Miles Russell battled sterner conditions on June 21 in the third round of the 126th U.S. Open but finished strong to post a 4-over 74 at the Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, N.Y.
The 17-year-old from Jacksonville Beach, who earlier this week became the youngest player from the First Coast to play in a men’s professional major championship, is 7-over 217 for the tournament and was tied for 54th at the time he finished, just before 3 p.m.
Russell’s playing partner, World Amateur No. 1 Jackson Koivun, who led Auburn to two national championships in three years, bogeyed No. 18 and tied Russell for the day and for the tournament. They are tied for second among amateurs in the clubhouse, with Oklahoma senior Ryder Cowan (even par through 36 holes), teeing off just as they finished.
Miles Russell got off to a shaky start
After opening with a par for the third day in a row, Russell missed the second green and chipped 17 feet past the hole, missing the comebacker for par. He then three-putted for bogey from 52 feet at No. 3, missed a 5-footer for par.
Russell settled down after that, battling the high winds buffeting the competitors, and parred his next five holes. He had birdie-putt attempts of 19, 12, 40 and 16 feet during that stretch, and got up-and-down from a bunker and made a 4-footer for par at No. 6.
Russell bogeyed Nos. 12 and 13 on the back, missing greens and then missing par-putt attempts, but got his only birdie of the day on No. 14, draining a 20-foot putt.
Russell closes with four pars in a row
Russell got up and down at No. 15 for par from a bunker, making a 6-foot putt, then three-putted the par-5 16th from 35 feet for par. He two-putted his last two holes for par from 18 feet.
Russell pounded his longest drive of the tournament at No. 18, hitting his downwind tee shot 407 yards.
Koivun, four years older than Russell, had high praise for his partner’s game.
“I hadn’t spent a lot of time with him in the past,” he said. “He’s a great kid, obviously a great player. We had a fun day. He’s been in the game for a while and is just such a good player.”
Miles Russell’s third-round statistics
Russell hit nine of 14 fairways and 10 of 18 greens, and took 33 putts.
For the tournament, he’s hit 29 of 42 fairways (69.0 percent) and 33 of 54 greens (61.1 percent). He’s averaged 31.3 putts per round. Russell is averaging 307.2 yards per measured drive.
When will Miles Russell play in the fourth round?
The fourth-round tee times will not be compiled and released until after every player finishes their third round. The final twosome of Wyndham Clark and Matt Fitzpatrick teed off at 3:45 p.m.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Miles Russell posts 74 in US Open third round at Shinnecock Hills
Reporting by Garry Smits, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union / Florida Times-Union
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Garry Smits, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union | USA TODAY Network
