Blades Brown, a 17-year-old rising star from Nashville, Tennessee, made history at the American Express tournament in La Quinta, California. During the second round at the Nicklaus Tournament Course, he delivered a stunning performance by shooting an eight-under-par 64. This achievement set a new standard, marking the lowest score recorded by a golfer under 18 in a PGA Tour event in the last four decades.
Brown’s exceptional round featured an incredible stretch of eight birdies over nine holes, a testament to his skill and composure under pressure. His remarkable performance broke previous records set by renowned golfers, including Justin Thomas, Tony Finau, and Ty Tryon, all of whom achieved rounds of 65 as teenagers over the past 25 years.
However, the following round at the Pete Dye Stadium Course proved more challenging for Brown. His final five holes were played in four-over-par, which included a setback at the par-3 17th, where his shot found the water hazard. He ultimately carded a two-over-par 74 for the day, concluding the tournament at six-under-par overall. Unfortunately, this result left him three strokes short of making the cut.
Despite these challenges, Brown remained optimistic about his career and expressed gratitude for the experience. He credited his strong putting skills and a positive mindset as key to his performance, saying, “I play golf right now for a living, and I promise you, there are a lot more challenging things than playing golf for a living… I think just keeping it in perspective definitely helped me today.”
Brown’s record-breaking performance has drawn widespread attention from fans and analysts alike, solidifying his position as one of golf’s most promising young talents and sparking high hopes for his future on the PGA Tour.