17-year-old Phenom Blades Brown Sets Age Record at PGA Tour Despite Missing Cut
Blades Brown, a 17-year-old prodigy, made PGA Tour history at the American Express in La Quinta by shooting a remarkable 64 in his second round - the lowest score by a player under 18 in four decades. His outstanding performance included eight birdies in just nine holes at the Nicklaus Course.
Despite this historic achievement, Brown's journey took a challenging turn during Saturday's final round. Playing the Pete Dye Stadium Course, he struggled in the closing holes, going 4-over in the last five, including a costly water ball at the par-3 17th. This left him at 6 under overall, three shots shy of making the cut.
Brown's response to this setback demonstrated maturity beyond his years. "Golf is a weird, funny game," he reflected. "You'll have good breaks from bad shots and bad breaks from good shots. But I'm going to keep my head up."
The young professional plans to use this experience as a learning opportunity, particularly noting the mental challenges he faced on the 17th hole where fatigue began to set in. He's already looking ahead to Monday qualifying for the Farmers Insurance Open.
"It was a blast competing on the PGA TOUR," Brown said. "My dad always says, 'You win and you learn,' and I'm definitely going to learn from this experience."
Brown's combination of technical skill and mental resilience suggests a promising future in professional golf. While this week ended in disappointment, his historic round and composed response to adversity indicate he has both the game and temperament required for success at the highest level.