Russell Knox starts married life on a positive note

MARRIED life made no difference to newlywed Russell Knox as he got off to a promising start in the RBC Heritage at Harbour Town in South Carolina.

Russell Knox. Picture: Getty

In his first outing since tying the knot with his long-time 
girlfriend, Andrea, last weekend, the 28-year-old opened with a two-under-par 69 to sit just three shots off the clubhouse lead, which was held by Matt Kuchar.

Knox, who is sitting 27th in this season’s FedEx Cup standings and is close to breaking into the world’s top 100 for the first time, signed for four birdies.

Also among the morning starters at the Hilton Head venue was Stephen Gallacher, who finished a creditable joint-34th on his Masters debut last week. Playing here on a sponsors’ invitation, Gallacher was three-over after eight holes, having started on the tenth, but dig in to card a level-par effort.

Kuchar’s 66 on a brisk, windy morning was a decent way to bounce back from the brace of bogeys that killed off his hopes of claiming the Green Jacket last weekend.

“You have a couple of days to unwind after a major, and then Thursday starts and then you’ve got a chance to play another PGA Tour event,” he admitted afterwards. “It’s pretty easy to get excited for this.”

Martin Laird, the third Scot in the field, was among the later starters along with Tom Watson and Jordan Spieth.

Still in the States, Colin Montgomerie and Sandy Lyle are both in the field for the Greater Gwinnet Championship starting today in Duluth, Georgia.