Miles Russell is back at Port Royal Golf Course, and this time he arrives with a résumé to match the hype.
The 17-year-old from Jacksonville Beach, Fla., ranked sixth in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, tees off Thursday at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship on a sponsor's exemption. It's his 15th career start on the PGA Tour or Korn Ferry Tour, and his second in Bermuda. In 2024, at 15, he narrowly missed the cut here.
Russell goes off the 10th tee at 1:11 p.m. local time (12:11 p.m. ET) alongside PGA Tour rookie Ben James and David Ford. The same group goes off No. 1 at 8:41 a.m. local (7:41 a.m. ET) on Friday.
From prodigy to proven
When Russell first played Port Royal, he was the novelty in the field, fresh off a T-20 at the Korn Ferry Tour's LECOM Suncoast Classic that made him the youngest player to make a cut on that tour. Two years on, the novelty has worn off and the results have taken over:
- PGA Tour weekend: He made his first PGA Tour cut at the Puerto Rico Open this year, which he said got "that monkey off my back."
- U.S. Open: He survived a playoff at final qualifying, then made the cut at Shinnecock Hills and tied for 39th. Since World War II, only Beau Hossler (2012) has made a U.S. Open cut at a younger age.
- Walker Cup: He was named to the 2026 USA Walker Cup team and played at Lahinch in September.
- Junior record: He's a two-time Junior Players champion and two-time AJGA Boys Player of the Year (2023, 2025).
His summer had a stumble, too. Ryder Cowan knocked him out in the Round of 64 at the U.S. Amateur at Merion.
The pairing
Russell's group shows where the elite amateur pipeline leads. Ben James, a four-year Virginia star who was No. 2 in the world amateur ranking, earned his PGA Tour card by finishing first in the PGA Tour University standings. Russell is a Florida State commit who has yet to play a college event, and he's playing with a player who just finished that route.
Two amateurs in the field
Russell isn't the only amateur at Port Royal. Mason Howell also has a sponsor's exemption and tees off No. 1 at 1:22 p.m. local (12:22 p.m. ET) with Patrick Fishburn and Paul Peterson.
Adam Schenk is the defending champion. The $6 million event is part of the FedExCup Fall, and Golf Channel covers it Thursday through Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. ET.
We'll update Russell's progress through the weekend.