Winning on your first PGA Tour start as a member is an achievement in itself. Winning and setting a record score at the same time is quite remarkable.
Most golfers go into the sport to simply try and win a PGA Tour event at some point in their career.
Some are lucky and have countless wins to their name, while some – like Tommy Fleetwood – have near miss after near miss before finally getting over the line.
Do you think you could win The Masters if you started every hole on the green?
If not, how many shots would you also need?
For some, though, the wait is non-existent and that’s what happened with the USA’s Russell Henley when he made his first start as a PGA Tour member in a full field event.
Russell Henley’s record setting PGA Tour debut
We have to go back 12 years now to the debut of one of golf’s quieter characters in Russell Henley.
However, if we do go back and look, we find one of the most remarkable debut appearances in a full field event of all-time.
Teeing it up at the Sony Open back in 2013, few expected Henley to even get much of a mention, never mind be in with a chance of winning the event.
Henley, though had other ideas completely.
Instead of just going through the motions, Henley produced a stunning four rounds of golf to win.
He finished his final round with five straight birdies for a final round 63 and finish at seven under, the lowest ever finish at the time for the tournament.
In doing so, he became the first player to win on their debut in over a decade, while he also broke the 72 hole record for the Sony Open, coming home in 24-under par for a 256.
As we’ve seen since, Henley has gone on to become a very capable PGA Tour player but in terms of debuts, few have been better.
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Russell Henley’s PGA Tour record since his debut
Russell Henley rightfully earned a place in the Ryder Cup squad for 2025 but in the main, his career has been a very steady and successful one.
Rather than blow things away since that debut win, Henley has instead managed to plot his way through the PGA Tour and maintain a steady influence on tournaments.
He won again in the 13/14 season but had to wait until 2017 to win again. It was another long wait to the 22/23 season before his next win, before he then went another two years before winning the Arnold Palmer in 2025 and cementing himself as one of Team USA’s top guys.
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Henley has amassed more than $46m in prize money, while he’s also got 58 top ten finishes in 309 starts, further showing how consistent he can be.
With 2026 right around the corner and a solid 2025 behind him, don’t be surprised to see Henley contending in the majors.