Insider: Knost felt like he 'grew up a lot' Sunday at Daniel Island

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The task was clearly in front of Colt Knost at the Nationwide Tour Championship at Daniel Island late last month. There was no gray area; he knew what he needed to do.

Sitting outside the top 25 on the money list, Knost, a 25-year-old considered one of the best ball strikers on Tour, was staring at the prospect of going to the final stage of q-school. But he didn't buckle under the pressure and put together one of his best weeks of the season.

"Just in time" would likely be the story of Knost's year.

"I knew on Sunday (Oct. 31) what I had to do and to get it done like that was very gratifying," said Knost, who moved up to 15th on the money list when he lost in a playoff to Brendan Steele at the Nationwide Tour Championship.

It was more than enough to earn a return trip to the PGA TOUR in 2011. Knost was one of four players -- along with Steele, Joe Affrunti and David Hearn -- who came through with some serious cash at Daniel Island to move into the magical top 25 and earn their TOUR cards.

There was definitely some extra pressure to perform but Knost said past experience helped him get it done.

"Sunday was definitely the hardest part because everything was on the line and I knew what I had to do," Knost said. "I felt like I handled myself very well, a lot better than I had in the past. I feel like I grew up a lot on Sunday."

Knost said getting a chance to play on the PGA TOURr again is a dream come true. He was a rookie on TOUR in 2009 but finished a distant 193rd on the money list.

"Getting out there is the hard part and getting to the PGA TOUR again was something that I had really set my sights on," Knost said. "And it meant so much to me to pull that off."

It wasn't looking good for Knost, a former Southern Methodist star and a winner of the 2007 U.S. Amateur, late in the season, though. He arrived at the Winn-Dixie Jacksonville Open in need of a good finish and wound up tied for 11th. Then he followed that up with an even better performance at the Nationwide Tour Championship.

It was a nice rally late in the season. Knost said his teacher, Randy Smith, the head the head pro at Royal Oaks Country Club in Dallas where Knost lives, was a big help. Knost is one of 15 Nationwide Tour grads under the age of 30 who will be on the PGA TOUR in 2011.

"I think it's great and I think it's probably one of the youngest classes to ever graduate," Knost said. "That's what the game needs for the young guys to step up -- just like Rickie Fowler did last year. So I think it's going to be very exciting."

Knost says he has learned plenty since his first go-around on the PGA TOUR, and it's because of the Nationwide Tour that he'll be more at ease in 2011.

"I've never been very consistent in making a lot of cuts in three years as a pro," Knost said. "I think I maybe got caught up in a lot of stuff that was going on around me and you can't do that. I continue to get better every year, that's the way I felt.

"I think getting kicked around on the PGA TOUR made me go out and work even harder this year on the Nationwide Tour."

After pulling off the late season rally Knost didn't do much of anything for a week. But now he's already working with a personal trainer and starting to plan for his second season on TOUR.

"The Nationwide Tour has been great for me," Knost said. "It teaches you how to mature and how to live the life you need to live when you are on the PGA TOUR. It's tough being on the road a long time without your family and you have to figure all of that out on your own."

He hopes that being more consistent with his putting will be the answer for him next year. Knost made 11 cuts in 24 starts on TOUR in 2009. His best finish was a tie for 25th at the Bob Hope Classic and he ranked 130th in total putting.

Knost managed four top-10s on the Nationwide Tour this year with three of those finishes third or better.

"Honestly, I played a lot better than my results showed," Knost said. "I'm obviously happy I graduated but I felt like I didn't get a lot out of my rounds and my putting was very streaky. I'll have to be more consistent on that and as far as ball striking I really improved on that this past season."

Much was made about Knost's decision to give up his amateur status in September of 2007 because by doing so he would forgo a chance to play at the Masters, U.S. Open and British Open courtesy of that win in the U.S. Amateur. He figured he'd eventually play his way into the majors as a pro, but it hasn't happened yet.

Knost will get another chance next season. In the meantime he'll have a stress-free couple of months, thanks to locking up his PGA TOUR card.

"That's a big stress relief, I did not want to go through that again at the final stage," Knost said. "It was nice to get that wrapped up and I could have a couple of months off.

"I'm going to watch q-school unfold on TV and cheer on some of my friends to do well while I'm at home at Dallas."

John Dell has covered golf for the Winston-Salem Journal in North Carolina for the last 17 years. His views do not necessarily represent the views of the PGA TOUR.