Oh, to be young again.
The armor of youth is naivety that feels like invincibility – the feeling that everything can go right shall go right. The scar tissue that accumulates as you collect the wounds of life has not yet arrived. You can do anything and be anything because nothing has told you you can’t.
Rickie Fowler stopped by the American Express on Friday to talk about 18-year-old Blades Brown, who was inches away from a second-round 59, and reflected on how things Are for Blades Brown and how they were for Rickie Fowler – before the big misses and scoreless droughts, before what could be became what is and was.
“Yeah, enjoy it and have fun,” Fowler said of Brown. “It goes by pretty quickly.”
Brown, who graduated high school two weeks ago and is a member of the Korn Ferry Tour, kicked off his week in the Bahamas with a Sunday-Wednesday event. He then hopped on a private plane and flew to the Southern California desert to play as a sponsor. A year ago, Brown heartbreakingly missed the cut at American Express. This time he played himself into contention, setting up a final round tee time with world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and Si Woo Kim.
“I’m having fun out there. I’m 18 years old and playing on the PGA Tour. How great is that?” Brown said Saturday.
He arrived at PGA West on Sunday with a legitimate chance to become the second-youngest winner in PGA Tour history. Still, he would have to beat Scheffler, Kim and a group of challengers including Wyndham Clark, Jason Day and Fowler as he played his eighth round of competition in eight days.
Brown birdied the second, but the situation quickly unraveled on the par-5 fifth. His tee shot landed in the water and his re-tee found the right rough side. After his 30-foot putt for bogey slipped past the hole, Brown tapped in for a double bogey seven and watched as Scheffler pulled away from the field to waltz to a four-shot victory.
Brown’s Sunday scorecard tells you he played the final round in two overs and finished tied for 18th, eight shots behind Scheffler. That’s the superficial view of an 18-year-old’s battle with a growing legend.
But the truth lies deeper. Brown lost the American Express, yes, but it didn’t feel that way.
“To play in the final group with Scottie Scheffler at the age of 18, I had to pinch myself a few times to make sure this was real,” Brown said.
“I would say one of the coolest things I learned today was how underrated Scottie Scheffler’s short game is. To see it with my own eyes and just look at the trajectory and the spin, and the control he has with his wedges and short game. Obviously his putting is insane too. It was really cool to see. So I’m definitely going to work on that.”
Scottie Scheffler’s latest victory was a fantasyland escape from the fury of winter
By means of:
Michael Bamberger
Blades Brown’s foray into the PGA Tour’s Sunday cauldron could be a scar, the first crack in the armor of youth. Or it could be something else. Something valuable as Brown continues his unconventional path to the PGA Tour.
“I could probably write a book about what I’ve learned in the last few days,” Brown said with a laugh. “Just knowing that I can compete here. It was so cool to see Scottie win in person and get to play with him.
“I had a lot of fun. You’re telling me that I get to play in a PGA Tour event and play with Scottie Scheffler and see him win the tournament, that was insane.”
Blades Brown chose a different path. He chose not to pursue college golf and instead turned professional. He chose to forge his own path, believing he was ready for the ups and downs, twists and turns of professional golf. He believed that what others saw as the irrational confidence of the youth was instead the opposite. Brown chose his path not because he believed he already had all the tools, but because he identified the professional route as the one that would give him everything he needed to reach his desired destination.
“I think a really big pillar for me was that I was going to get better [by going pro],” Brown told GOLFs Substandard last year. “Like I would get better in college, but I know that I will improve by playing against the best in the world.
There’s no one better than Scottie Scheffler, and for 18 holes on Sunday, Brown got exactly what he wanted.
Next comes the hard part. Putting into practice the lessons learned from a walk with Scheffler.
“Everyone has their own path,” Brown said Sunday. “I’m running my race.”
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