Phenoms
Miles Russell is technically not allowed to do this at Detroit Golf Club during his PGA Tour debut because he's so young
Sam Hodde
Miles Russell will make his PGA Tour debut this week at Detroit Golf Club. He might just have to change in the parking lot.
Russell, the top-ranked junior golfer in the country, received a sponsor's invite to the Rocket Mortgage Classic. But as one of his fellow competitors this week pointed out on Tuesday, the 15-year-old technically isn't old enough to do this pretty essential thing at the Donald Ross course.
On Tuesday, Willie Mack III, who qualified for the event by winning Monday's John Shippen Invitational, was asked about the teen phenom and he mentioned the club's age requirement to access the locker room.
Q. There's a 15-year-old kid in the field this week in Miles Russell. I'm just curious how you would have handled that situation if that were you at 15 playing in a PGA TOUR event?
WILLIE MACK III: Who knows? I know he's a good golfer. I was talking to Jason I think yesterday about him not even being able to get into the locker room because it says 16 and over. We were joking about that.
Just a guess, but they're probably going to let that rule slide this week with Russell, who is still too young to drive to the golf course. But his golf game is well beyond his years.
In April, Russell became the youngest golfer ever to make a Korn Ferry Tour cut. The kid is a stud—and he has the attention of the world's best golfers.
"Hopefully he has fun and doesn't beat me, but does well," Min Woo Lee said of Russell.
Good luck, Min Woo. And good luck getting around the golf course's security all week, Miles.
UPDATE: Yep, he's good to go.
