Tag: 2024 Rocket Mortgage Classic

Crack! It was a bad day to be Cameron Young’s driver at the Rocket Mortgage Classic

Here’s to a better future for his next driver shaft.

Cameron Young broke his driver in anger and then blew another chance to claim his maiden PGA Tour title on Sunday at the Rocket Mortgage Classic.

Young, 27, knocked on the door yet again but shot 2-over 38 coming home, which isn’t going to get the job done when it matters. Young closed in 1-over 73 and finished T-6 in Detroit, recording his 18th top-10 since joining the PGA Tour at the start of the 2021-22 season; he is one of 13 players with at least 18 top-10s in that span, and he is the only such player without a victory.

The only other player without a victory and at least 17 top-10s on Tour since the start of the 2021-22 season is Tommy Fleetwood (17).

Beginning the day one stroke back, Young started with five straight pars and a bogey. Failure to launch again? Maybe not as he birdied the eighth and ninth and he was one back. The trophy was there for the taking. But then the birdies dried up.

As the frustration of missed fairways – he hit just five in the final round and ranked 74th or dead last in the field  – and missed putts mounted, Young cracked his driver on the 14thtee, slamming it into the ground and pressing his weight into the shaft after a snap-hook. CBS’s Trevor Immelman and the announcer crew pointed out his negative energy down the stretch, especially as he brooded on the greens as his putter let him down too. He missed from inside 4 feet for par at 16 and then after reaching the par-5 17th with a pair of 3-woods, he still had a chance as no one else seemed willing to grab the trophy by the neck. That glimmer of hope died a painful death as he took three putts from 60 feet and walked off the green with par. (He ranked 66th of 74 in SG: Putting on Sunday.) The bogey at 18 merely cost him some dollars and FedEx Cup points. His fate already was sealed and had he birdied to finish T-2, it would’ve have meant eight, not seven runner-up finishes without a W. In this case, seven is enough.

Young, who topped the field in Strokes Gained: Tee to Green, is too talented to not get that elusive first win soon but until he proves it, he’s going to keep getting hounded by questions about his inability to close the deal. Payne Stewart was known as Avis at the start of his career for all his seconds and went on to win three majors and make the Hall of Fame before his tragic death and Padraig Harrington wore the same badge before capturing three majors himself and being inducted into the Hall just last month, so Young can still figure out the puzzle that is becoming a great champion. In the meantime, here’s to a better future for his next driver shaft.

2024 Rocket Mortgage Classic prize money payouts for each PGA Tour player at Detroit Golf Club

Here’s a closer look at who made what in Motown.

Aussie Cam Davis made more money in four days in Detroit than he had made in his previous 16 PGA Tour starts this season.

Davis, 29, closed in 70 and won the Rocket Mortgage Classic for the second time in his career. In doing so, he took home $1.656 million from a purse of $9.2 million. Davis hadn’t recorded a top-10 finish all season. His best result was a T-12 at the Masters in April. His season earnings soared to $3,061,884.

Akshay Bhatia was the hard-luck loser after missing a 5-foot par putt at 18. If it’s any consolation, the 22-year-old surpassed $7 million in career earnings, which is making his decision to skip college look like a wise one.

Aaron Rai, a 54-hole co-leader, settled for T-3 but cracked $6 million and passed Jack Nicklaus ($5,734,031) and Hale Irwin ($5,966,031) on the career money list. Among those at T-3 was 25-year-old Aussie Min Woo Lee, who crossed $5 million in career earnings.

Cameron Young (73) cracked the shaft of his driver in anger on the 14th hole and settled for a T-6 finish. It wasn’t all bad news for Young, who is still seeking his first Tour title. He did pass major winner Steve Elkington on the career money list as he neared $16 million in earnings.

Here’s a closer look at who made what in Motown.

Pos. Player Score Earnings
1 Cam Davis -18 $1,656,000
T2 Davis Thompson -17 $616,400
T2 Min Woo Lee -17 $616,400
T2 Aaron Rai -17 $616,400
T2 Akshay Bhatia -17 $616,400
T6 Rico Hoey -15 $300,150
T6 Eric Cole -15 $300,150
T6 Erik van Rooyen -15 $300,150
T6 Cameron Young -15 $300,150
T10 Taylor Moore -14 $206,233
T10 Dylan Wu -14 $206,233
T10 J.J. Spaun -14 $206,233
T10 Hayden Springer -14 $206,233
T10 Nick Dunlap -14 $206,233
T10 Luke Clanton (a) -14 $0
T10 Sam Stevens -14 $206,233
T17 David Skinns -12 $149,500
T17 Ben Silverman -12 $149,500
T17 Troy Merritt -12 $149,500
T20 Carl Yuan -11 $113,068
T20 Patton Kizzire -11 $113,068
T20 Andrew Novak -11 $113,068
T20 Ben Kohles -11 $113,068
T20 Neal Shipley -11 $113,068
T25 Nate Lashley -10 $74,980
T25 Matt Kuchar -10 $74,980
T25 Patrick Fishburn -10 $74,980
T25 Justin Lower -10 $74,980
T25 Jhonattan Vegas -10 $74,980
T25 Joel Dahmen -10 $74,980
T31 Nicholas Lindheim -9 $49,603
T31 Ben Griffin -9 $49,603
T31 Kevin Yu -9 $49,603
T31 Ryan McCormick -9 $49,603
T31 Jacob Bridgeman -9 $49,603
T31 Ryo Hisatsune -9 $49,603
T31 Harry Hall -9 $49,603
T31 Max Greyserman -9 $49,603
T31 Roger Sloan -9 $49,603
T31 Beau Hossler -9 $49,603
T31 Rickie Fowler -9 $49,603
T31 Jake Knapp -9 $49,603
T31 Patrick Rodgers -9 $49,603
T44 Maverick McNealy -8 $29,164
T44 Blaine Hale, Jr. -8 $29,164
T44 Taylor Montgomery -8 $29,164
T44 Brandon Wu -8 $29,164
T44 Ryan Moore -8 $29,164
T44 Ben James (a) -8 $0
T44 Chris Kirk -8 $29,164
T44 Hayden Buckley -8 $29,164
T52 Matti Schmid -7 $22,650
T52 Mark Hubbard -7 $22,650
T52 Nick Hardy -7 $22,650
T52 Bud Cauley -7 $22,650
T52 Michael Kim -7 $22,650
T57 Davis Riley -6 $21,160
T57 Callum Tarren -6 $21,160
T57 Kevin Streelman -6 $21,160
T57 Vince Whaley -6 $21,160
T57 Robby Shelton -6 $21,160
T57 Joe Highsmith -6 $21,160
T63 Zach Johnson -5 $20,332
T63 Pierceson Coody -5 $20,332
T63 Nico Echavarria -5 $20,332
66 Nicolai Hojgaard -4 $19,964
T67 Ryan Fox -3 $19,412
T67 Luke List -3 $19,412
T67 Chandler Phillips -3 $19,412
T67 Chris Gotterup -3 $19,412
T67 Wesley Bryan -3 $19,412
T72 Taylor Pendrith -2 $18,768
T72 Aaron Baddeley -2 $18,768
74 Peter Malnati -1 $18,492

 

Winner’s Bag: Cameron Davis, Rocket Mortgage Classic

Check out the golf equipment Davis used to win for a second time at Detroit Golf Club.

[anyclip-media thumbnail=”https://cdn5.anyclip.com/uY1XMI0Bw5FJFJUVd3fD/1705913411657_248x140_thumbnail.jpg” playlistId=”undefined” content=”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”][/anyclip-media]

A complete list of the golf equipment Cameron Davis used to win the PGA Tour’s 2024 Rocket Mortgage Classic:

DRIVER: Titleist TSR3 (10 degrees), with Fujikura Ventus Blue TR 7 X shaft

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop Cam Davis’ driver” link=”https://worldwidegolfshops.pxf.io/5gVx52″]

FAIRWAY WOOD: Titleist TSR3 (15 degrees), with Fujikura Ventus Blue TR 8 X shaft

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop Cam Davis’ fairway wood” link=”https://worldwidegolfshops.pxf.io/k0mNOL”]

IRONS: Titleist T100 (3), 620 CB (4-PW), with KBS Tour V 120 X shafts

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop Cam Davis’ irons” link=”https://worldwidegolfshops.pxf.io/Gmv2bm”]

WEDGES: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (52, 56, 60 degrees), with True Temper Dynamic Gold S400 shafts

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop Cam Davis’ wedges” link=”https://worldwidegolfshops.pxf.io/VmG0OO”]

PUTTER: Scotty Cameron TourType Special Select Masterful tour prototype

BALL: Titleist Pro V1

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop Cam Davis’ golf ball” link=”https://worldwidegolfshops.pxf.io/XYVK4X”]

GRIPS: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Align

Cam Davis wins 2024 Rocket Mortgage Classic, earns second victory in Detroit

Akshay Bhatia’s par putt from 4 feet at 18 caught the right edge and spun out, his first three putt of the week.

[anyclip-media thumbnail=”https://cdn5.anyclip.com/_vCVa5ABZydD-s-L5YHV/1719791950716_248x140_thumbnail.jpg” playlistId=”undefined” content=”PHNjcmlwdCBzcmM9Imh0dHBzOi8vcGxheWVyLmFueWNsaXAuY29tL2FueWNsaXAtd2lkZ2V0L2xyZS13aWRnZXQvcHJvZC92MS9zcmMvbHJlLmpzIiBkYXRhLWFyPSIxNjo5IiBkYXRhLXBsaWQ9Imw1M2VndnRiZ3ZhdWV3dHptcmNjMjR6bmpxMnZzc2N3IiBwdWJuYW1lPSIxOTk4IiB3aWRnZXRuYW1lPSIwMDE2TTAwMDAyVTBCMWtRQUZfTTgzMjciPgo8L3NjcmlwdD4=”][/anyclip-media]

Cam Davis loves the Motor City.

The Australian has two career PGA Tour titles to his credit after winning the Rocket Mortgage Classic for the second time.

Davis, the 2021 Rocket Mortgage Classic champion, shot 2-under 70 Sunday at Detroit Golf Club to get in the clubhouse at 18-under 270, and that was good enough for the title when Akshay Bhatia took three putts from 32 feet to make bogey at the last.

“I wouldn’t wish what happened to Akshay on anyone, but I’ve done a lot of grinding to get myself out of a hole,” he said. “It’s pretty good.”

Davis, 29, hadn’t recorded a single top-10 finish this season, and conceded he didn’t see a week like this coming to get him “out of the doldrums.” Since May, in his last six starts, Davis was a cumulative 32-over par, and had missed the cut at the PGA Championship and U.S. Open.

“I saw a little bit of a spark last week” said Davis, who finished T-48 at the Travelers Championship, his best result in his last six starts, “but nothing to show this coming, so this is crazy.”

ROCKET MORTGAGE: Leaderboard | Photos

Davis earned $1.656 million for the win, more than he had made in 16 previous starts combined. A few weeks earlier he began working with hypnotherapist Grace Smith, who helped him get into a better head space.

“From where I was a couple of weeks ago to today, just completely different person,” he said.

Davis was a member of the International Team at the 2022 Presidents Cup and seemed on the verge of a breakthrough but he’s struggled to keep his card for much of the last two seasons. Davis termed the time between his victories in Motown to be “frustrating.”

“Because I see a lot of young guys coming out and winning multiple times and making it happen,” he explained. “To not be one of those guys, especially now I’m almost 30, there are guys out here 21, 22 that are doing things that I wish I was doing and had done at their age.”

Davis isn’t the only one surprised that he had been stuck on one victory for the last few years. The 2022 International Team Captain Trevor Immelman, working as lead analyst for CBS Sports on the broadcast, and Golf Channel’s Tripp Isenhour both shared the same sentiment.

“When you watch Cam Davis hit the ball and you watch his skillset you go, ‘How does this guy only have one win on the PGA Tour?’ ” said Isenhour. “It’s great to see him find the peace that pulls him to where he needs to be. That might be bad news for every one else because he’s very, very talented.”

In the final round, Davis opened with a bogey at the first but bounced back with birdies at Nos. 3, 5 and 7, the latter giving him the solo lead. Bhatia caught him with a birdie of his own at No. 7 and it turned into a back-and-forth affair with several competitors nipping at their heels.

Davis drilled a 3-wood at the par-5 14th that landed on the front of the green but reversed gears and trickled into the water. It was a terrible break and he made bogey to drop one stroke behind. But he got revenge on 17, sinking a 4-foot birdie putt at the par-5 17th to tie Bhatia for the lead.

“I felt like it just wasn’t going to be my day,” Davis said. “I was honestly very surprised that I was tied for the lead with the last group coming down 18.”

A Northwest breeze blew on Sunday and protected the par 5s, preventing players from feasting on the four holes that the field had picked apart during the first three rounds. Davis Thompson (68), Min Woo Lee (69), who had a share of the lead before a bogey at 18, and 54-hole co-leader Aaron Rai (72) tied for third. Seeking his first Tour title, Cameron Young was just one stroke back when he cracked the shaft of his driver in anger on the 14th hole. He brooded on the greens too as his balky putter let him down and he settled for a 73 and a T-6 finish. Amateur Luke Clanton, 20, remained in the trophy hunt until late on the back nine, signing for an even-par 72 and T-10 finish.

No one left with a sense of what could’ve been more than Bhatia, who played in the final group on Sunday for the second straight week and missed out on a playoff when his par attempt from just under 5 feet at 18 caught the right edge of the cup and spun out, his first three putt of the week, first miss from inside 6 feet all week and just his second bogey of the tournament.

“It sucks, there’s no other way to put it,” Bhatia said. “Just a little bit of nerves, honestly. I’m human.”

Why does Aaron Rai wear two gloves and use iron covers? The reason is incredibly endearing

“He used to clean every single groove afterward with a pin and baby oil”

The final round of the 2024 Rocket Mortgage Classic on Sunday could be a big day for Aaron Rai, a golf professional who wears two gloves when he plays and uses covers on his irons. But there is a method to his madness, and it might just make you want to pull for the Englishman, who shares the 54-hole lead at Detroit Golf Club with Akshay Bhatia in pursuit of his first PGA Tour victory.

Rai, 29, has won twice on the DP World Tour, but not since the 2020 Scottish Open and is making his 85th career start on the PGA Tour this week. Why does Rai wear gloves on both hands when he plays a la Tommy “Two Gloves” Gainey? As a youngster, he was sent a pair of gloves by the maker of them and it became a habit to wear not one but two when he played. But the reinforcement that this was the way for him happened down the line when his father forgot to put the two gloves in his bag.

“So I had to play with one. It was terrible,” Rai said. “I couldn’t play, I couldn’t feel the grip, so I’ve always stuck with the two gloves ever since.”

Using iron covers is an even bigger oddity for a pro golfer. But Rai, who came from a working-class family, offered an endearing explanation for his peculiar practice. It, too, dates to childhood and how his father always made sure that he had the best equipment, even if he didn’t always have the means. That included a set of Titleist 690 MBs when he was seven years old that he treated as his prized possession.

ROCKET MORTGAGE: Leaderboard | Photos

“I cherished them,” Rai recalled. “It started from the age of 4 years old, when my dad used to pay for my equipment. He paid for my membership, paid for my entry fees. It wasn’t money that we really had, to be honest, but he’d always buy me the best clubs. When we used to go out and practice, he used to clean every single groove afterward with a pin and baby oil, and, to protect the golf clubs, he thought it would be good to put iron covers on them, and I’ve pretty much had iron covers on all my sets ever since, just to kind of appreciate the value of what I have.”

Rai gets his equipment for free these days, but he still cares for his gear in the same manner, his way of remembering how his father toiled to help him get to this point.

“It’s more out of principle and it’s more out of just the value of not losing perspective of what I have and where I am,” he said. “The covers are going to stay.”

It could be a big day for Rai but regardless of the result, he won’t forget his humble beginnings and how far he’s progressed in his career.

Rocket Mortgage Classic 2024 Sunday tee times, PGA Tour pairings and how to watch

The purse at the Rocket Mortgage Classic is $9.2 million with $1.65 million going to the winner.

The two 36-hole leaders, Akshay Bhatia and Aaron Rai, are still tied atop the leaderboard after the third round of the PGA Tour’s 2024 Rocket Mortgage Classic at Detroit Golf Club. Bhatia and Rai shot matching 4-under 68s and hold a one-shot lead over Cam Davis and Cameron Young.

Young, the 23rd-ranked player in the world, is still looking for his first Tour win. In 16 previous starts this season, Young has finished inside the top 10 five times.

Sam Stevens and Erik van Rooyen are tied for fifth at 15 under, two back.

ROCKET MORTGAGE: Leaderboard | Photos

From tee times to TV and streaming info, here’s everything you need to know for the final round of the 2024 Rocket Mortgage Classic. All times listed are ET.

Sunday tee times

How to watch, listen

ESPN+ is the exclusive home of PGA Tour Live. You can also watch the Rocket Mortgage Classic on Golf Channel free on Fubo. All times ET.

Sunday, June 30

Golf Channel/Peacock: 1-3 p.m

CBS: 3-6 p.m.

Sirius XM: 1-6 p.m

ESPN+: 7 a.m.-1 p.m

[lawrence-auto-related count=4 category=1375]

Will Zalatoris withdraws from 2024 Rocket Mortgage Classic due to back injury

Bad news for Zalatoris.

Will Zalatoris withdrew from the 2024 Rocket Mortgage Classic during the third round due to his back. Zalatoris shot an opening-round 6-under 66 on Thursday before a 1-under effort on Friday. He was 3 over through eight holes on Moving Day before withdrawing from the tournament.

In April 2023, after withdrawing from the Masters, Zalatoris had back surgery that kept him out for the rest of the season. He made his return at Tiger Woods’ Hero World Challenge in December 2023. His initial back injury occurred at the 2022 BMW Championship.

In 15 starts prior to this week in Detroit, Zalatoris tallied three top-10 finishes: T-2 at the Genesis Invitational, T-4 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and T-9 at the Masters. He hasn’t finished inside the top 40 since Augusta National.

Rocket Mortgage: Leaderboard

Rocket Mortgage Classic 2024 Saturday tee times, PGA Tour pairings and how to watch

The purse at the Rocket Mortgage Classic is $9.2 million with $1.65 million going to the winner.

The first two days of the 2024 Rocket Mortgage Classic at Detroit Golf Club are in the books and two names are tied atop the leaderboard. Akshay Bhatia, who won the Valero Texas Open earlier this season, and Englishman Aaron Rai, looking for his first PGA Tour win, each sit at 13 under, two shots ahead of a pack at 11 under.

Some of the big names in the mix include Cameron Young (11 under, two back), Cam Davis (10 under, three back), Joel Dahmen (10 under, three back) and Jake Knapp (9 under, four back).

However, several notables missed the cut including last week’s runner-up Tom Kim.

Rocket Mortgage: Photos

From tee times to TV and streaming info, here’s everything you need to know for the third round of the 2024 Rocket Mortgage Classic. All times listed are ET.

Saturday tee times

How to watch, listen

ESPN+ is the exclusive home of PGA Tour Live. You can also watch the Rocket Mortgage Classic on Golf Channel free on Fubo. All times ET.

Saturday, June 29

Golf Channel/Peacock: 1-3 p.m

CBS: 3-6 p.m.

Sirius XM: 1-6 p.m

ESPN+: 7 a.m.-6 p.m

Sunday, June 30

Golf Channel/Peacock: 1-3 p.m

CBS: 3-6 p.m.

Sirius XM: 1-6 p.m

ESPN+: 7 a.m.-1 p.m

[lawrence-auto-related count=4 category=1375]

Nick Dunlap, very much in Rocket Mortgage contention, admits PGA Tour life is ‘a little lonely’

Despite a great showing in Detroit, the change has been difficult, Dunlap said.

Nick Dunlap is now in his 15th event as a professional golfer since shocking the world by winning The American Express in La Quinta as an amateur last January. And while he’s more comfortable now with the professional life, Dunlap admits the pro game can be frustrating.

“Honestly, the most frustrating thing is that I’ve had to realize that I can’t attack pins with sand wedges sometimes,” Dunlap said. “I think (recent tournaments were) pretty eye-opening for me in realizing that sometimes you’re not going to hit the green, even if you are on the fairway.

“It’s taken me a little while to realize how to play some of these golf courses,” Dunlap added. “Even par is a great score. Most of the time on the weekends it gets even harder.”

Dunlap, still just 20, has faced plenty of questions since deciding to turn pro after winning The American Express in La Quinta, making him the first amateur to win on the PGA Tour in 33 years. Should he have stayed at the University of Alabama? Was his game ready for the PGA Tour, even though he had just beaten a field that included world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and PGA Championship winner Xander Schauffele?

The questions have grown louder as Dunlap’s year has continued. While he’s surpassed $1 million in earnings in his 14 starts — he won no money at The American Express — he has missed five cuts and has been in the top 15 in an event just twice. He missed the cut in all three major championships he’s played this year, and he was 66th in the most recent event he played, the Travelers Championship. He was a strong 12th the week before the U.S. Open at The Memorial.

This week at the Rocket Mortgage Classic in Detroit, however, Dunlap is in contention at the midway point, building off an opening-round 67. He’s 8 under through 36 holes, just five strokes behind leader Akshay Bhatia.

For Dunlap, it is all part of a learning process.

“I always kind of thought coming out here that I had a lot to learn,” Dunlap said. “I thought that my game was good enough. But these guys are so good consistently week in and week out. I knew I needed to do a couple things to be able to maintain my game, compete week in and week out. I’m three, four months into it. Kind of starting to get a grasp on it.”

One reason for Dunlap to turn pro was that his The American Express win makes him exemption for PGA Tour events through 2026, so he doesn’t have to worry about piecing together a schedule like a regular rookie. In addition, Dunlap was exempt in 2024 for all eight of the PGA Tour’s signature events, most of which do not have a cut and therefore provide a guaranteed paycheck for a player.

Lots of learning

2024 U.S. Open
Nick Dunlap reacts after putting on the first green during the first round of the U.S. Open golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

But the change has been difficult, Dunlap said, with thoughts of his University of Alabama teammates during college golf season.

Despite being comfortable with the decision to turn pro after The American Express win, a one-shot victory over Christiaan Bezuidenhout, Dunlap said he still kept an eye on his Alabama teammates and their trip through the NCAA championships, a trip that ended well short of an NCAA title.

“I still in a way feel bad. I feel like I left them hanging,” Dunlap said. “I would have loved to be with them at regionals, NCAAs the week after.”

What Dunlap has found, though, is new supporters on the PGA Tour.

“Honestly, a lot of the guys out here have been very, very nice to me, always offering up support and help in anything they do,” Dunlap said. “It was a little bit of an odd situation, but I’m 20, and there’s not a whole lot of my peers out here currently.

“It can be a little lonely at times. Feel like you’re on an island a little bit,” he added. “A lot of the guys have been very gracious and reaching out, making sure that I don’t feel that way.”

Dunlap also recently had plenty of television time, not for his current play but for The American Express win. American Express is a major partner of the United States Golf Association and used some of its commercial time during the recent U.S. Open to replay highlights of Dunlap’s win in La Quinta.

For now, Dunlap is 93rd on the FedEx Cup playoffs points list, well short of the 70th-place finish he’ll need at the end of the regular season to make the FedEx St. Jude Classic, the first of the three playoff tournaments. That means Dunlap has just five events left on the regular schedule to reach the playoffs, starting with this week’s Rocket Mortgage.

How did 15-year-old Miles Russell fare at the 2024 Rocket Mortgage Classic?

Russell shot 74-70 at Detroit Golf Club in his PGA Tour debut.

Miles Russell of Jacksonville Beach, Florida, became the ninth-youngest player to tee it up in a PGA Tour event on Thursday when he shot 2-over 74 in the first round of the Rocket Mortgage Classic at the Detroit Golf Club.

If he had anxiety it didn’t show much when he got his 5-7, 120-pound frame into a 305-yard drive down the left side of the 10th fairway on his first hole.

“I was a little nervous,” Russell said during his post-round news conference, assigning his stress level to about a 7 on a scale of 10. “That [was] probably my best drive of the day.”

Russell, who is 15 years, 7 months and 27 days old, missed the green with his second shot from 119 yards out, into the left bunker. His sand shot went 18 feet past the hole and he missed the par attempt, tapping in for a bogey-5.

Rocket Mortgage: Photos | Leaderboard

He had an up-and-down round through the narrow, winding holes of the Donald Ross-designed course. Russell followed his opening bogey with 10 pars in a row, made his first career PGA Tour birdie on a putt of 1 feet, 8 inches at the par-4 third hole, then rebounded from a double-bogey 6 at the par-4 sixth hole to birdie the par-5 seventh on a putt of nearly 4 feet.

Russell missed a birdie attempt of 10 feet at No. 8 and finished with a bogey, three-putting the par-3 ninth from 31 feet, 7 inches. He missed a par attempt of 3 feet, 3 inches.

Amateur Miles Russell plays an approach shot on the 14th hole during the first round of the Rocket Mortgage Classic at Detroit Golf Club on June 27, 2024, in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Raj Mehta/Getty Images)

Russell praised his playing partners

However, Russell said the score didn’t reflect how overjoyed he was about playing in his first PGA Tour event.

“Today was a great day,” he said. “For it to be the first [Tour round] … definitely wasn’t quite what I was hoping for, but we live, we learn, we move on. So looking forward to tomorrow and hopefully tomorrow’s going to be better.”

Russell started his second round on Friday at 8:57 a.m., starting at the first tee. He was 3 under through his front nine and near the projected cutline. He added a birdie on No. 11 that moved him to 2 under for the tournament, exactly at the projected cutline as of 11:30 a.m. A bogey on the next hole put him back to 1 under. A second bogey on the 16th hole sealed his fate, dropping him to even par for the week. He would par the last two holes for a 70 but he walked off the course tied for 104th as the cutline moved to 3 under.

Still, it was an impressive two-day total of 74-70–144 for the teenager.

Russell said playing partners Pierceson Coody and Rico Hoey, both in their first PGA Tour season, were more than helpful.

“They were great,” Russell said Thursday. “Walking off the first tee, they helped keep me loose and I think it was a cool experience for kind of all of us, but really cool one for me. I don’t know if I could ask for a better grouping.”

According to the PGA Tour research, the youngest player in a Tour event is Michelle Wie West in the 2004 Sony Open, at the age of 14 years, 3 months and 4 days.

Guan Tianling of China played in the 2013 Masters at 14 years, 5 months and 17 days. He also is the youngest player to make the cut in a major or a PGA Tour-sanctioned event.

Russell became the youngest player to make the cut in a Korn Ferry Tour event in April at the Lecom Suncoast Classic in Lakewood Ranch, Florida. He tied for 20th and qualified for the next event at the Veritex Bank Championship near Dallas, where he missed the cut.

Russell has acquitted himself well in three attempts at professional golf prior to this week. He shot 67 in a Monday qualifier in March for the Puerto Rico Open, and lost in a playoff for the fourth and final spot. His scoring average in seven rounds in pro events is 68.14 and he’s yet to shoot a round over par.

He will have at least one other pro start this season, at the PGA Tour’s Butterfield Bermuda Championship in November.

Who are the youngest players to compete on the PGA Tour?

Here are the players 15 years or younger to have played in a PGA Tour event, according to the PGA Tour and the four major championships:

  • Michelle Wie West: 2004 Sony Open, 14 years, three months, four days.
  • Guan Tianling: 2013 Masters, 14 years, five months, 18 days.
  • Andy Zhang: 2012 U.S. Open, 14 years, six months.
  • Lorens Chan: 2009 Sony Open, 14 years, seven months, 24 days.
  • Oliver Betschart: 2023 Butterfield Bermuda Championship, 15 years, three months, eight days.
  • Evan Pena: 2024 Puerto Rico Open, 15 years, three months, 28 days.
  • Tadd Fujikawa: 2006 U.S. Open, 15 years, five months, seven days.
  • John Oda: 2012 Sony Open, 15 years, seventh months, 22 days.
  • Miles Russell: 2024 Rocket Mortgage Classic, 15 years, seven months, 26 days.
  • Bob Panasik: 1957 Canadian Open, 15 years, eight months, 20 days.
  • Cole Hammer: 2015 U.S. Open, 15 years nine months, 21 days.
  • Kenny Leseur: 2019 Butterfield Bermuda Championship, 15 years, nine months, 22 days.