15-year-old Miles Russell became the latest junior golfer to make waves on the professional circuit after the teenager shot an opening-round 68 in his maiden start on the Korn Ferry Tour.
Russell, the world’s top-ranked junior golfer, has already racked up a slew of titles in his burgeoning amateur career, including breaking Tiger Woods' record for the youngest winner of the AJGA Rolex Junior Player of the Year award.
An impressive 2023 also saw the American win the Junior PGA Championship, shoot a second-round 66 at TPC Sawgrass en route to winning the Junior Players Championship and appear at the Junior Ryder Cup in September.
Russell was denied a spot at last month's Puerto Rico Open after falling in a playoff at Monday qualifying but his continued impressive performances have now earned him a sponsor's invite into this week's LECOM Suncoast Classic.
Making his first appearance in a Tour-sanctioned event, the teenager showed no signs of nerves on Thursday as he opened with a three-under-par 68 at Lakewood National Golf Club.
Starting on the back nine, Russell made an electric start with three birdies in his first four holes as he fired a bogey-free first-nine 31. Bogeys at the second and fifth - sandwiched between a birdie on the fourth - saw him settled for an opening-round 68 but gives the teenager a great chance of making the cut on Friday.
Russell, who picked up the game when he was just two years old, has already caught the eye of big sponsors and signed an NIL deal with Transcend Capital Advisors last fall.
Speaking earlier in the week, the high school freshman said was excited by the prospect of his Tour debut and had ambitions to make it into the weekend's action.
"Hopefully, I play well, and I can see how my game stacks up against the best," he said. "I don’t know what to expect, but I’d love to make the cut and who knows, maybe have a good weekend and see where it puts me."
