15-year-old Miles Russell becomes the youngest-ever golfer to make the cut at a Korn Ferry event

Miles Russell, a 15-year-old prodigy from the United States, has become the youngest player to make the cut at the Korn Ferry Tour. Russel achieved the record at the LECOM Suncoast Classic event being held at Lakewood National Golf Club in Florida. The first two rounds were held on April 18 and 19, 2024.

In his debut at the Korn Ferry Tour, Russell scored rounds of 68 and 66 to achieve the feat. Miles Russell achieved the feat at the age of 15 years, 5 months, and 17 days. Before Russell, Guan Tianlang was the only player who made the cut at the Korn Ferry Tour or PGA Tour under the age of 16.

Tianlang made the cut at the 2014 Masters and Zurich Classic of New Orleans at the age of 14.

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Miles Russell, competing on a sponsor exemption, carded a 68 with 3 under par in the first round. After breaking the record, he told reporters:

"I'm kind of speechless. The goal was to make the cut and we made it, so we'll see where the weekend goes. It's a cool record to break."

However, Russell didn't look confident that the record would last for long as he believed that people were getting so good, so young. Talking about teeing for the first time, Russell said in post first round press conference:

"I was a little nervous. I mean, you gotta be nervous on your first tee, but, you know, it was fun. I mean, eased into round nicely with birdie on the first. So, it made it easy."

Russell's caddie is Ramon Bescansa who is also his coach. Russell, when asked who he has on the bag, expressed appreciation for his coach and said:

"I have my coach Ramon. He's the best. Big help, especially finding some yardage is never, never done on a yardage book before so it was if I didn't know him, I'd not be in a good place right now."

Miles Russell is aiming to finish in the top-25 at the LECOM Suncoast Classic

Miles Russell carded a 66 with 5 under par in the second round. Talking about what he is aiming for in the tournament, Russell said:

"I think a big goal would be top 25. I mean, to get into next week would be really cool. So, that's definitely the top goal. And maybe, something comes more of that, we will see."

Russell climbed 19 spots to finish at the 26th place at the end of the second round. If Russell finishes in the top 25, he'd qualify for the Veritex Bank Championship in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex next week.

Reflecting on his performance, he said:

"I knew it was going to be a good test to see where I am against some of the best," Russell said. "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."

Miles Russell intends to pursue golf for his career. Talking about it, he said:

"I've always wanted to be able to do it. To have the chance to do it would be even cooler, and then to be able to do it would be awesome. I think it would just be cool to do something I love, and there’s not much more I love than this."

At the top of the scoreboard at the LECOM Suncoast Classic is 36-year-old Brandon Crick who had rounds of 66 and 62. He is followed by Morgan Hoffman with 13 under par. Mason Andersen who was on the top of the scoreboard after the opening round has slipped to the third position after he scored a 68 with 3 under par in the second round.

Miles Russell is currently a high school freshman and has a list of junior accomplishments.

Here is a quick recap of some of the best performances so far:

2023 The Junior PLAYERS Championship presented by Rolex: 1
2023 Boy's Junior PGA Championship: 1
2023 Team TaylorMade Invitational: 2
2023 South Beach International Amateur: 2
2024 Junior Invitational at Sage Valley: 6
2023 AJGA Junior Championship presented by Visit Tallahassee: 7
2023 North and South Junior Amateur: 10
2023 Wyndham Invitational presented by Odyssey: 13
2024 AJGA Simplify Boys Championship at Carlton Woods: 14
2023 Rolex Tournament of Champions: 14
2024 Jones Cup Invitational: 40