PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FLORIDA - Miles Russell of Jacksonville, Florida, takes the solo lead after the second round of The Junior PLAYERS Championship presented by Rolex.
Ranked No. 1 in the Rolex AJGA Rankings, Russell carded a 3-under-par 69 to take a one-stroke lead. He now looks to become the first two-time champion of The Junior PLAYERS Championship presented by Rolex after his 2023 victory.
Russell shared the first-round lead with Nicholas Logis of Austin, Texas, after opening with a 4-under-par 68. He started on No. 10 with a bogey but quickly rebounded with back-to-back birdies on Nos. 11 and 12. After another bogey on No. 15, he recovered with a birdie on the par-5 No. 16. On his second nine, he sandwiched a bogey at No. 3 with birdies on Nos. 2 and 4, then added one final birdie on the par-5 No. 9 to close at 7-under-par 137, two strokes clear of the field.
Currently No. 1 in the Rolex AJGA Rankings and the 2023 Rolex Junior Player of the Year, Russell returns to TPC Sawgrass as the 2023 champion. The recent Florida State commit and two-time Rolex Junior All-American has continued his strong form with a win at the 2024 Rolex Tournament of Champions and early 2025 victories at Carlton Woods and Sage Valley.
"I played pretty solid. When I hit bad shots, I was able to recover well for the most part. And when I hit good ones, I was able to capitalize on them, but did everything pretty good."
First-round co-leader Nicholas Logis sits in solo second after a 1-under-par 71. The Southern Methodist University commit opened with three birdies and a double bogey on the par-3 No. 5. On the back nine, he recorded seven pars, a birdie on No. 10, and a bogey on No. 16 to finish his round. His 36-hole total of 5-under-par 139 is four strokes ahead of the next closest players. Logis will look to capture his first Invitational title tomorrow.
“This course really tests your patience and focus. I just tried to learn from yesterday — stay patient, stay focused, and not let one bad hole get to me. Out here, things can get away from you quickly, so it’s important not to let that hurt your round.”
Five players are tied for third at 1-under-par 143: Ronin Banerjee of Irvine, California; Luke Ringkamp of Palm Desert, California; Arrow Aarav Shah of Melbourne, Australia; Grayson Baucom of Hickory, North Carolina; and Tom De Herrypon of Paris, France.
Final-round tee times will run from 8:10-10:10 a.m. off Nos. 1 and 10 at TPC Sawgrass - THE PLAYERS Stadium Course on Sunday, September 31.
Thanks to a longtime partnership between the PGA TOUR and the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA), 78 of the world's top-ranked male junior golfers, invited through the Rolex AJGA Rankings, will compete in a 54-hole, stroke-play event mirroring THE PLAYERS Championship setup and hole locations.
The 19th annual Junior PLAYERS Championship presented by Rolex showcases the best of the next generation of future college and professional stars. To date, 74 past players have graduated to play in the PGA TOUR's THE PLAYERS Championship. Justin Thomas became the first Junior PLAYERS Championship alumni to win the professional event in 2021. He competed as a junior in 2008 and 2009. Scottie Scheffler was the second Junior PLAYERS competitor to win The PLAYERS in 2023 after competing three years in the event as a junior and being named the AJGA's 2013 Rolex Junior Player of the Year. Scheffler won the event again in 2024.
Representatives from a 16 foreign countries are competing in one of the AJGA’s annual top fields, featuring 12 of the top 20 boys in the Rolex AJGA Rankings.