Back to the Golf Newsfeed

Defending champ Knox fades after 'horrendous' close

Russell Knox had a chance to successfully defend his first career PGA Tour title before a "horrendous" final round left him well off the pace at the WGC-HSBC Champions.

Knox was three shots behind Hideki Matsuyama after 54 holes and played alongside the eventual winner during the final round. While Matsuyama got off to a strong start with three birdies over his first seven holes, Knox stumbled to four straight bogeys on Nos. 8-11 to essentially shoot his way out of the tournament. He carded a 2-over 74 in the final round at Sheshan International and finished in a tie for ninth alongside Sergio Garcia, 11 shots behind Matsuyama.