Youngest Golfer Makes History at U.S. Open

SOUTHAMPTON, New York — It's not every day you see a 17-year-old golfer take on the toughest competition in the world, but Miles Russell is no ordinary teenager.

As the youngest player in the 156-player field at the U.S. Open, Russell is about to live out his dream. And he's making the most of it, rubbing shoulders with golfing legends like Bryson DeChambeau and Jordan Spieth.

"I'm going to treat it like it was an AJGA tournament, where I'm just trying to come here and play good golf and see where my game lines up with some of the best players in the world," Russell said Wednesday.

Russell's first vivid golf memory was Tiger Woods' win at the Masters in 2019, but he's already making his own mark on the golf world. He joined DeChambeau for a YouTube video that has nearly three million views since December, and he's been hitting balls next to Spieth.

"I looked up to him as a little guy. That's just really cool. I think it's probably even cooler for my parents," Russell said.

Already this year, Russell made his first PGA Tour cut, tying for 50th at the Puerto Rico Open in March. He also made two of three cuts on the Korn Ferry Tour, two years after becoming the youngest player to make a cut on that circuit.

"How boring they play," Russell said. "You watch them play, and you're like, man, this guy plays pretty boring, and at the end of the round, you're seeing the score, and he shoots like 65. You're like, I did not see you shooting 65 out there, but it's just so kind of ho-hum and a lot of fairways, greens."

With his coach, Ramon Bescansa, on the bag and his sights set on making a U.S. Open cut, Russell is about to experience the golfing world like never before.