SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. — Miles Russell is certainly not the youngest player to compete in the U.S. Open. He’s not even the only 17-year-old in the field at Shinnecock Hills — Giuseppe Puebla also made it through a 36-hole qualifier at the same site. They are Nos. 1 and 2 in the American junior ranking.
But there is a lot more hype when it comes to Russell. Along with being top-ranked in the American Junior Golf Association, he is No. 7 among all amateurs in the world.
This is his first U.S. Open.
“It’s still another tournament,” Russell said Wednesday. “I’m going to treat it like if it was an AJGA, 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 is headed to Florida State, along with golf buddy Charlie Woods, the son of Tiger Woods. Charlie Woods caddied for Russell during the U.S. Open qualifier.
It’s not an entirely new experience being around tour players. Russell tied for 50th in the Puerto Rico Open on the PGA Tour this year, and he made two of three cuts in the Korn Ferry Tour events he has played. The U.S. Open will be his sixth PGA Tour-sanctioned event.
What he has learned is how boring they can look. He meant that as a compliment.
“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 fairway, greens. It’s nothing special.
“Then when they have those special rounds, they’ll go out and shoot 63, 62, and you say, ‘That was fun to watch,’ and you shake their hand at the end of the day.”
The USGA has given him a favorable tee time. Russell will play the opening two rounds with Padraig Harrington, a three-time major champion, and 2022 Open champion Cameron Smith.
