Miles Russell breaks tournament record en route to winning South Beach International

December 22, 2024 | by Justin Golba of AmateurGolf.com

Miles Russell (South Beach International Amateur Photo)

The 15-year-old joins an impressive list of winners, including Luke Clanton in 2022 and Ben James in 2023

15-year-old and top-ranked player in the 2027 recruiting class Miles Russell of Jacksonville, Fla., won the South Beach International Amateur at Miami Beach Golf Club and Normandy Shores Golf Course in Miami, Fla.

Last year, Russell finished T2 behind Ben James. However, he did set the course record with a second-round 10-under 60 at Normandy Shores in 2023.

This year, Russell carded impressive rounds of 63-68-63-70 to get to 19-under and win by two shots. He recorded 24 birdies and five bogeys in the championship.

Russell ended up breaking the tournament scoring record by two strokes with his 19-under finish. The previous record was 17-under and was set by Henry Guan in 2022, along with that year’s eventual champion Luke Clanton. Clanton defeated Guan in a playoff.

Guan, who is only 16 years old, put up another impressive showing this week, finishing in solo second place at 17-under again. Davidson alumni Alex Heffner finished in solo third place at 15-under.

Lev Grinberg of Ukraine, who is also only 16 years old, finished in solo fourth place at 14-under and Holland Humphries finished in solo fifth place at 13-under. Four golfers finished T6 at 12-under.

The South Beach International has had a great group of winners, specifically Luke Clanton and Ben James, who have won the last two iterations. Clanton is ranked No. 1 in the Golfweek/AmateurGolf.com World Rankings, and James is ranked No. 2.

As the reigning Rolex Junior Player of the Year, Miles Russell of Jacksonville Beach, Florida, will receive an exemption into the 2024 Butterfield Bermuda Championship. The 15-year-old earned the 2023 Rolex Player of the Year award after an outstanding season that included three AJGA victories.

Results: The International Amateur

Place	Player	Location	Pts	Scores
1	Miles Russell	Jacksonville, FL	1000	63-68-63-70=264
2	Henry Guan	Dallas, TX	700	64-68-66-68=266
3	Alex Heffner	Harrisburg, NC	500	65-68-68-67=268
4	Lev Grinberg	, Ukraine	500	66-65-66-72=269
5	J. Holland Humphries	Austin, TX	500	69-69-67-65=270

View full results for The International Amateur

About the The International Amateur

Miles Russell breaks tournament record en route to winning South Beach International

72-hole event with 36-hole cut. Open to highly ranked amateurs, college players, mid-amateurs and juniors. Non-exempt players must submit a playing resume to be considered for the field.