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LA QUINTA, Calif. — Blades Brown looked well beyond his 18 years under increasing attention Saturday. He finished with three straight birdies that left him tied with world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, both of them one shot behind Si Woo Kim going into the final round of The American Express.
Kim had a 6-under 66 and the advantage of playing La Quinta Country Club as the wind finally arrived in the Coachella Valley. Scheffler and Brown were on the Stadium Course at PGA West, the most difficult even in calm conditions. Each shot a 68 in a much different fashion.
Brown, from Nashville, Tennessee, was playing his seventh consecutive round after arriving from a Korn Ferry Tour event in the Bahamas. That didn’t stop him from playing “paper, scissors, rock” with a young fan and then holing a 25-foot birdie putt on the par-3 17th, and then following with a 45-foot birdie on the 18th.
Scheffler caught the worst of the wind — the fan turned on when he was on the second hole — and had two bogeys, which can be a lot for him. He was on the verge of ending with another until holing a 25-foot par putt that swirled in on the last turn.
Kim was at 22-under 194, with Scheffler and Brown right behind. They all will be part of the final group Sunday on the Stadium Course.
The teen is the most compelling. For a sport that has 165 years of championship golf behind it, the records can be a little messy. Brown could become the youngest winner in nearly a century, probably longer.
Charles Kocsis won the Michigan Open in 1931 at 18 years, six months — a couple of months younger than Brown — but that tournament was regarded as a regional event. Young Tom Morris won his first British Open in 1868 at age 17.
Regardless, it would be phenomenal feat, and that’s without the road here. He tied for 17th in the Bahamas in a Korn Ferry Tour event that ended Wednesday, got on a private jet to reach California and got to his hotel about 14 hours before his tee time.
Tired? Not at his age, and not with this opportunity in front of him.
“I feel great,” Brown said. “I got another opportunity to see what we can make happen tomorrow. Got another 18 holes and, yeah, should be fun.”
The other two guys in the final group should have plenty of fun, too. Scheffler helped get Kim a membership at Royal Oaks in Dallas, and they are regulars on the weekend game. They competed plenty in the month leading to The American Express.
Scheffler confirmed Kim beat him the last time they played by adding, “Yes, I gave him back a little of his money.” Point taken, Scottie.
It was PGA West some 13 years ago that a 17-year-old Kim made it through the last edition of the old Q-school, having to wait until he was 18 to join the PGA Tour. He was 21 when he captured The Players Championship, one of his four tour victories.
And he has become a favorite of most players.
“Have you ever spent any time with him? He’s hilarious,” Scheffler said.
Sunday might be all business, and they all know enough about this tournament not to get wrapped up in the final group. Scores have been low even in a difficult wind.
Former U.S. Open champion Wyndham Clark, who can go low without notice, and Eric Cole each shot 66 at La Quinta and were two shots behind. Another shot back was Tom Hoge, who had a 65 at La Quinta. Nine players in all were separated by four shots.
The most curious of the lot is Brown, who turned pro last year when he was still in high school. He received a sponsor exemption to The American Express for the second straight year.
“I’m 18 years old playing on the PGA Tour. How awesome is that?” Brown said. “Finished high school about two weeks ago, so it’s nice to have that burden off my back, but I’m really looking forward to tomorrow.”
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