Meet the 16-year-old amateur set for PGA Tour debut

Miles Russell isn’t the only one making waves.

The 15-year-old from Florida made history last week, as he became the youngest player to make the cut on the Korn Ferry Tour.

After making the weekend, Russell went one better and wrapped up a T20 finish to seal his spot in this week’s Veritex Bank Championship in Dallas.

But he is set to be joined by another teenager in swapping the classroom for the course, as a player one year his senior is ready to make his PGA Tour debut.

In fact, it’s a name Russell will be familiar with, having lost to the future star in last year’s Junior Ryder Cup at Marco Simone in Rome.

• Charlie Woods falls short at US Open qualifying

• Report: Tiger Woods set for $100m PGA Tour payment

And that amateur sensation is Kris Kim, who will feature on the top American circuit for the first time next week at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson at TPC Craig Ranch.

Just weeks before sitting his GCSE examinations back home in Surrey, the 16-year-old will face his toughest test yet on the greens, alongside several of the PGA Tour’s top players.

“I’m so excited to tee it up in Texas,” he said. “It’s what you work towards all the time and it’s an amazing opportunity.

“I can’t wait to play in front of big crowds again. I’ve never hit the ball as far as I did at the Ryder Cup. The adrenalin rush makes golf so much fun.

“That said, having played that course, and a few more tour courses, I appreciate the task ahead and look forward to the challenge.”

The England golfer, who won the Boys’ Amateur Championship in 2023, was unveiled as the first amateur to be sponsored by the CJ Group.

Last May, he joined a world class stable of professional golfers that includes Sungjae Im, Si Woo Kim, KH Lee and Byeong Hun An.

• Scottie Scheffler record broken by little-known tour pro

• Tommy Fleetwood makes Challenge Tour return (as a caddie)

Kim added that he will rely on wisdom from his mum, Ji-Hyun Suh, who was a pioneer for Korean golf when she competed on the LPGA Tour in the 1990s.

“I’ll definitely ask my mum for advice,” he said. “It is going to be a very different environment and you don’t know how you will respond to it. She’ll help me deal with it. She’s my coach and we talk about everything from dealing with nerves, taking one shot at a time, leaving bad shots behind and keeping it simple right through to course strategy.

“My first aim is to make the cut and then see what happens. At the end of the day, I’m one of 144 competitors and we’ve all got a chance.”

Meanwhile, Kim is also the first European amateur to be signed to an NIL (Named Image and Likeness) contract by Under Armour and the first British amateur to sign an NIL deal with TaylorMade.

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.