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Miles Russell was the story of the weekend at the LECOM Suncoast Classic in Florida. The amateur golfer shined in his first ever pro event, posting a Top 20 finish after four days.
While the win comes with future benefits, it won’t come with a payday. As others rake in their winnings, Russell goes home empty-handed!
The 15-year-old made history on the Korn Ferry Tour by making the cut, becoming the youngest player to ever do so. He shot a 68 in Round 1 before besting that with a Friday round 66.
Russell remained humble despite doing what no one else his age had previously done. Still, he set an even loftier goal after making it through that first elimination.
He had his eyes set on a Top 25 finish!
A Top 25 would allow him the opportunity to qualify for next week’s Veritex Bank Championship in Dallas. That dream was in doubt when he entered his final round tied for 48th on the leaderboard, and three strokes behind the 25th spot.
He’d overcome the deficit with a -5 on Sunday, officially booking that ticket.
7 birdies in the last 10 holes 😳
Miles Russell moves into T3 at the LECOM Suncoast Classic. pic.twitter.com/jlYUIuSQOn
— Korn Ferry Tour (@KornFerryTour) April 21, 2024
Miles Russell finished his tournament at -14, tied for 20th in the standings. Typically, that 20th spot comes along with a 1.3% payout of the overall purse.
For the LECOM Suncoast Classic, those winnings would’ve come out to around $10K.
His amateur status keeps him from receiving any earnings, but it can’t take away from what was accomplished. In fact, it makes the record-setting performance all the more impressive!
It will be fun to follow the youngster as he continues on through his golf career.