8am Round-Up: Russell Knox to play in Tiger Woods' event

Russell Knox has s another four events to play before the end of the year. Picture: AP

Knox, who tied for ninth in his defence of the WGC-HSBC Champions title in Shanghai on Sunday, is having this week off. The world No 19 returns to action in next week’s OHL Classic at Mayakoba, the event he finished runner-up to Graeme McDowell in Mexico 12 months ago.

Knox then heads to Australia for the World Cup in Melbourne, where he is joining forces with his old Jacksonville University team-mate, Duncan Stewart.

The Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas on December 1-4 is next up for the Scot after that before he brings his 2016 calendar campaign to a conclusion in the Franklin Templeton Shootout at Naples in Florida.

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A total of 21 Scots will compete in this week’s second stage of the European Tour Qualifying School in Spain.

The 14 players successful in the first-stage events in September and October have now been joined among the hopefuls by a variety of players.

Andrew McArthur, for instance, finds himself back at the coalface after finishing 204th in the European Tour’s Race to Dubai this season.

Ross Kellett, David Law and Paul Shields are also heading to Spain after falling short with their targets on the Challenge Tour this season.

Having finished 48th in the Road to Oman, Kellett has at least secured full playing rights on the second-tier circuit next year but is still hoping to turn that into a European Tour card.

Also joining the “Tartan Army” at the second stage is Scott Drummond, who is presumably exempt on the strength of his 2004 BMW PGA Championship victory.

The 42-year-old is making his bid to return to the European Tour at Las Colinas, where he will be joined by first-stage winner Bradley Neil as well as Paul Ferrier, Grant Forrest, Danny Kay and Peter Whiteford.

Kellett and Law are both at Lumine Golf, as are Sam Kiloh, Jamie Savage and Daniel Young, while McArthur and Shields join Chris Doak, Jack Doherty and Tom Higson at Panoramica.

El Saler, the last of the four venues, has Wallace Booth, Ewen Ferguson, amateur Liam Johnson, Jack McDonald and Chris Robb in its field.

The second stage starts on Friday and is over 72 holes.

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Paul Doherty is still in with a chance of winning the MENA Tour’s Tour Championship heading into the final round in Oman today.

The former Scottish Boys champion followed up his opening 68 with a 71 to sit joint-sixth at Muscat Hills on five-under.

He trails leader Max Williams by just three shots after the Englishman carded a second consecutive 68.

Rayhan Thomas, the Indian teenager who won the Scottish Boys’ Stroke-Play Championship at Lanark this year, is also in contention on four-under.

Clarke Lutton, the only Scot other than Doherty in the season-ending event, opened with rounds of 75 and 72.