Miles Russell had a topsy-turvey round in the Butterfield Bermuda Championship on Thursday, and it’s not over yet.
The 16-year-old Jacksonville Beach resident, who is playing in his second PGA Tour event as an amateur this season, played his first two holes at 3-over, bounced back with four birdies within an eight-hole span, then finished with two bogeys at Nos. 14 and 15 before play was suspended due to high winds at the Port Royal Golf Course in Southhampton, Bermuda.
Russell is 2-over through 15 holes and eight shots off the lead shared by Justin Lower and Hayden Springer. The field will return on Friday at 7 a.m. to complete the first round. Russell is due to start his second round at 7:39 a.m.
What happened during Miles Russell’s round?
Russell double-bogeyed the first hole after hitting his tee shot into a hazard, then bogeyed No. 2. He got back to even par with birdies at Nos. 5, 7 and 9, swapped a bogey at No. 11 for a birdie at No. 12, then closed with bogeys before play was suspended.
Russell hit six of 12 fairways and 10 of 15 greens. He was only one of five in getting up-and-down for pars after missing a green, a departure from his normally sharp short games.
How did Miles Russell get to Bermuda?
Russell earned a sponsor invitation to Bermuda for being named the 2023 American Junior Golf Association Player of the Year. He played in the Tour’s Rocket Mortgage Classic in June, missing the cut after shooting 70-74–144.
He also played in two Korn Ferry Tour events. Russell became the youngest player, at 15, to make the cut in a Korn Ferry event at the LECOM Suncoast Classic in Lakewood Ranch, then became the youngest to finish among the top-20.
That earned him a spot in the Veritex Bank Championship the following week, where he missed the cut.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Miles Russell of Jacksonville Beach is 3-over with three to play in Bermuda