Blades Brown made history in his first pro start, but he did something even more impressive after missing the cut.
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Brown blades made waves and PGA Tour history during his second round Friday at American Express in La Quinta, Calif.
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 Friday at the Nicklaus Course to shoot a 64. That 64 is the round low 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 birdied the final five holes in 4-over par, including a water cannon at the par-3 17th. He finished his three rounds at 6 under, which was three behind the cut.
While Brown didn’t have the Saturday he had anticipated, the 17-year-old offered wisdom beyond his yearss while looking to the future.
“Golf is a weird, funny game,” Brown told Golf Channel after his third round. “You’re going to have good breaks from bad shots and bad breaks from good shots. But I’ll keep my head up. It’s going to hit me a little bit, but I’m looking forward to what’s next.”
Brown plans to use his missteps Saturday as a learning experience for the next time he shows up at a PGA Tour event. (Brown plans to try on Monday to qualify for next week’s Farmers Insurance Open.) He has recorded his experience with American Express. He would analyze it later to build on what was still a successful professional debut, with his flop at 17 as a prime example of how he can improve himself.
“I think mentally, I can definitely grow there,” Brown said of the water polo that helped seal his fate. “I mean, there’s a lot going on at this golf course. I am thankful and grateful to be here.”
Brown admitted he was “mentally drained” after hitting the par-3 17th. He will have to work to harden his mind in order to find a home in the upper echelon of professional golf.
The 17-year-old could only see his week at American Express as a positive – one that included history through a hot shot 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 Saturday. “Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to get the conversion back down, but, I mean, a lot of practice. I’m glad I’m doing it now; so I can learn. My dad always says, ‘You win and you learn,’ and I will definitely learn from this experience.”
Blades Brown has the game to play on the PGA Tour. But it takes more than a clean iron game and an artistic feel for the greens to win the tournament.
After a heartbreaking end to his American Express week, Brown showed the mental strength needed to match his clean sweep.
The combination should help create a bright future for the 17-year-old phenom. This week was just a glimpse of what’s to come.
