Jefferson B.A. Knox is an American golfer. Knox is a member of

Augusta National Golf Club Augusta National Golf Club, sometimes referred to as Augusta National, Augusta, or the National, is a golf club in Augusta, Georgia, United States. It is known for hosting the annual Masters Tournament. Founded by Bobby Jones and Clifford Rob ...

, where he holds the course record with an 11-under 61 off the member's tees. Knox is considered to be the best amateur golfer in the state of Georgia.

Personal life

Knox was born in

Thomson, Georgia Thomson (originally called Slashes) is a city and the county seat of McDuffie County, Georgia, McDuffie County, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States. The population was 6,814 at the 2020 census. Thomson's nickname is "The Camellia City of ...

. He attended Thomson High School, and the

University of Georgia The University of Georgia (UGA or Georgia) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Athens, Georgia, United States. Chartered in 1785, it is the oldest public university in th ...

, where he earned a degree in finance in 1984. Knox is a prior board member of the

Foundation and the First Bank of Georgia.

Golf career

Knox won the 1998 edition of the

Azalea Invitational The Azalea Invitational is an annual amateur golf tournament. It has been played since 1946 at the Country Club of Charleston in Charleston, South Carolina. Several past champions have subsequently gained membership to the PGA Tour, including Men ...

amateur tournament with a score of 270. He has also won the Peach Blossom Invitational and is a two-time Charlie Coe champion. He is a member of the Georgia Golf Hall of Fame. From 2002 to 2021 Knox served as the non-competitive marker for the Masters golf tournament. A non-competitive marker is a player from outside the field who is brought in when an odd number of players make the

cut Cut or CUT may refer to: Common uses * The act of cutting, the separation of an object into two through acutely directed force ** A type of wound ** Cut (archaeology), a hole dug in the past ** Cut (clothing), the style or shape of a garment ** ...

to fill out the first pairing. During his time at the Masters, Knox became known as a course specialist by beating many of the professional players he was paired with.

Notable rounds at the Masters

In 2014, Knox was paired with then world number nine

Rory McIlroy Rory Daniel McIlroy (born 4 May 1989) is a Northern Irish professional golfer who plays on the European Tour and the PGA Tour. He is a former world number one in the Official World Golf Ranking and has spent over 100 weeks in that position du ...

in the third round. Despite McIlroy finishing birdie-par-birdie-birdie and Knox bogeying the 18th hole, Knox defeated McIlroy 70 to 71. He followed that up in the fourth round by beating 1987 Masters champion

Larry Mize Lawrence Hogan Mize (born September 23, 1958) is an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour and currently plays on the Champions Tour. He is well known for one career-defining shot – a chip from off the green at the 11th hole a ...

77 to 79. McIlroy would later say that Knox was "...the best e'dever seen on Augusta's greens." In 2006, Knox was paired with

Sergio García Sergio García Fernández (; born 9 January 1980) is a Spanish professional golfer. He turned professional in 1999 and played on the European Tour and PGA Tour prior to joining LIV Golf in 2022. García has won 36 international tournaments as ...

. To make the round more interesting, the two golfers are reputed to have placed a bet on the outcome of the round. After his tee shot went into the trees on the 18th hole, García finished one over 73. Knox finished 72. García refused to shake Knox's hand after the round. After the 2006 tournament,

Jim Furyk James Michael Furyk (born May 12, 1970) is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour and the PGA Tour Champions. In 2010, he was the FedEx Cup champion and PGA Tour Player of the Year. He has won one major championship, the 2 ...

said that Knox could "beat half the field who made the cut." In 2008, Knox was paired with

Miguel Ángel Jiménez Miguel Ángel Jiménez Rodríguez (born 5 January 1964) is a Spanish professional golfer. He has won 21 times on the European Tour, holds the records for the most starts on the European Tour and being the first player over 50 to win on the Euro ...

. On the first hole, Jiménez drove a long tee shot straight down the fairway. Knox promptly outdrove him. Following this, Jiménez is reputed to have turned to Knox and told him not to outdrive him again. Knox did so again on the 10th hole. In 2018, he made the only Saturday birdie on the 11th hole. Knox has played rounds at the Masters with

Keegan Bradley Keegan Hansen Bradley (born June 7, 1986) is an American professional golfer who competes on the PGA Tour. He has won seven tour events, most notably the 2011 PGA Championship. He is one of six golfers to win in his major debut, along with Ben ...

Bubba Watson Gerry Lester "Bubba" Watson Jr. (born November 5, 1978) is an American professional golfer. He has two major championships, with victories at the Masters Tournament in 2012 and 2014, and a total of 12 PGA Tour wins. In February 2015, Watson reac ...

Craig Stadler Craig Robert Stadler (born June 2, 1953) is an American professional golfer who has won numerous tournaments at both the PGA Tour and Champions Tour level, including one major championship, the 1982 Masters Tournament. Early life Stadler was bo ...

Kelly Kraft Kelly James Kraft (born October 5, 1988) is an American professional golfer. Amateur career Kraft was born in Denton, Texas. During his final year at Billy Ryan High School, 2006–07, Kraft served as team captain while earning All-District ho ...

Jason Day Jason Anthony Day (born 12 November 1987) is an Australian professional golfer. Day had early success as a professional, earning PGA Tour membership in his teens and winning an event in his third season, the HP Byron Nelson Championship. In 20 ...

Ernie Els Theodore Ernest Els (; born 17 October 1969) is a South African professional golfer. A former , he is nicknamed "the Big Easy" due to his physical stature along with his fluid golf swing. Among his more than 70 career victories are four major ...

Eddie Pepperell Edward Louis Pepperell (born 22 January 1991) is an English professional golfer who plays on the European Tour. In February 2018, he won his first European Tour event at the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters. In October 2018, he won his second Europe ...

and Kang Sung-hoon among others. Several notable golfers, including

Phil Mickelson Philip Alfred Mickelson (born June 16, 1970) is an American professional golfer who currently plays in the LIV Golf League. He has won 45 events on the PGA Tour, including six Men's major golf championships, major championships: three Masters ...

and

Tiger Woods Eldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods (born December 30, 1975) is an American professional golfer. He is tied for first in List of golfers with most PGA Tour wins, PGA Tour wins, ranks second in List of men's major championships winning golfers, men's m ...

, have sought out Knox for his expertise before playing at Augusta.

Charitable works

Knox oversees the Knox Foundation, which was started with the purpose of giving back to charitable organizations and building up supportive funds for non-profit groups in the Augusta community.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Knox, Jeff American male golfers Living people Year of birth missing (living people)