Blades Brown was supposed to be the one chasing world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler at the American Express this year. But for a brief moment, he forgot about that tussle, and on the first tee, he was applauding for him.
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Brown told Brentley Romine from Golf Channel that the announcer said Scheffler is from Dallas. He clapped right away. His caddie, Brett Swedberg, reminded him he was up against the world No. 1, not just watching.
“I was on the first tee, and I forgot what order I teed off on, but Scottie, they said, ‘Now on the tee from Dallas, Texas … Scottie Scheffler,’ and I started clapping. And Brett looks at me and was like, ‘What? No, no, no, we’re playing against him. “And I go, ‘Sorry, I’m gonna lock in!’” he recalled, chuckling.
For context, it wasn’t a throwaway Sunday pairing. Brown, then 18, went into the final round tied, with Scheffler chasing him at 21 under, one shot behind Si Woo Kim. He had shot a course-record 60 on Friday and narrowly missed a six-footer for 59. He arrived in La Quinta after a Korn Ferry Tour event in the Bahamas. So, the final round was his eighth straight day of tournament golf. The stakes were naturally high, with Scheffler looking for a win.
That said, Brown admitted the occasion had already been on his mind. He said he had been watching old Tiger Woods highlights on YouTube. He also watched clips of Scheffler making birdies the week before. As he walked down the fairway, the 19-year-old reminded himself that he was competing with the world No. 1.
Scheffler had also noticed Brown’s workload. The world No. 1 said, “I don’t think people understand how hard that is.”
He was referring to Brown playing many rounds in a row against a tough field, including Scheffler.
Despite his strong start to the week, Sunday didn’t go Brown’s way. Scheffler closed with a 6-under 66 for a four-shot win at 27 under, earning his 20th PGA Tour title. Brown made a double bogey, two bogeys, and two birdies. He fell to a tie for 18th, losing his spot in next week’s Farmers Insurance Open.
Interestingly, that week in the desert turned out to be a marker for what came next. Brown went on to finish solo third at the Puerto Rico Open. He then tied for 14th at the CJ Cup at TPC, earning enough points to become a PGA Tour special temporary member in June.
And the reward waiting for him back home in Nashville was an appropriate one for the 19-year-old. His mom surprised him with a giant cookie cake that read, “Blades Brown is Tour Bound.” He told Golf Channel he had eaten about 85 percent of it, leaving him roughly five pounds heavier. It seems his competition with Scheffler didn’t end with a sweet treat.
His next goal is the Masters. Brown is currently No. 94 in the world rankings, and a top-50 finish by year’s end would earn him a Masters invitation. When asked about it, Brown said it’s definitely one of his goals for next year.
So, while he applauded Scheffler out of instinct this time, he plans to take him on head-on in the future.