Rising Athlete Miles Russell

Image via Carmen Mandato / Getty Images

High school sophomore and amateur golfer Miles Russell has received outstanding recognition from the Players Association previously after he became the youngest member to participate in the Korn Ferry Tour–the developmental PGA Tour. Ultimately, his career reached greater heights after being named into the US Junior National Team and placing 20th for the LECOM Classic in Florida.

Born in Jacksonville Beach, Florida, Miles Russell has been playing golf since the age of 2. His father and grandfather “took me out to the course and I went through a bucket of balls in three minutes. It was just fun” Russell remarked. With a defined passion at such a young age, he was able to break his first par at the age of six, and participated in his first tournament shortly after.

Participating in the Players Championship has allowed him to win a multitude of junior titles at the Junior Honda Classic and US Kids World Championship. However, Russell truly became the spotlight at the 2023 Junior Players Championship where he became the youngest champion in the tournament’s history, ultimately skyrocketing his golf career.

At this week’s Sage Valley Invitational, media reporters and golf fans had their eyes on two main celebrities: Charlie Woods, Tiger Woods' son, and Kai Trump, Donald Trump’s granddaughter. While Russell remained under the radar, he played bogey-free until the last hole and under par all four rounds. These successes resulted in Russell’s victory, and one of his biggest too. In the male division, Woods shot 25th out of 36 and in the female division, Trump shot 24th out of 24.

Miles Russell’s victory has improved his chances to qualify for the Walker Cup, and if he were to qualify, would be the youngest competitor ever, beating Scotland’s Connor Graham by four days. Currently ranked as the #1 American Junior Golf Association player and #1 on the Junior Golf Scoreboard Rankings, he continues to surpass many limitations and expectations.