This story got a lot of run today, but it’s so deep in NLU’s alley that I just can’t sit on the sidelines. Jeff Knox is the resident “alpha male” player not only at ANGC, but also up at Peachtree GC up in Atlanta, plays to a +2.2 handicap, and holds the member’s tees course record at Augusta with a 61 (!). When everyone started buzzing about the marker making some noise with McIlroy this morning I figured he was some young try-hard. Come to find out he’s 52? Game over, this dude’s a legend.
Check out his GHIN listing below. I’m guessing his Sunday four ball group is going to demand that he enter Saturday’s score in the system. Hell, I’m sure people are accusing him of sandbagging when you compare these scores with today’s performance on one of the toughest setups imaginable…
I'd say Jeff Knox is a fairly good golfer. pic.twitter.com/16Q2lamDck
— Ashley Mayo (@AshleyKMayo) April 12, 2014
Knox went out on Saturday, and beat two time major champion, and 9th ranked player in the world Rory McIlroy, with a 2-under par 70 to Rory’s 71. He’s labeled as a non-competing marker, but try telling him that. The guy was out here spraying tour sauce after routine birdies! I’m upset there wasn’t a Bill Macatee exclusive interview in the Augusta clubhouse. As would be expected, ANGC put him into the witness protection program and shuffled him off into the abyss after his round was over, which only adds to the mystique.
There’s a backstory surrounding Knox that cements this guy’s legend status. My favorite is easily Sergio refusing to shake his hand after Knox took him behind the woodshed in the final round of the 2006 Masters. Dude just needs to go ahead and snatch the US Mid-Amateur crown so he can play this event for real one of these years.
A simple google news search on Knox yielded stories from a wide range of sources, from the New York Times to Bloomberg to Golf Digest, all drawing on a relatively limited amount of info about the man. Here’s a sampling:
Here’s the Augusta Chronicle picking up on Knox’s trail back in 2012.
From last year, here’s a bit from The Guardian providing a bit of backstory on Knox.
Yahoo!’s Devil Ball Golf had a strong take on today’s performance.
(Photo at the top courtesy of AP)