Nice round vaults Knox into top 10 at Reno-Tahoe Open

RENO — Moving day saw all sorts of action during Saturday’s third round at the Reno-Tahoe Open at Montreux Golf and Country Club.

Thirteen players posted scores of 10 or better in the Modified Stableford format to move into the top 10, and four of them moved into the top 10 as a result.

Russell Knox, a Scotland native, was one of those three and posted a 10 to move into a tie for sixth with 22 points. Joining him were Brendan Steele (17), who sits in second at 30, David Mathis (12) in third with 29 and Dicky Pride (13) in sixth with 24.

“I’ve been playing well the past couple months,” Knox said. “I expected to play well. I’ve been hitting the ball nicely, and it was good to come out with 10 points.”

After carding a 59 at the Boise Open last week on the Web.com Tour, Knox said he came to Reno with confidence. Although Knox is one of 10 professional golfers to record a 59, he said the 12th-place finish stuck with him.

Knox had a chance to break the tour record, but parred the final two holes of the second round. Despite finishing out of the top 10, Knox said he cherishes the historic round.

“My first thought is I finished 12th,” he said. “Then it kind of hits me, well, I shot 59 and that’s kind of cool. It’s something I will remember every day of my life.”

Thursday’s round was pedestrian, as he posted four points, but Knox started his roll with an eight on Friday and 10 on Saturday.

Knox’s Saturday round began with a birdie, but a roller-coaster ride from the third through sixth holes prevented him from a bigger jump on the leaderboard.

Knox bogeyed the par-3 3rd and the par-4 5th, but washed those out with birdies on Nos. 4 and 6. From there, Knox scored 3-under par for the round with birdies on Nos. 8, 13 and 15.

However, he left a golden opportunity on the green on the 601-yard par-5 18th. Knox reached the green in two, but his 75-foot eagle sailed past the hole, resting 11 feet away.

“I thought the first putt was decent … I just misjudged it,” he said.

Knox barely missed the birdie attempt and tapped in for par.

Despite the missed chance, Knox is ready for today’s final round.

“(I expect) 20 points and to lift the trophy,” he joked about his expectations. “I’ll try my best, and hopefully we’ll get something going. With this format, a little sneaky eagle can change everything.”