Miles Russell falls short in promising PGA TOUR debut, ends at even par

Special permission was made for Miles Russell this week to enter the locker room at Detroit Golf Club since no one under the age of 16 is – usually – allowed to enter. His dad drove the courtesy car provided to all the players. He didn’t get a chance to get behind the wheel.

“I wish,” Russell said Friday with a smile.

What he did do, however, was make a spirited run at making the cut on the PGA TOUR. The 15-year-old ended up with an even-par 144 for his two-day effort at the Rocket Mortgage Classic and will fall just short of making the weekend.

Michelle Wie West recorded the lowest score of a player under the age of 16 on the PGA TOUR since 1983, with a 140 at the 2004 Sony Open in Hawaii.

Russell shot a 2-under 70 Friday. It was a much-improved day from his opening round, he said.

Russell was 4-under through 11 holes in the second round including a pitch-in birdie on the par-3 11th. He bogeyed Nos. 12 and 16 coming home, however, and that spelled the end of his week.

“Got off to a nice start and just wasn’t quite able to keep it going, but just needed a couple more putts to drop,” Russell said. “The game plan today was same as yesterday, just try to execute better. Did that early, just couldn’t get any putts to fall on that back side.”

Russell put his youthful skill set on display in his two rounds at Detroit Golf Club, sitting 16th in Strokes Gained: Around the Green. Off the tee he averaged just a touch over 290 yards per pop.

This week marked Russell’s PGA TOUR debut after he became the youngest golfer ever to make the cut on the Korn Ferry Tour – finishing tied for 20th earlier this season at the LECOM Suncoast Classic. Russell won both the Junior PGA Championship and the Junior PLAYERS Championship in 2023. He was the youngest to ever be named the American Junior Golf Association’s Player of the Year – with Tiger Woods the only other golfer to win the award before turning 16.

Russell said almost everyone on the PGA TOUR this week in Detroit introduced themselves and were “super friendly.” He also got a great reception from the fans, he said. Russell received a hearty ovation when he walked up No. 18.

“Just tried to stay focused on the golf but on 18 there, just kind of walked up a little slower and really just enjoyed it,” Russell said. “It was awesome.

“The fans here, especially in Detroit, have been great and I’m looking forward to coming back in a month or so. It was just a cool moment.”

Next month Russell will return to the venerable Oakland Hills Country Club just outside Detroit for the 2024 U.S. Junior Amateur. The winner will receive a spot in next year’s U.S. Open at Oakmont. The match-play portion of the competition will take place on the South Course, measuring about the same length as Detroit Golf Club.

“I think it might be a little firmer, a little faster, rough might be a little thicker – it might be a little bit more of a ‘championship-style’ course," Russell said of his upcoming summertime challenge. "I think the rough’s going to be probably 5 or 6 inches and pretty thick. I think the key is going to be keeping it in the fairway."

So, Russell closes the book on this chapter of his young golfing life before returning to compete alongside players his own age once again – those who might need to lean on a parent for a drive to the course, for example.

But he’ll have the most unique experience of any other teenage golfer this summer.

“It was a good week, just the golf didn’t go the way I wanted to, but it was a great week,” Russell said. “It’s pretty perfect. The only PGA TOUR event I’ve been to is THE PLAYERS and that’s probably one of the best ones – so this was right up there with it.”