€� Q: How would you compare the atmosphere of the Kentucky Derby to other major sporting events? Russell Knox: “I saw it similar to two events. I’ve been to Wimbledon once. The Masters at Augusta National is the other. I thought it was kind of on that same level because every year it’s the same location. You know it’s going to be there. They can prepare accordingly, everything’s ready, the hype, and there’s so much history. I mean, it was the 144th running of the race. I think I played in the 144th Open Championship as well, so that was a pretty cool connection for me. The history involved in going back to the same place, the traditions like seeing the owners and all the connections walk down the track with the horses, that was pretty cool. You could sense that aura when you’re there.â€� Q: Last question. Would you rather wear the silks of the winning jockey and claim the Kentucky Derby or lift the FedExCup on the PGA TOUR? Russell Knox: “I’ll take that FedExCup trophy. And the bonus that comes with it. All day.â€�  

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