News >> Knox Earns 2nd Career Nationwide Start

Knoxville News Sentinel Open
Fox Den Country Club
Knoxville, Tennessee
August 26-29, 2010
$500,000 Purse
 
Longs, SC…The National Golf Association’s Hooters Professional Golf Tour announced in early June that the Nationwide Tour’s Knoxville News Sentinel Open had granted an exemption into the event to The NGA Hooters Tour leading points winner over the three events at the end of July and first of August: Auburn, Alabama; Tunica, Mississippi and LaGrange, Georgia. The NGA Hooters Tour member who accumulated the most points in those three events would earn the exemption into The Knoxville News Sentinel Open at Fox Den Country Club.
 
Russell Knox of Scotland earned that exemption thanks in part to one of his most successful months of golf in his young career. Knox started his run at The Knoxville exemption the first week out with a final round 6-under par 66 in Auburn that vaulted him into a tie for third. The next week out in Tunica, Mississippi the former University of Jacksonville standout went wire to wire breaking the course record in successive rounds. For the week, Knox posted rounds of 62-61-71-65 for a four day total of twenty-nine under par and an incredible eight stroke victory.  In the final event of the series, the 2008 Rookie of the Year made the cut on the number but used a two-under par 69 in the final round to finish tied for 53rd and earn forty-two points.  For the series, Knox collected 967 points and was able to hold off a charging Grant Leaver by a mere 57 points to earn his first Nationwide start of the season.
 
“When I found out I had the exemption I was driving home from the event in Georgia and I think I was happier knowing I had this opportunity than when I won the previous week,” said Knox. “I have played well on the Hooters Tour the past three years but feel I am little behind the curve on playing on the Nationwide Tour and hopefully playing here can give me the opening to get where I want to be. The stars seem to be aligned right with me getting the Knoxville exemption with my last name and all and I just want to thank the Hooters Tour and the News Sentinel Knoxville Open committee for this opportunity.”
 
Knox will be making his second career start on The Nationwide Tour.  He missed the cut last year in Athens.
  
“The #1 goal of The Hooters Tour has always been, and always will be to help professional golfers achieve their dream of playing on The PGA Tour,” said Robin L. Waters, NGA Hooters Tour President. “Playing in The News Sentinel Knoxville Open will provide Russell invaluable experience. We would like to congratulate him on his success this season and wish him the best of luck in Knoxville.”
 
The Knoxville News Sentinel Open has long been a stepping stone for former NGA Hooters Tour players in realizing their dream of playing on the PGA Tour. Past champions include NGA Hooters Tour alumni Vaughn Taylor, Heath Slocum, Robin Freeman, Eric Johnson and Tim Conley.
 
The Knoxville Nationwide Tour stop is one of the oldest and most storied events in the tour’s history. Knoxville is joined by Boise, Idaho, Springfield, Mo. and Wichita, Kan. in having hosted a Nationwide Tour event every year since 1990. Fox Den Country Club has been the host venue in Knoxville every year since 1999.
 
The NGA/Hooters Tour is the 3rd largest men’s 72-hole professional golf tour in the country behind the PGA and Nationwide Tours, and boasts alumni like 2009 British Open winner Stewart Cink, 2009 US Open Champion Lucas Glover, 2007 Masters Champion Zach Johnson, 2003 PGA Champion Shaun Micheel, 2003 British Open winner Ben Curtis, 2003 US Open winner Jim Furyk, two time U.S. Open winner Lee Janzen, British Open and PGA Champion John Daly, as well as British Open winner Tom Lehman, PGA Champion David Toms, 2003 Tour Championship Winner Chad Campbell, 2004 & 2005 Reno Tahoe Open winner Vaughn Taylor and TPC winner Craig Perks to name just a few. All told, the NGA/Hooters Tour’s alumni have an incredible 12 “Majors” to their credit. The NGA/Hooters Tour has helped hundreds professionals acquire their PGA, Champions, and Nationwide Tour cards. In fact, 48% of the players that earned their 2010 PGA Tour card, and 53% of the players that earned full exempt status on the Nationwide Tour started their careers on the NGA/Hooters Tour.

For more information about the NGA/Hooters Tour, please visit our web site, www.HOOTERSTOUR.com.