The future of men’s golf is already arriving. Or has arrived? We should all know better by now than to anoint anyone so early in such a fickle sport.
Nevertheless, at age 15, Miles Russell teed it up this week at the Korn Ferry Tour’s LECOM Suncoast Classic. You know, just going against a bunch of dudes fractions of fractions away from being on the PGA Tour, who can all shoot low to mid-60s from the tips on their respective home courses in their sleep.
Merely participating in this event on merit? No small feat, that. Russell wasn’t merely content with being the youngest ever to make a cut on the Korn Ferry Tour. Nope. The kid had his sights set on performing well enough on the weekend to finish in the top 25 to qualify for next week’s tournament. On Sunday, that mission was accomplished.
Thanks to an en fuego stretch of seven birdies in 10 holes during the final round, Russell vaulted up the leaderboard with a round of 5-under 66 that included a bogey at the 18th.
I don’t know how somebody this young gets this good, and has the confidence to hold his own with a bunch of seasoned pros who have years of experience on him. Russell’s stock yardages are just about on par with any sort of pro.
He’s a wiry teenager! Imagine what he’s going to be like once he gets that grown-a** man strength on him. Good lord.
I’m sure most 30-somethings reading this have moments where you “feel old.” It started happening to me when I saw athletes coming up through college who were born in the year 1999. Totally freaked me out. When you think about how good Russell is at golf already, and put it all into context, it’s nothing short of mind-blowing.
How Russell handled this weekend was a masterclass in uncommon maturity. He could’ve been content to make the cut, go in the tank, and just finish the final 36 holes in relative obscurity. That was especially the case when he got off to a nightmarish start on Saturday, going +4 on his first three holes. Instead, Russell roared back, playing bogey-free, 5-under golf the rest of the way. Knowing he had to go low for a shot at the top 25 on Sunday, Russell executed as well as anyone could’ve expected in a gotta-have-it good round situation.
Listen to how well-spoken the youngster is, too. The polish of a professional is already on display off the course as well as on it.
Couldn’t be more impressed with Miles Russell. I don’t want to dwell on the negative and cite other impressive amateurs like Ty Tryon who never lived up to the hype. Let’s instead just celebrate Russell’s individual quest for greatness for what it is. His career is going to be a fun one to follow.
I’ll be interested to see when Russell takes the plunge and turns pro. Now feels too soon, yet it might be within a year or so. Whatever the case, again, I’m just going to enjoy the moment, and look forward to tuning in next week to see if Russell can keep laying a fast track to the big circuit.
