LONGWOOD, Fla. – Miles Russell became the youngest player to make it in the 35-year history of the Korn Ferry Tour when the 15-year-old shot a 5-under 66 in the Lecom Suncoast Classic on Friday.
Russell opened with a 68 and left no doubt he would stick around for the entire four days. He made a pair of eagles on the front nine, one of them on the 282-yard, par-4 fourth hole, and then started the back nine with two straight birdies.
He enters the weekend six shots out of the lead.
Two eagles on the front nine
Miles Russell improves to 7 under and is two shots inside the projected cut line at the LECOM Suncoast Classic. pic.twitter.com/UOrp8CbbSV
— Korn Ferry Tour (@KornFerryTour) April 19, 2024
Russell is a freshman from Jacksonville Beach, Florida, who has been taking online classes since eighth grade.
The southpaw is already racking up some impressive credentials. He was the 2023 American Junior Golf Association Player of the Year, including his seven-shot victory in the Junior PGA Championship and the youngest winner of the Junior Players Championship.
Last month he nearly qualified for a PGA Tour event, losing in a playoff in a Monday qualifying match for the Puerto Rico Open. The Korn Ferry Tour is the PGA Tour’s premier development circuit.
China’s Guan Tianlang remains the youngest to make it in a PGA Tour-sanctioned event. He was 14 when he competed in the 2013 Masters, playing as an Asian-Pacific amateur champion.
