Numbers Blades Brown put on caught a lot of attention this week at the 2026 AmEx. After all, he became the youngest golfer on the Tour to shoot a 60 or lower, but for him, the numbers weren’t the first thing that mattered. Rather, it was Rickie Fowler; as for the 18-year-old, this was a full-circle moment.
“Rickie is an individual I’ve looked up to,”Brown told the media on Saturday. “There’s a picture somewhere; my dad has it. I used to rock a Rickie Fowler orange outfit all the time.”
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Since his childhood, Blades Brown would wear Fowler’s signature orange whenever he could. In an interview last year, his father, Parke Brown, recalled how a small Brown would run up and down the fairway with mud all over his Rickie Fowler orange shorts. Why wouldn’t he, though? Fowler’s orange has always been iconic.
Rickie Fowler’s orange outfit dates back to his time at Oklahoma State University, from 2007 to 2008. He always donned the Cowboys’ orange-and-black colors, and it quickly became his signature. From wearing it from head to toe to eventually just limiting it to his shirt, the attire has always caught the eyes of his fans. The bright color stands out, and now it is Fowler’s “own little personal style.”
Until last year, Brown had not met his idol. They were about to cross paths in a pro-am at PGA West, playing back-to-back groups. The prospect of that made Brown giddy as he dreamed of saying “hi” to Fowler on the putting green. Whether he could say hi or not is not known. But today, more than a year later, the two have again crossed paths. Only this time, it was Brown who impressed his idol.
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After Friday’s round, Fowler spoke candidly about Brown’s performance. He praised the young guy’s golf and affirmed that young kids like him are currently shaping the PGA Tour. The 37-year-old, who has seen the game closely for 17 years, can see the changes.
“This game’s not getting any older,” Fowler said, referencing Brown’s brilliant performance. “I love seeing good golf, especially from someone like him [Brown], young,” he said on Friday.
As things head into the final Sunday round, Brown sits near 21-under, second on the leaderboard, tied with Scottie Scheffler. Fowler dropped 14 spots on Saturday and finished T20 after three rounds of 67-63-71.
On paper, Fowler and Brown might be competitors, but in reality, their stories are still very intertwined.
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How Blades Brown is following Rickie Fowler’s path
The parallel between Blades Brown and Rickie Fowler goes well beyond a childhood photo. The two, with a massive 19-year age gap, have certain striking similarities.
Both arrived on golf’s biggest stages after rewriting amateur history. Brown broke a 103-year-old record held by Bobby Jones when he became the youngest stroke-play medalist in US Amateur history at just 16. With Fowler, the resume was similarly dominant. Between 2007 and 2008, he spent 36 weeks as the world’s No. 1 amateur, capping the Ben Hogan award during his university days.
Their professional transitions also follow a similar trend. Brown turned pro last year in January, straight out of high school. He skipped the conventional college route entirely. Fowler was slightly older when he entered pro-life and made a somewhat similar call back in 2009. At 20, he left his college after two seasons and stepped into the PGA Tour’s spotlight.
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Years later, Fowler has 6 professional career wins inside his cabinet. Brown, on the other hand, might win his first on Sunday.
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