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Watch Russell Knox make an albatross at the Valspar Championship

March 21, 2019
Farmers Insurance Open - Round One

Jeff Gross

Russell Knox turned in four-under performance on Thursday at the Valspar Championship. The Scotsman was three under on one hole.

Knox was one over during his trek around the Copperhead Course on Thursday morning until he reached the par-5 11th. Despite a 300-yard drive that found the fairway, the 33-year-old was still 275 yards out. Even by the long ball standards of tour players, not exactly a distance that gives the green light.

But Knox eschewed the lay up for a 3-wood, a move that delivered immediate dividends in the form of an albatross:

At least, we're told it's an albatross. The video's not exactly offering indisputable evidence, is it? Would be something if the tour, in order to distract from March Madness, staged an albatross like the moon landing.

For his part, Knox couldn't see the ball go in. Didn't need to, thanks to the gallery surrounding the 11th green.

"There was probably, had to be 15, 20, 25 people there," Knox said. "So everyone, everyone cheered, but I mean from 270 yards you're like, did it really go in? Maybe it's just a foot away or something. But, no, it went in and I was, we were joking the whole way up."

Amazingly, it's Knox's second career albatross, his first coming 20 years ago.

"Yeah, it was at my home course growing up Nairn Dunbar Golf Club," Knox said. "It was on the last hole. I hit driver, 6-iron, it was a shortish par-5, just under 500 yards. But you couldn't see, you kind of hit up over a hill and there's a huge gully in the green and it went in. I actually looked out of bounds over the green before I even looked into the hole then, so that was nice to go in."

In a bit of providence, Knox won that tournament by one shot. Currently just a stroke out of the lead at Innisbrook, would be serendipity if the same fortune awaits this weekend.