Following Rickie Fowler’s appreciation for Blades Brown’s impressive performance at the American Express, the 18-year-old golfer referred to him as one of his idols. He said he used to idolize the star golfer and would try on his orange outfit all the time.
On Friday, January 23, Blades Brown fired a 12-under 60 at the Nicklaus Tournament Course to break the course record. The following day, he continued his good form and shot a 4-under 68 to put himself in a strong position after 54 holes.
During the post-round interview, Brown reacted to Fowler’s words of praise.
“Rickie is an individual I’ve looked up to,” he said. “I mean, when I first started getting into golf — there’s a picture somewhere, my dad has it, I used to rock a Rickie Fowler orange outfit all the time. But, yeah, I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”
Earlier, Fowler had said that he would do anything to put himself in Brown’s shoes.
“I’ve been around him a little bit,” he said. “Haven’t spent much time, haven’t played with him yet. Obviously he’s a great player. Yeah, soak it up, have fun. It goes by pretty quickly. This is my 17th year on Tour. Good to see him playing well. That’s really what it’s all about. This game’s not getting any older. To see from when I came out what the kind of average age on Tour to what that is now.
“I felt like, going into my prime, age kept shifting. So I feel like I’m still in my prime, whatever that might be, or I’m just getting to it. But, no, I think the big thing, it’s great to see him play well. Obviously he had a quick turnaround from the Bahamas. I love seeing good golf, especially someone like him, young. It’s very beneficial to play well early and kind of build that confidence and momentum,” he added.
When will Blades Brown tee off at the American Express 2026, Round 4?
Blades Brown is paired alongside Si Woo Kim and Scottie Scheffler for the final round of the American Express 2026. The trio will tee off from the first hole of the Stadium Course at 10:35 am ET.
Brown is currently tied with Scottie Scheffler at 21-under and is one stroke behind leader Si Woo Kim. The 18-year-old is looking for his first title in his tenth start on the PGA Tour.
Here is a look at the current leaderboard for the American Express 2026 after Round 3:
- 1. Si Woo Kim: −22
- T2. Blades Brown: −21
- T2. Scottie Scheffler: −21
- T4. Eric Cole: −20
- T4. Wyndham Clark: −20
- T6. Tom Hoge: −19
- T6. Matt McCarty: −19
- T6. Andrew Putnam: −19
- 9. J.T. Poston: −18
- T10. Jacob Bridgeman: −17
- T10. Austin Smotherman: −17
- T10. Patrick Cantlay: −17
- T10. Sam Stevens: −17
- T10. Haotong Li: −17
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