Teenager Brown shoots a 60, shares lead at American Express event.
LA QUINTA, Calif — An eventful week for 18-year-old Blades Brown came close to a remarkable highlight on Friday when he just missed a 6-foot birdie putt for a score of 59, leaving him tied for the lead in The American Express alongside Scottie Scheffler.
Brown, who turned professional last year and is only weeks away from graduating high school, required just one birdie over the last three holes on the Nicklaus Tournament course at PGA West, the easiest of the three courses in play under perfect weather conditions.
He struck a gap wedge slightly to the right of the pin on his final hole, the par-4 ninth. He had the benefit of watching David Ford play first on the same line. He selected his target, rolled the putt, but it stayed right, just grazing the edge as the crowd reacted with disappointment.
Regardless,
“I’m so stoked,” he remarked, adding that he needed what he referred to as a “fat nap.”
Brown secured Korn Ferry Tour status last year and was in the Bahamas for a tournament that concluded on Wednesday. He utilized a flight voucher he earned from a top-50 finish in the Myrtle Beach Classic last year to fly privately to Palm Springs, arriving at his hotel around 8 p.m. the night before The American Express, where he is competing on a sponsor exemption.
Now, he heads into the weekend tied with one of golf’s top players.
Scheffler was not as sharp as in the opening round but still managed a bogey-free 64 on the Nicklaus course, playing in front of the largest crowd and two groups ahead of Brown.
What is usually a relaxed tournament in the Coachella Valley, set among desert mountains, palm trees, and lush green fairways, was sold out on Friday.
Scheffler is a significant attraction in one of the strongest fields in years. And now there is a teenager who was just one putt away from becoming the youngest player in PGA Tour history to break 60.
Brown was not the only one in contention. As he was teeing off on his final hole at the Nicklaus course with a chance at 59, Andrew Putnam was on the 18th hole at La Quinta, needing a birdie to break 60.
Both players made par. The tournament is now halfway through, with attention shifting to a weekend that features Scheffler firmly positioned at the top of the leaderboard alongside the teenager, both at 17-under 127.
Si Woo Kim, a former champion here, recorded a 65 on the more challenging Stadium Course at PGA West and is just one shot behind.
