Lessons learned from a phenom

The wind was whipping at Wannamoisett CC for the third round of the Northeast Amateur. Every year, the best amateur golfers in the world convene in Rumford, Rhode Island to compete on the challenging Donald Ross layout. Slick greens, high rough, and deep bunkers protect this par 69.

The wind was an additional obstacle in the third round, and scores ballooned; the scoring average was 75.4, compared to 70.2, 70.39, and 69.55 in the other three rounds.

Players like Ryan Downes, who shot 71, moved up 30+ spots on the leaderboard and inside the cutline.

It was pure carnage, and it looked like one of the biggest victims was going to be 16-year-old Miles Russell. He’s the best junior golfer in the country, and possibly the world.

I decided to follow Russell for his round (You can watch 12 holes of his round on Instagram). Golf tournaments can be full of bright, shiny objects to watch. John Daly II was in the group ahead of Russell. In another world, I would have tried to see everything or everyone in the field. When you do that, you end up seeing nothing.

With small crowds, the access to these players is incredible. You can hear their conversations and watch how they react to good and bad shots. There are no ropes, so walking in the fairway is allowed.

I learned quite a bit watching Russell teeter on the brink of disaster and bounce back.

Subscribe to Supporter to read the rest.