Blades Brown made PGA Tour history during the second round of the American Express.
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The return of Blades Brown during the second round of American Express it wasn’t just impressive – it was also historic. On Friday, Brown shot an impressive 8-under 64, which statistics guru Justin Ray reported was the lowest score in a PGA Tour round by a player under the age of 18 in 40 years.
17-year-old Blades Brown shot 64 today at The American Express.
It is the lowest score on a PGA Tour by a player under the age of 18 in the last 40 years.
— Justin Ray (@JustinRayGolf) January 18, 2025
With his 64, Brown surpassed three players to accomplish the feat in the past half-century. There’s Justin Thomas, who shot a 65 in 2009 when he was just 16 years old. Tony Finau shot a 65 in 2007 at age 17. And Ty Tryon, who shot a 65 in 2001 at age 17.
While he may be young, Brown is also wise beyond his years. When asked what he thought was the difference during his second round, the 17-year-old said keeping his process down helped, but it really came down to perspective.
“I play golf now for a living, and I promise you, there are a lot more challenging things than playing golf for a living,” Brown said, “Whether it’s a kid lying in a cancer bed, there’s a lot to be thankful for here. .”
“I think just keeping it in perspective that you can play golf for free on an incredible golf course and with great people,” Brown said, “I think just keeping it in perspective definitely helped me today.”
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In addition to his stellar mentality, Brown’s putting was also off on Friday and played a significant role in his record-breaking round. In a post-round interview, Brown attributed his birdie run on the back nine to his ability on the greens.
“When I got to three in a row, I was like, ‘We’ve got to get the ball rolling,'” Brown said.
This strategy worked well for him as he made three birdies on the following three holes. But don’t interpret this as Brown being arrogant. He just really likes to decide.
He doesn’t see putting as a skill or a job. Instead, Brown sees it as an art form, and it is precisely this creativity and passion that makes him so dominant on the green.
“I just think there’s an art to it,” Brown said, “I mean, I’m not an artist, but I’m an artist in green.”
“I like being able to hit some putts because, I mean, that’s the most accurate you’ve got to play golf, and I just, I like to hit putts,” Brown said.
