Miles Russell is joining select company with his latest golf accomplishment.
The Jacksonville Beach native was named the American Junior Golf Association Rolex Boys Player of the Year on Nov. 9, the third time he has achieved the honor from the nation's largest junior golf tour.
Here's the list of three-time AJGA Player of the Year winners:
Phil Mickelson.
Miles Russell.
That's the list. Russell adds the 2026 award to his 2023 and 2025 honors from the AJGA.
Asterisk Talley of Chowchilla, Calif., is the AJGA Girls Player of the Year. Russell and Talley will be honored alongside the 2026 Rolex Junior All-America teams and the Rolex Scholastic Junior All-America team at the Rolex Junior All-America Awards Banquet on Nov. 21 at the JW Marriott San Antonio
Hill Country Resort & Spa in San Antonio, Texas.
"Their talent, perseverance and sportsmanship reflect the very best of the AJGA," said Stephen Hamblin, AJGA Executive Director, in a statement.
"It's quite an honor to win an award of that prestige three times," Russell told the Times-Union. "It's pretty special. But again, all I like to do is play golf, and luckily I can play some good golf."
Miles Russell is fifth on World Amateur rankings
Good may be understating it. Russell, who will begin playing at Florida State in the fall of 2027, finished the year first on the AJGA boys' rankings and is fifth on the World Amateur Rankings.
His best finishes in junior events in 2026 were a victory at the Sage Valley Invitational (becoming the first repeat winner) and a second in the U.S. Junior Amateur.
Russell has six career AJGA victories, highlighted by the 2023 and 2025 Junior Players Championship (he was the youngest ever to win and the first First Coast resident to win in 2023, then became the first two-time winner two years later) and nine junior national titles in all
Russell reached the semifinals of the Western Amateur, qualified for match play in the U.S. Amateur and was the youngest member of the U.S. Walker Cup team, where he went 2-1-1 at Lahinch in Ireland. Russell also played for the U.S. in the Junior Presidents Cup and went 2-1 to help the U.S. win at Medinah.
Russell also made the cut and tied for 39th in the U.S. Open at Shinnecock, after winning a playoff in a 36-hole sectional qualifier, tied for 15th in the Korn Ferry Tour's event in Savannah, Ga., and made his third career cut in a PGA Tour event with a tie for 64th in the Butterfield Bermuda Open.
Russell, who turned 18 years old on Nov. 1, said the AJGA played a vital role in his development.
"It's been a huge part of the game and it's a very good stepping stone to get to the next level," he said. "It prepares you for amateur golf, and amateur golf helps you prepare for professional golf."
Miles Russell's plan: 'Working on everything'
Russell said he will take the time during the holidays to work on all facets of his game.
"I'm working on everything, from golf swing to my driver to chipping and putting," he said. "If I can just try to keep improving my irons, everything will keep improving. It's not just one thing, but there are things here and there that we like to target. Golf's a streaky game. Some days my driver's really good, my putting's not. Some days my putting's really good, my driver's not quite there. So really just trying to improve and be as consistent as possible."
Russell said he will play a similar schedule in 2027 as he has in the past several years, combining high-level junior and amateur events with Korn Ferry Tour and PGA Tour opportunities through Monday qualifiers or sponsor invitations.
"We'll try to get into as many [pro events] as we can," he said. "Just try to be there, show up, and play good golf."
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Miles Russell joins Phil Mickelson as only 3-time AJGA Player of the Year winners
