Blades Brown made his final putt at the Korn Ferry Tour’s Bahamas Great Abaco Classic around 3 p.m. ET on Wednesday. He had just 22 hours to get from the Bahamas to Palm Springs, California, where he was slated to compete in the PGA Tour’s American Express on a sponsor exemption.
The 18-year-old prodigy made the long journey across the continental United States and arrived just in time for his tee time in Thursday’s first round, which saw him post a respectable 5-under 67 at La Quinta Country Club. Then, on Friday, Brown put together an early candidate for 2026 round of the year on the PGA Tour, firing a 12-under 60 to enter the clubhouse at 17 under, in a tie for the lead with World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler. The score itself is impressive, but the surrounding context makes it ever more so.
Blades Brown of the United States walks off the first green during the second round of The American Express 2026 at Nicklaus Tournament Course on January 23, 2026 in La Quinta, California.
Barring a collapse Saturday, Brown will make the 54-hole cut at the American Express — which is unique to this event due to the fact that its played across three different golf courses — meaning by the end of this week, he will have played eight straight days of competitive golf, going all the way back to Sunday’s opening round of the Great Abaco Classic, where he finished tied for 17th.
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With two rounds in the books at the American Express, he’s positioned himself to not only complete the proverbial golf marathon, but also have a chance to cap it off with his maiden PGA Tour victory in just his 10th start in the big leagues.
Brown, who turns 19 in May, got off to a jaw-dropping start Friday with six birdies and an eagle in his first seven holes on the back nine of the Nicklaus Tournament Course — one of the three courses hosting this event, along with La Quinta and the Pete Dye Stadium Course. Brown then made four more birdies on holes 2-6. He had three chances to get to 13 under and shoot 59, but made par on each of the last three holes.
Tour veteran Rickie Fowler, who fired a 9-under 63 on the Nicklaus Course on Friday to move into the top five, applauded Brown’s feat in his post-round presser when asked what advice he’d give the young rising star.
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“I’ve been around [Brown] a little bit. Haven’t spent much time, haven’t played with him yet. Obviously he’s a great player,” Fowler said. “Soak it up, have fun. It goes by pretty quickly. This is my 17th year on Tour. It’s good to see him playing well. That’s really what it’s all about. This game’s not getting any older.
“To see from when I came out what the kind of average age on Tour to what that is now, I felt like, going into my prime, age kept shifting… I think the big thing, it’s great to see him play well. Obviously he had a quick turnaround from the Bahamas. I love seeing good golf, especially someone like him, young. It’s very beneficial to play well early and kind of build that confidence and momentum.”
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: American Express 2026: Blades Brown, 18, fires 60 in second round
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