15-year-old makes history on tour debut

Get ready to see a lot more of Miles Russell.

As always, sports fans will scurry to social media with inevitable chants of ‘what were you doing at 15-years-old?’

It might have been Earth Science and Geometry on a Monday – like the Floridian – but it certainly wasn’t making history on your tour debut.

At 15 years, five months and seven days old, Russell is still a high school freshman and has three years to wait before he can buy a lottery ticket.

But the sponsors of last week’s Korn Ferry Tour event took a chance on Russell in his hometown, and they might just have hit the jackpot.

Competing on an exemption, Russell teed it up in the Korn Ferry Tour‘s LECOM Suncoast Classic in Lakewood Ranch and the rest is history.

• Two-time major champion explains shock retirement

• Ian Poulter hits out at “irrelevant” world rankings

“The goal was to make the cut,” he said, beknown to the significance of doing so. And after rounds of 68 and 66, he did just that.

By dazzling on his first start, Russell became the youngest player to ever make a cut in a Korn Ferry Tour event.

Meanwhile, he also joins Guan Tian Liang as the only players younger than 16 to make a cut in a PGA Tour or Korn Ferry Tour event.

Despite not being old enough to join the tour, Russell will be back.

The reigning Junior PLAYERS and PGA Championship winner has qualified for next week’s Veritex Bank Championship in Dallas, after finishing inside the top 25.

“I’m kind of speechless,” Russell said of making the weekend. “It’s a cool record to break.

“I don’t know how much longer — I mean, people are getting so good, so young. It could hold out for a week, you never know, but it’s pretty cool right now.

“I didn’t really have any [expectations]. The goal was to make the cut and kind of see where that could go if I did, see how it goes this weekend.

• Golf legend worried LIV exodus would damage Ryder Cup

• Amateur hits one of the luckiest shots you’ll ever see at Chevron Championship

“I knew it was going to be a good test to see where I am against some of the best.

“It’s definitely something I’ll remember even when times will get hard, I’ll remember it when that happens and go with the flow.”

Russell was as unflustered as 15-year-olds are, even after posting a final round 66 to wrap up a T20 finish.

That was good enough to make him the youngest player on record (since 1983) to notch a top-25 finish on the PGA Tour or Korn Ferry Tour.

“It was an awesome week. It was a blast,” Russell said afterward.

“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.”

John Turnbull A graduate of the University of Stirling, John joined the bunkered team in 2023 as a Content Producer, with a responsibility for covering all breaking news, tour news, grassroots content and much more besides. A keen golfer, he plays the majority of his golf at Falkirk Golf Club. Top of his 'bucket list' is a round of Pebble Beach... ideally in the company of Gareth Bale.