Masters debutant Russell Knox is hoping to be a big hit at Augusta National – by following golfing great Jack Nicklaus’s lead.

The Inverness exile, one of only two Scots in the field this week, has switched to a large headed putter as he tries to master Augusta’s challenging, mind-mangling greens.

Three decades ago in 1986, golden oldie Nicklaus claimed his final Major title and his sixth Green Jacket at the age of 46 and was aided by the MacGregor Response putter which had one of the biggest heads of its time.

Florida-based Knox, 30, said: “My putter is massive, just a huge ugly putter. I don’t care what it looks like. If I am able to putt better with it I would use a sledgehammer. I hadn’t been putting great and my confidence wasn’t as high as it needed to be. There is a local company in Jacksonville called Cure Putters. I spoke to the guy a few times and tested putters with them. They were good so I gave them a go.”

Knox earned his Augusta invitation by winning the WGC HSBC Champions last November. Prior to pitching up in Georgia yesterday, the Scotsman had only had one round over this enchanting piece of golfing real estate.

A quiet, care-free batter about with his dad back in February helped take away the awe factor. Now Knox is preparing to see if he has the X-factor.

He added: “I was going through the motions that day and was just very happy to be there. I didn’t care about how I played. I birdied the first hole and thought ‘this is not bad’. The shot that stood out was on number 12, the par-3 over the water. The pin was on the front left and I hit a 9-iron. My dad was videoing it which I’m not 100% sure is allowed but he did it anyway. I hit it straight down the pin and it landed three feet short. Another three feet it would have been a hole in one. I won’t tell you I missed the putt but the shot was good.”

Last summer, Knox was given a last-gasp place in the Open Championship at St Andrews after Rory McIlroy’s late withdrawal following an injury he picked up playing football. This week’s preparation for his Masters debut has been a little less fraught. Ever since he made his global breakthrough in China back in November, Knox has had Georgia on his mind for a while.

“I have known since the win in China that I was going to get to play,” he said. “I have had quite a lot of time to think about it and prepare. I haven’t really done anything above and beyond to prepare but knowing in my mind that I would be playing has been good for me.”

While Knox has the season’s first Major to focus on, the Highlander couldn’t resist having a peek forward to the summer when the Scottish Open will return to his home city of Inverness.

Knox, who didn’t play in the domestic showpiece the last time in was at Castle Stuart in 2013, said: “That will be right up there with playing in the Masters. I can’t wait to come back and play Castle Stuart. A few years ago when it was at Castle Stuart I wasn’t able to make the trip. That was a heartbreak.”