Blades Brown made waves and PGA Tour history during his second round on Friday at the American Express in La Quinta, California.
After opening with a pedestrian 72 on Thursday, the 17-year-old Brown, who made his professional debut this week, made eight birdies in a nine-hole stretch on Friday at the Nicklaus Course to shoot 64. That 64 is the lowest round on the PGA Tour by a player under the age of 18 in the last 40 years.
Despite the hot Friday, Brown still needed a solid round on Saturday to make the cut. But the Pete Dye Stadium Course got the better of the 17-year-old as Brown played the final five holes in 4-over-par, including a water ball at the par-3 17th. He finished his three rounds at 6 under, which was three behind the cut line.
While Brown didn’t have the Saturday he envisioned, the 17-year-old offered wisdom beyond his years as he looks to the future.
“Golf is a weird, funny game,” Brown told Golf Channel after his third round. “You’ll have good breaks from bad shots and bad breaks from good shots. But I’m going to keep my head up. This is going to sting a little bit, but I’m looking forward to what’s next.”
Brown plans to use his missteps on Saturday as a learning experience for the next time he tees it up in a PGA Tour event. (Brown plans to try to Monday qualify into next week’s Farmers Insurance Open.) He’s logged his experience at the American Express. He will dissect it later to build off what was still a successful professional debut, with his failed tee shot on 17 as a prime example of how he can better himself.
“I think mentally, I definitely can grow right there,” Brown said of the water ball that helped seal his fate. “I mean, there’s a lot going on on this golf course. I’m thankful and grateful to be here.”
Brown admitted he was “mentally drained” as he reached the par-3 17th. He’ll have to work to steel his mind in order to find a home at the upper echelon of professional golf.
The 17-year-old could only view his week at the American Express as a positive — one that included history via a hot putter and plenty of lessons that should help shape him as he tries to traverse the professional golf landscape.
“It was a blast competing on the PGA TOUR,” Brown said on Saturday. “Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to convert coming down the stretch, but, I mean, a lot of practice. I’m glad I’m doing it right now; that way I can learn. My dad always says, ‘You win and you learn,’ and I’m definitely going to learn from this experience.”
Blades Brown has the game to play on the PGA Tour. But it takes more than crisp iron play and an artistic feel for the greens to win on tour.
After a heartbreaking end to his American Express week, Brown showed the mental fortitude needed to match his pure swing.
The combination should help craft a bright future for the 17-year-old phenom. This week was just a glimpse of what might be to come.
