Blades Brown had the chance to tee it up with world number one Scottie Scheffler during Sunday’s final round of the American Express.
Both players started the day at 21-under-par, just one shot back from Si Woo Kim.
For an 18-year-old, getting paired with Scheffler was always going to be a memorable moment. Brown seemed to take it in his stride.
The Tennessee native has already made an impression on Tour, despite this being just his tenth appearance.
Scheffler had spoken highly of Brown before the round but stayed locked in once play began. There was no sign he took his foot off the gas.
In his last ten events where he held a share of the lead or sat within one shot heading into the final round, Scheffler has come out on top every single time.
This run is beginning to draw comparisons with what Tiger Woods achieved during his peak years.
So what did Brown make of playing alongside Scheffler? He spoke about the experience afterwards and did not hold back in describing what he saw up close on Sunday.
Blades Brown reflects on what he saw from Scottie Scheffler at the American Express
Scheffler eventually pulled away to win by four shots, and Brown will no doubt have taken plenty from the experience of sharing a final round with the world number one.
The Tennessee native spoke about his day on the Smylie Show Podcast, describing what it was like to be paired with Scheffler under pressure.
“Scottie was great,” he admitted.
“I mean, I tried to not, you know, be a distraction for him. I was trying to be respectful of his space.
“But, no, I mean, my interactions with Scottie today were awesome.
“Like, I remember I made a putt for birdie on hole two, and he’s grinding, I think he just missed a par putt, and he was like, ‘hey, good putt there’.
“And I could tell that, you know, he generally meant, like, ‘hey, good shot there‘. So it’s, I have all positive things to say about Scottie Scheffler.
“I mean, I had to pinch myself a couple of times, because I’m like, ‘I’ve seen this guy so many times on TV, and I’m now playing around with him on the PGA Tour’.
“So, I was speechless playing today with Scottie Scheffler.”
What stood out to Blades Brown about playing with Scottie Scheffler
Scheffler played some of his best golf on Sunday, and Brown had a close-up view of the level needed to compete at the very top.
During his podcast appearance, Brown was asked if anything specific about Scheffler’s game had caught his attention.
“Yeah, I mean, well, he had some questionable drives today that I was not expecting,” Brown admitted.
“I remember hole number nine, he, like, toe-shanked it left, and I’m like, ‘What?‘ And then he hits it to, like, 15 feet.
“And I’m like, ‘Okay, this guy is ridiculous’.
“But no, I mean, Scottie, he just does everything so effortlessly, and I think that’s what the best do, they make this complicated golf game seem really, really easy.
“Scottie was … I had so much fun playing with him today, and it fires me up to go work on my game.”
Brown now understands just how difficult it is to win at this level after getting a first-hand look at Scheffler’s routine and consistency.
But that experience should only fuel him going forward. He has all the tools to succeed and now has even more motivation to put in the work needed.
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