Blades Brown, 16, goes low; Chris Gotterup leads big in Myrtle Beach
Blades Brown is keeping tally on the number of shoes he signs this week. He’s currently at four – and one forehead.
“He took off his hat and was like, ‘Have you ever signed a forehead before?’” Brown said. “I was like, ‘No.’”
And yet, Brown signed away.
Having already made the cut in his PGA Tour debut, the 16-year-old high-school sophomore from Nashville, Tennessee, felt relaxed from the get-go Saturday at the Myrtle Beach Classic.
“I didn't really have any expectations of myself today, and I was able to go out and play free and focused golf,” Brown said. “I was pretty much on cruise control today. I wish I could have more days like this when golf just feels really easy.”
Easy golf translated to a 6-under 66 for Brown, who rolled in a 13-footer for birdie on the Dunes Club’s par-4 finishing hole to post an early number. Brown then watched as 8 under ended up at T-22. He’ll enter Sunday well off Chris Gotterup’s lead (18 under) but just six shots back of second.
Brown is the second teenager to make a Tour cut in as many weeks, following 16-year-old Kris Kim at the Byron Nelson. And last month it was one of Brown’s top AJGA challengers, 15-year-old Miles Russell, tying for 20th at the Korn Ferry Tour’s Lecom Suncoast Classic.
A top-20 finish at a Tour stop would certainly trump Russell’s feat, though Brown was adamant that his expectations remain the same, even after his third-round 66.
“Yes, it would be nice to shoot another 5 under or 6 under tomorrow; it could happen,” Brown said. “But I'm 16 playing in a PGA Tour event, so I'm just stoked to be here.”
Brown’s only goal, besides playing the best golf that he can, may be to introduce himself to Joel Dahmen. Originally, Brown wanted Dahmen’s signature, but that was until Brown’s caddie reminded Brown that he didn’t need autographs; he was competing against – and could be friends with – these guys.
“Shoot, I still haven't said hi,” Brown said of Dahmen. “I stepped in his line on the practice green a few days ago. But yeah, I'll say hi to him sometime.”
Brown also shared a story about meeting Jordan Spieth during a practice round for the 2018 Masters. Spieth was waiting to hit his tee shot on the 18th hole at Augusta National when he ventured over to the rope line and sought out a 10-year-old Brown.
“He bent down, talked to me, asked my name, made me feel like I was his friend,” Spieth said. “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 caliber and his decoration, it meant the world.”
While it’s already been a career week for young Blades, who will soon head back to class at Brentwood Academy, Gotterup still has work to do.
A Haskins Award winner as a fifth-year senior at Oklahoma a couple years ago, Gotterup isn’t just chasing his maiden Tour title; he’s also looking to overcome a frustrating rookie campaign so far. Gotterup entered this week No. 149 in FedExCup points, having missed half of his 12 cuts and not cracking the top 30 in a non-team event until last week’s Nelson (T-24).
“It sounds stupid, but the club didn't feel good in my hands for a couple weeks, and you just kind of get on a bad run of maybe practicing too hard and stuff like that,” Gotterup explained, “but I've worked hard these last couple weeks just not overdoing it and trying to simplify things.”
In some ways, Gotterup is acting like a kid again.
“Ever since Zurich (he tied for 11th with Austin Eckroat), I've been in a good mood,” Gotterup said. “Just everything has been fun. Golf has been fun. … Ever since then I feel like it's just been a little bit easier.”
Ranked third in strokes gained putting through three rounds, the long-hitting Gotterup holed three birdie putts from 17 feet or longer on Saturday. He carded seven birdies to run his 54-hole total to 22.
As a result, Erik van Rooyen, Robert MacIntyre and Jorge Campillo, Gotterup’s closest pursuers, are all four shots back.
“I practiced all those days at home for a day like tomorrow,” Gotterup said. “It's going to be hard. There's a lot of good guys behind me. I'm going to have to bring it.”
Brown, meanwhile, will only be expected to bring his Sharpie.
