‘Confident’ Colt Knost feels good about his game going into Colonial
Colt Knost is playing the best golf of his career and is confident that will carry over when the PGA Tour makes its annual stop at Colonial Country Club for the Dean & DeLuca Invitational.
Knost, the former SMU golfer who recently relocated from the DFW area to Scottsdale, Ariz., posted an impressive 5-under 65 to finish tied for fourth at the AT&T Byron Nelson on Sunday.
That comes on the heels of his finishing tied for third at The Players Championship. Knost didn’t take long to look ahead to Colonial.
“Got a lot of confidence right now and kind of want to keep carrying it over and give myself a good chance at Colonial next week,” Knost said. “My game is just — it’s great right now.”
Knost closed his Sunday round birdie-birdie and ended up in a group of six tied for fourth at 13-under. These are the types of finishes most expected by Knost when he turned pro in 2007 after winning the U.S. Amateur.
Got a lot of confidence right now and kind of want to keep carrying it over and give myself a good chance at Colonial next week. My game is just — it’s great right now.
Colt Knost
By turning pro, though, Knost forfeited invitations to three majors — the Masters, the U.S. Open and the British Open — with the mindset that he would be successful enough as a pro that he’d play in them eventually.
But now at age 30, Knost has played in only one major, the 2012 U.S. Open. But he appears to be peaking at the right time and maybe will earn more major opportunities in the near future.
He credited his recent string of success to taking a couple weeks off last month for a thumb injury, something that allowed him to rest and rejuvenate.
“I’m a guy who likes to play a lot. Maybe I need to take some time off,” said Knost, who played in 29 events last year.
“Probably the best thing that could have happened, taking two weeks off. Refreshed … just keep this confidence going.”
Knost acknowledged that he puts pressure on himself to play well in the Nelson and Colonial, as he has family and friends in the area. He was pleased with his performances a year ago by finishing tied for 10th in each event, and now he has a chance for a pair of top-fives.
“You put a little pressure on yourself, but the last few years have been awesome,” Knost said. “If I can cut out a few little mistakes here and there, I know I’ll have a chance to win.”
Flatstick dooms Kuchar
Matt Kuchar couldn’t help but wonder “what if” following his round on Sunday. He finished a stroke back of the leaders but felt he had plenty of chances throughout his round.
He just couldn’t seem to get putts to drop at the right time, as he needed 29 strokes on the green.
“As you look back on today and all the putts that seemed to go by, I was awfully frustrated,” Kuchar said. “I had so many that just slipped by and a lot of good putts, which was frustrating. But I look back on the week and I made a lot early in the week, so they tend to even out.”
The third-place finish is a career best for Kuchar in nine starts at the Nelson.
Local roundup
▪ Colleyville resident Chad Campbell ranked as Tarrant County’s best player at the Nelson, finishing tied for 12th. He fired a 2-under 68 on Sunday for his best finish at the event since 2006 (fifth).
▪ TCU ex Tom Hoge had a forgettable Sunday, posting a 4-over 74 and tying for 49th. Mansfield High graduate Martin Flores had a 2-over 72 and finished tied for 63rd.
▪ Fort Worth resident and TCU grad J.J. Henry carded a 1-over 71 and finished tied for 66th.
This story was originally published May 22, 2016 at 9:10 PM with the headline "‘Confident’ Colt Knost feels good about his game going into Colonial."