Miles Russell, a 15-year-old high school freshman, made golf history this weekend by finishing T20 at the LECOM Suncoast Classic, marking him as the youngest player since record-keeping began in 1983 to secure a top-25 finish on either the PGA Tour or Korn Ferry Tour.
Russell shot a 5-under 66 on Sunday, including a remarkable stretch of seven birdies in ten holes, bringing his total to 14-under for the tournament. His performance not only set records but also earned him another start at the upcoming Veritex Bank Championship in Texas.
“It was an awesome week. It was a blast,” said Russell, who participated via a sponsor’s exemption. “Especially for my first one, you may get a couple of weird looks, like, ‘Who’s the little kid on the range?’ But everybody was so nice and so helpful with everything.”
Already an accomplished junior golfer, Russell is the reigning American Junior Golf Association’s Player of the Year and a past winner of the Junior PGA Championship by seven strokes. Notably, he is the youngest to win the Junior Players Championship—a feat only matched by golf legend Tiger Woods at the same age.
On Friday, Russell posted another 66, becoming the youngest golfer to make the cut on the Korn Ferry Tour at 15 years, 5 months, and 17 days old. This record was previously held by Gipper Finau, and before that, by Guan Tianlang at the Masters, who made the cut at a PGA Tour event at 14.
Despite competing as an amateur—meaning he won’t take home any prize money or tour points—Russell’s finish automatically qualifies him for the next event. “When I play well, I think I can compete with some of the better pros,” Russell added. “This week I played well, and I think it kind of showed it a little bit.”
The LECOM Suncoast Classic concluded with Tim Widing winning in a playoff against Steven Fisk and Patrick Cover, who all finished at 20-under for the tournament.
Miles Russell’s historic finish is not just a personal triumph but also a promising indicator of his future in professional golf, as he continues to compete at high levels and break records along the way.