Colt Knost Facts: 20 Things You Didn't Know About The CBS Reporter

Colt Knost was a standout amateur before playing on the PGA Tour and then making the move to broadcasting

Colt Knost seen on-course reporting during a PGA Tour event
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Colt Knost was a standout amateur at SMU where he won the US Amateur and Walker Cup as well as reaching the No.1 spot in the World Amateur Golf Ranking.

He went on to play professionally on the PGA Tour before retiring in 2020 and making the move to broadcasting as part of the CBS Sports Golf team.

Get to know the American better with these 20 facts:

1. He was born in Ohio and grew up in Texas.

2. He lived in Dallas, Texas but now bases himself in Scottsdale, Arizona.

3. He attended the Southern Methodist University. He won 13 team tournament championships with SMU including three straight conference titles from 2004-2006. He was an All-American and conference golfer of the year in 2007 and was inducted into the SMU Hall of Fame in 2020.

4. He won the 2007 US Amateur Championship, beating Michael Thompson 2&1 in the final at San Francisco's Olympic Club.

5. He also won the 2007 US Amateur Public Links Championship, an event the USGA discontinued in 2014. Previous winners of the event included Trevor Immelman, Tim Clark, Brandt Snedeker, Ryan Moore, Chez Reavie and Hunter Mahan.

The 2007 USA Walker Cup team with the trophy

Knost (front right) and the rest of Team USA after winning the 2007 Walker Cup at Royal County Down in Northern Ireland

(Image credit: Getty Images)

6. He was also part of the USA's victorious 2007 Walker Cup team alongside the likes of Dustin Johnson, Rickie Fowler, Webb Simpson and Billy Horschel.

7. He is one of just three players to win three USGA events in one year. Bobby Jones in 1930 and Jay Sigel in 1983 are the only others.

8. He turned pro in 2007 after his US Amateur win and therefore forfeited his spots in The Masters, US Open and Open Championship.

9. He won the 2007 Mark H. McCormack Medal as the top player in the World Amateur Golf Ranking.

10. He has two wins as a pro, both coming on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2008.

11. He played in three Majors - the 2012 US Open, 2016 Open and 2016 PGA Championship. His best finish, and only made cut, was at the 2016 PGA where he finished T70th.

12. He announced his retirement from pro golf aged 34 after missing the cut at the 2020 Waste Management Phoenix Open. He had been suffering with wrist injuries and no longer wanted to compete on the second-tier Korn Ferry Tour.

Colt Knost plays an iron shot

Knost played his final PGA Tour event at the 2020 Phoenix Open

(Image credit: Getty Images)

13. He was never the longest of hitters and averaged under 280 yards in the seasons leading up to his retirement. “The game has just changed so much. Guys hit it so far, and I don’t,” Knost told GolfChannel.com. “But you know, I’m excited for what I have ahead. It’s going to be fun. But, of course, I’m going to miss playing.”

14. He went on to host Golf.com's "GOLFs Subpar" podcast with former pro Drew Stoltz.

15. Knost joined the CBS Sports Golf team in 2022 as an on-course commentator.

16. He and Drew Stoltz also host Sirius XM PGA Tour Radio's “Gravy and the Sleeze” show.

17. He played 199 events on the PGA Tour and had four third-place finishes along with nine top-10s and 92 made cuts. He has career earnings of $5.2m on the PGA Tour and Korn Ferry Tour.

18. Despite earning a Masters start with his US Amateur victory, which he ultimately forfeited by turning pro, Knost never played in The Masters.

19. His highest world ranking as a professional was 92nd.

20. His best memory from his pro career was playing both Saturday and Sunday with Phil Mickelson at the 2006 PGA Championship at Medinah. 

Elliott Heath
News Editor

Elliott Heath is our News Editor and has been with Golf Monthly since early 2016 after graduating with a degree in Sports Journalism. He manages the Golf Monthly news team as well as our large Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages. He covered the 2022 Masters from Augusta National as well as five Open Championships on-site including the 150th at St Andrews. His first Open was in 2017 at Royal Birkdale, when he walked inside the ropes with Jordan Spieth during the Texan's memorable Claret Jug triumph. He has played 35 of our Top 100 golf courses, with his favourites being both Sunningdales, Woodhall Spa, Western Gailes, Old Head and Turnberry. He has been obsessed with the sport since the age of 8 and currently plays off of a six handicap. His golfing highlights are making albatross on the 9th hole on the Hotchkin Course at Woodhall Spa, shooting an under-par round, playing in the Aramco Team Series on the Ladies European Tour and making his one and only hole-in-one at the age of 15 - a long time ago now!

Elliott is currently playing:

Driver: Titleist TSR4

3 wood: Titleist TSi2

Hybrids: Titleist 816 H1

Irons: Mizuno MP5 5-PW

Wedges: Cleveland RTX ZipCore 50, 54, 58

Putter: Odyssey White Hot OG #5

Ball: Srixon Z Star XV