Blades Brown stood over an eight-foot putt on the par-3 ninth hole, his 18th of the day, with history on the line. Make it, and the 18-year-old shoots 59. Miss it, and he still breaks a PGA Tour record.

At The American Express on Friday, Blade Brown wrote his name in the PGA Tour record books, becoming the youngest golfer ever to shoot 60 or lower in a Tour round. He fired a bogey-free 12-under 60, shattering the Nicklaus Tournament Course record of 61 previously held by players like Rickie Fowler.

The historic performance came just days after flying cross-country from a Korn Ferry Tour event in the Bahamas, making the achievement even more remarkable. Just 48 hours earlier, Blades Brown was finishing the Korn Ferry Tour’s Bahamas Great Abaco Classic, where he tied for 17th. He used a private jet voucher won at Myrtle Beach two years ago to race from the Caribbean to California, arriving Wednesday evening.

“The putt didn’t drop on hole No. 9, but it’s the lowest round on the PGA Tour for me, and lots and lots of positives,” Brown told Golf Channel. “Absolutely, of course, I did [feel pressure],” he admitted when asked about the closing stretch.

The round put him tied atop the leaderboard at 17-under with World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, a pairing that clearly resonated with the young amateur.

The pairing makes history in itself. A teenager and the reigning world No. 1 have never shared a lead after any PGA Tour round. The closest was Tiger Woods (World No. 2 at the time) and 19-year-old Sergio Garcia at the 1999 PGA Championship, where Tiger co-led, and Sergio was T-3 entering the final round.

“Scottie is an unbelievable player, and having my name next to his name on the leaderboard means a lot,” Brown said. “We’re only halfway there, and there’s a lot of golf to go, so I’m just going to focus on executing the shots I can and see what happens.”

The round followed an opening 67 at La Quinta Country Club on Thursday. Friday marked Brown’s sixth consecutive day of tournament golf. If he reaches Sunday’s final round, he’ll become the first player in modern history to play eight competitive rounds between the PGA and Korn Ferry tours in as many days.

After his historic 60, his plans were simple: “I’m going to get some food, and then I’m going to take a nap and get some food.”

The Tennessee native, who joined the PGA Tour right out of high school, previously broke Bobby Jones’ 103-year-old record as the youngest medalist at stroke play in U.S. Amateur history at just 16.

Playing alongside some of golf’s biggest names, Brown caught the attention of World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler. And he offered insight into young talent performance.

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Scheffler’s take on Blade Brown’s historic round

Scottie Scheffler didn’t seem fazed by the possibility of witnessing two 59s in one day at The American Express. When asked if it would surprise him, his response was straightforward.

“I think any time anybody’s able to shoot a 59, I think it’s an impressive round of golf.”

But what about an 18-year-old doing it? Scheffler’s answer reveals something interesting about today’s young players.

“No,” he said without hesitation. “These kids know what they’re getting into. They understand the game requires low scores, especially when you’re trying to make your mark on tour.”

Scheffler pointed to a key advantage younger players have: less baggage, as veterans carry memories of tough losses and pressure moments.

“When you’re coming out young, you don’t have as much scar tissue as the guys that are a little bit more seasoned,” he explained.

The reigning number one gave Brown the ultimate compliment about breaking into professional golf.

“If you want to make a name for yourself, you’ve got to put up some good scores,” Scheffler noted. “An 18-year-old shooting 59 is a pretty good start to his career there.”