LONGWOOD, Fla. — Miles Russell became the youngest player to make the cut in the 35-year history of the Korn Ferry Tour when the 15-year-old posted a 5-under 66 Friday in the Lecom Suncoast Classic.
Russell opened with a 68 and left little doubt he would be sticking around all 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 began the back nine with two straight birdies.
He goes into the weekend six shots out of the lead.
Two eagles on the front nine
Miles Russell improves to 7-under and is two strokes inside the projected cut line at the LECOM Suncoast Classic. pic.twitter.com/UOrp8CbbSV
— Korn Ferry Tour (@KornFerryTour) April 19, 2024
Russell is a high school freshman from Jacksonville Beach, Florida, who has been taking online classes since the eighth grade.
The left-hander already is piling up some impressive credentials. He was the American Junior Golf Association Player of the Year in 2023, which included his seven-shot win in the Junior PGA Championship and becoming the youngest winner of the Junior Players Championship.
Last month he nearly qualified for a PGA Tour event, losing out in a playoff in a Monday qualifier for the Puerto Rico Open. The Korn Ferry Tour is the PGA Tour’s top developmental circuit.
Guan Tianlang of China remains the youngest to make the cut in a PGA Tour-sanctioned event. He was 14 when he made the cut in the 2013 Masters, playing as the Asia-Pacific Amateur champion.
Source Agencies
