The Miles Russell show | 15-year-old’s full press conference ahead of Veritex Bank Championship

Miles Russell, a 15-year-old amateur and the 2023 AJGA Rolex Junior Player of the Year, will make his second Korn Ferry Tour start following a T20 finish at last week’s LECOM Suncoast Classic. Last Friday, at 15 years, 5 months, 18 days of age, Russell became the youngest player to make the cut in Korn Ferry Tour history. Two days later at 15 years, 5 months, 20 days of age, he became the youngest player on record (since 1983) to record a top-25 on either the Korn Ferry Tour or PGA TOUR. The only other player under the age of 18 to record a top-25 in a Korn Ferry Tour event is Si Woo Kim (T11/2013 Mid-Atlantic Championship/17 years, 11 months, 5 days).

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awesome well we’ll open up to questions
and we’ll start with Gary go
ahead and
then miles how you doing I’m good how
are
you pretty good uh I’m going to ask H
you with a tough one right away but uh
I’m wondering first of all are you
planning to play in the amateur events
that you already have scheduled for the
summer or was it uh hold on is is there
anything was a standard two parent
household single mom with what what with
wa you
know what that I there’s other other
people okay let me get let me let me try
that again M miles uh do you plan on
playing in the IM events that uh you
were already scheduled and is there
anything that happen this week or in any
other additional pro events that you
might play in that could change your
status as an amateur no I mean I I not
even really I can’t even turn pro if I
wanted to so um no I’m planning to play
the rest of the summer out like I
planned it to so couple Junior couple am
events and see how it goes okay and is
it going to be us amiter us junior is
that going to be the the bigger events
you’re going to play it yeah we’re
playing those we’re playing in the
western am some eliteam stuff in June
north south um and we have a US Open
qualifier too so it’s going to be a busy
summer okay thank you hey
Pete um I’m curious when you finished
last week what your gut was of whether
the top 25 like whether your score was
going to be enough and what was kind of
going through your head and if you like
looked at the leaderboard on the ride
home to try to calculate it um you know
that bogy on 18 definitely made it made
a little more nerve-racking but um I
didn’t really think I was going to get
in after that after that bogey but um
you know we were kind of doing doing
some math after we went to went to lunch
and on the ride home it was like all
right we’re still got a chance and you
know it luckily it turned out turned out
that
way what was that like feeling like when
you realized that you were safe and
you’re going to be playing and then what
were the travel Arrangements like I was
I mean definitely excited to to be able
to earn a earn a spot into this week but
um you know there’s I mean you’re you’re
such a hide to make the cut and kind of
do all that so you can’t really get much
higher but um it’s definitely you’re
definitely tired tired on Monday after
that week and all the emotion and
excitement and adrenaline but um you
know that traveling that travel from
Sunday night to Monday until I got here
it was it was a long long
day
red what’s up miles uh good to see you
man uh how many people texted you in
Sunday night Monday uh who who uh do you
remember the most any other like players
around the golf world what was that
experience like for about 24 hours it’s
probably still going on oh it it was
it’s been busy the last two weeks um no
I mean I had a a bunch of friends bunch
of family um just reach out and
congratulate me and it’s it’s been it’s
been nice to feel all that support but
um no it’s been it’s been non
non-stop did you sense that the guys you
were playing with were a little bit
surprised surprised by how well you were
doing I don’t know I mean anybody
anybody can kind of have a week so I
don’t know I don’t think they’re too too
surprised that you know somebody
somebody that’s somewhat good and you
know they had a good good week they
could be there so I don’t know we’ll see
how this week
goes Gary did you have another question
KP if you have another one arey sure um
so what was the timeline of like when
you got home Sunday and then when you
flew to Dallas well we got home probably
around 8ish and um you know that book
flights that night kind of threw
everything in the washer that I wore
last week and wash her that night dry in
the morning and then I think we left for
the airport around 10:45 so it got got
sleep in a little bit which was
nice and then when you like kind
of in terms of school I know you’re
doing online school were there any like
projects you to like clean up in between
early this week to get ready for this
week or how did no we we’ve been we were
in a good spot with school we were able
to kind of just keep doing a little by
little and um I didn’t have anything
major
do is there any subject that is like
difficult for you or in school or is
everything pretty you find they’re all
hard they’re all hard but I definitely
have my favorites I mean I love math
and be a golfer is is I’m lucky to like
math so you know that’s it’s kind of how
it
is cor did you have another
one yeah miles you you’re a pretty quiet
guy overall at least the guy that we
know um I think um do you like uh
everything going on all this attention
is it fun how do how do you view it um
if I had my choice I would not have any
of it but um you know it’s kind of what
happens when you you play well so you
kind of kind of got to get used to it
every once in a while but um no it’s
been good everybody’s been nice and easy
to work with so hopefully it stays that
way were you surprised when you came out
of that scoring tent and there are
people waiting for your autograph or or
is that happened a little bit uh I was
busy walking off 18 so I wasn’t too
surprised Uris that everybody made their
way but um no I definitely got to get
better at
it what with the signature yes yes we
got gotta get a little
faster uh one more for me you don’t mind
does this does your success this past
weekend and obviously you’ve had a ton
of it but uh does it change your
expectation for this weekend do you now
say hey I gotta I think I can make the
cut again or I can compete uh to win no
I mean it’s the same same goals as last
week I mean just try to put two first
first and second round two good rounds
together and see where that puts us on
compared to the cut and if we make the
cut we just try to go have two more good
two more good rounds and see where that
puts
us here College eight miles I just
wanted did you know that uh I don’t know
if you’re on Twitter or you follow him
but Bill Mickelson gave you a shout out
on Twitter and I wanted for one left
Downer to the other how that make you
feel if you if you knew that and I guess
you do now but what’s it feel like that
a guy like Phil mickson took the time to
uh give you a pat on the back a I mean
it it’s really cool I had a buddy and
Buddy show it to me but um no I mean
Phil was always somebody I looked up to
when I was little and um you know going
out to the players and I’d always go
watch him cuz Lefty Lefty you know go
watch go watch somebody that kind of is
similar and um now it was really cool to
see somebody that you kind of look up to
to give you kind of that P on the back
okay thanks
again okay
Pete um Scotty Sheffer was asked about
you after winning the Heritage and T
spoke of you as pretty humble in the
sense you were out there and people were
asking like what you’re up to out there
and you didn’t say like I won the junior
players Etc and you said I’m just here
watching where does where do you think
your kind of humility comes from in the
sense it seems you don’t like you’re
doing historic stuff but it doesn’t feel
like you you want to like pat yourself
on the back too much about what you
do I don’t know I I think that’s just
kind of my personality I don’t I’m not I
don’t like being real showy with things
kind of like kind of walking around a
certain way but I like to just kind of
go about my business and do my
thing do you feel like what’s your take
on what Scotty sheffler has been doing
with winning four times and five starts
various different courses and conditions
and what do you think it is from what
you’ve seen of him that makes him have
this ability to do these kind of crazy
things I mean it’s it’s impressive to
watch I mean the things he’s doing is
you know we’ve probably SE it by one
other guy and that’s the probably one of
the best best golfers we’ll ever see so
um you know I think I mean a lot of it
his I mean his demeanor demeanor is just
so kind of I mean it’s like a fe of I
mean just there’s no up and down just
kind of very smooth and kind of you give
get what you get and you can’t tell if
he just made a boat you double or you
just made an equal like there’s just no
difference different different emotion
so I think that’s kind of I mean part of
the why he’s so good and why he’s good
at what he
does what would you say is what do what
do you love most about
golf um that I can be by myself every
once in a while and it’s nice and quiet
um I don’t know I like the where you get
to go out and practice by yourself and
nobody really gets to see what you do
and um you know like just kind of it’s
kind of just peaceful in a
way we’ll go back to
Brent miles I think yes uh last weekend
in your one of your availabilities after
around you said you there’s other
younger golfers that are coming along
right the golf at a young age is so good
right now um why do you think that and
how good is it I mean I think everybody
I mean everybody has access to a ton of
stuff if it’s a launch modder or just
some of the best coaches you know I mean
the equipment too like tail made I mean
all these companies are starting to help
younger kids out with clubs balls like
all stuff so I think that’s a big part
of it and be a to have the right right
clubs you fit into
um but I mean everybody’s just I mean so
talented so I mean there’s so many ways
to to be good and everybody’s finding
kind of like every little detail to be
good at it or to try to be the best how
good is it uh here in Jacksonville in
Northeast Florida I mean you get Dunham
M winni guys obviously you um I mean you
got some of the best players in the
country at your age how good is it
you’re in this area oh it’s I mean
that’s there’s I mean there’s a ton of
talented players and great players
between Juniors to to Pros so you know
it’s been it’s been a good spot to be
kind of get a you can get a good match
between anybody so it’s definitely a
packed packed place of good level of
golf
G yeah miles uh how old were you when
you started working with Ramone and uh
dur especially during the last few weeks
and maybe the past since August uh as
both the cad and Coach what what do you
think has raymon done the best for you
what you know just talk about him a
little bit what he means to you and what
his influences mhm I think I’ve been
work with rone since I was seven so he’s
kind of been he’s been my only
instructor and he he does everything
with me does swing chipping putting I
mean he does it all but um Ramon he’s
just I mean the nicest and most positive
guy you’ll ever meet and I think having
a caddy coach just to be able to be
around that like the The Vibes he puts
off and um you know that when you’re on
a golf course that’s I mean that’s all
you need you need a guy that can kind of
flip the mood just like that and get you
going um and his knowledge about golf is
just it’s on a different level I mean
some of the things they like all right
yeah makes sense but um definitely takes
a second to
process yeah
thanks
KP in terms of I know I touched on this
a little bit with you last week but in
terms of outside of golf are there any
kind of athletes and other sports that
you enjoy watching or think are pretty
cool um you know not really I mean I
kind of live live golf and it’s either
golf for school or you know you go go
fishing every once in a while maybe go
play tennis or pick a ball with my
sister but it’s not not much
else are there any like do you listen to
music or podcasts or movies or shows is
there any that type of stuff that you’re
into I’ll listen to music I mean I like
I like all music but more of a country
country guy like listen to Zack Bryan
more Morgan Wallen kind of kind of those
guys but um
yeah do you have like do you like listen
to music like when you’re warming up
before around it all ever you know I
don’t I don’t I don’t like playing golf
with like airpods in I think I like
listening to there’s something about
listening to the contact that you make
when you like hit a go in you got to
know what that sounds like and um when
you have aogs and you you can’t hear
that so
yeah did you have a favorite you hit
last week like when you think of the
week at Lakewood National what kind of
comes to mind is a shot that like that
sound you just felt super good about um
that sound I chipped it off the green on
one the first day which was my 10th hole
of the day and that one was I think
probably one of the better better shots
of the week but um that one definitely
made a little different sound coming off
the face and the the turf interaction
there there wasn’t any because he didn’t
take a divit but um the way that felt
just the launch kind of came out nice
and then um the one I hit on 10 the last
day like that one kind of skipped it
down the hill up and over to or yeah got
into the hill checked and kind of
released on down I told rone I’m like
this is I mean I see this and then I
mean it came out just exactly what I
pictured it come out
like it could have been easy I guess for
you to after going four over through
three and Saturday to kind of you know
get in neutral and finish middle of the
pack but that you didn’t think that
happened what do you remember about like
that walk from three to four and what
was going through your mind in the third
round after that kind of slow start um
well I I know those first three holes
those are hard holes so it’s kind of I
mean there was there weren’t going to be
any harder holes than one two and three
so um I definitely I’m like all right
I’m going to have my I’m going to I knew
I had my chances coming up to maybe even
get it to my my goal was to get to even
on the front side and I’d be thrilled
and then have a fresh backside to go but
um you know I mean that walk it was
definitely kind of just a mental reset
and just start as if I just start on the
fourth hole even par and that’s kind of
what I did and just kind of started
fresh any last partying questions for
Miles yeah just one more miles uh your
schedule you will be right now you will
be back at Junior players that’s the
plan yeah okay okay all right
all right well if there’s no more
questions miles thanks for joining us
this afternoon and good luck this week
thank you