The PGA Tour has been graced by a series of teenage stars making their name on the circuit in recent weeks, and you can add 16-year-old amateur Blades Brown to the list.
The American is tied for 22nd place after three rounds at the Myrtle Beach Classic in South Carolina, sitting at eight-under-par with 18 holes to play after carding a stellar five-under-par round of 66 on Saturday. The tournament is an alternate event to the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow, where only 70 players qualified to take part.
Brown has made the most of his opportunity to shine, following in the footsteps of fellow 16-year-old Kris Kim – the English talent who became the youngest player to make the cut at a PGA Tour event in 11 years at last week's CJ Cup Byron Nelson in Texas. And last month, 15-year-old high school freshman Miles Russell became the youngest player to ever make the cut at a Korn Ferry Tour event, the PGA Tour's feeder competition.
Brown is the number four junior amateur in the United States and is ranked 176th in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, although his performance at The Dunes Golf and Beach Club will certainly see him climb the rankings next week.
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Speaking after his superb round on Saturday, Brown told reporters that three-time major champion Jordan Spieth had a big influence on him as a 12-year-old dreaming of making it as a professional one day.
"I'm trying to act the way that Jordan Spieth did to me that one time just because I know it's so little for me to do that to some little kid, but I know to that kid it means the world because that's what it was like for me," Brown said.
"That was the 2018 Masters practice round. It was the 18 tee shot. He bent down, talked to me, asked my name, and made me feel like I was his friend. That's the gift of influence. For him, that was just saying hi to a little kid, but to me, for a person of his calibre and his decoration, it meant the world."
Spieth is renowned for giving his time to younger fans on the course. At the 2022 RBC Heritage at Harbour Town, the 30-year-old surged through the field with a brilliant final round and set the clubhouse lead at 13-under-par. As he made his way off the 18th green, dozens of kids lined up to get pictures and autographs from their hero.
Spieth had a potential playoff on his mind, and handled the moment with class. "Hey guys," he said to the youngsters. "So I've got to wait to see if there's maybe a playoff or not, so I'm going to go inside and lay low for a little bit, and then I'll promise I'll be back here. It's either going to be after a playoff, or if there's not, if someone else wins. I'll come back, OK guys."
The former world number one was true to his word. Patrick Cantlay did indeed force a playoff by tying Spieth's score, but he faltered. Spieth was able to get up and down from the greenside bunker to make par, with Cantlay making a bogey to give the 2017 Open champion the win and the coveted red tartan jacket.
And soon after the winner's ceremony, Spieth quickly returned to where the children had waited patiently to meet their hero, giving away his hat, a signed golf ball and posing for dozens of pictures as the evening gloom set in.
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