15-YEAR-OLD SET FOR SECOND KORN FERRY TOUR START FOLLOWING HISTORIC FINISH
Fifteen-year-old amateur Miles Russell is probably still pinching himself after becoming the youngest player to make a cut in Korn Ferry Tour history – but he doesn’t have much time to sit back and enjoy his remarkable achievement.
After stealing the headlines with two stunning rounds of 68 and 66 to make the weekend at the LECOM Suncoast Classic in Florida, the high school freshman has been rewarded with another Korn Ferry Tour start.
Russell, the world’s top-ranked junior golfer, posted rounds of 70 and another 5-under 66 on the weekend to finish T20 at 14-under, which made him the youngest player on record (since 1983) to register a top-25 finish on the PGA or Korn Ferry Tour.
On the back of his extraordinary feat, the teenage sensation will now tee it up at this week’s Veritex Bank Championship in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex.
“It was an awesome week. It was a blast,” said Russell. “Especially for my first one, you may get a couple weird looks, like, ‘Who's the little kid on the range?’ But, you know, everybody was so nice and so helpful with everything.
“I just try to kind of go with flow and take it as it comes to me, and I'm trying to just stay cool. I was able to hit some good shots in the right moments.”
Aged just 15 years, five months and 18 days, the Jacksonville resident surpassed the record set by Gipper Finau at the 2006 Utah Championship as the youngest player to make a cut on the Korn Ferry Tour.
And although the teenager will have to wait a few years until he can join the Tour, the future is looking very bright for a young player who has already amassed a number of junior titles, including the 2018 Junior Honda Classic, 2020 & 2021 US Kids World Championship and the prestigious 2023 Junior Players Championship.
“When I play well, I think I can compete with some of the better pros, but this week I played well and I think it kind of showed it a little bit,” Russell added.
“But good play is always good, and definitely confidence-boosting to finish where we're going to finish today.”
For Russell, it's next stop Arlington, Texas, where the Veritex Bank Championship gets underway on Thursday.