16-year-old Blades Brown is having the best time making his PGA Tour debut at this week's Myrtle Beach Classic.
The Nashville-born golfer is playing brilliantly, he's meeting some of his heroes, and he's doing it all with all the assurance of a veteran pro who's been out here for decades.
Not at all intimidated by his first outing at a pro event of this stature, Brown became the second teenage amateur to make the cut on debut in successive PGA Tour events - following on from Kris Kim at last week's The CJ Cup Byron Nelson.
Brown then shot a bogey-free 66 on Saturday to temporarily move up to T10 in the PGA Tour's alternative event, which is being led by Chris Gotterup. Heading into the final round on Sunday, Brown is T22 and 10 shots off the lead but well within range of a top-10 finish still.
The amateur's success this week has not only required him to complete unfamiliar tasks like open press conferences, but Brown has also needed to become used to handing out autographs rather than asking for them himself.
Miles Russell (left) and Kris Kim are two other teenage stars lighting up the PGA Tour of late
Explaining one curious situation, Brown said: "He took off his hat and was like, have you ever signed a forehead before? I was like, no. I thought he was kidding, but I've signed like four shoes, so I'm keeping tally. But everything is awesome."
Despite the occasional surprising request, he has taken it all in his stride. And discussing the whirlwind week following his third round, Brown shared a story involving Jordan Spieth at The Masters which explains why the 16-year-old has been so keen and happy to give back to the fans.
He said: "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."
Pushed on what his meeting with Spieth entailed, Brown continued: "That was the 2018 Masters practice round. It was the tee shot on 18. He bent down, talked to me, asked my name, 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 caliber and his decoration, it meant the world."
“I’m trying to act the way that Jordan Spieth did to me.” In his PGA TOUR debut, @BladesBrown2026 is drawing inspiration from one of his role models on and off the course. pic.twitter.com/jjwKScGeKfMay 11, 2024
Positioned at No. 176 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, Brown admitted that he still sees many of his rivals this week as idols but is trying to shift his mindset based on the advice of his caddie.
There was one player in the field that the 16-year-old remains incredibly keen to meet in some capacity, though, given their own rise to fame in the Netflix Docuseries Full Swing.
Asked if there was any autographs Brown wanted for himself, the teenage star said: "Shoot, I wanted one of Joel Dahmen just because I've seen him on Netflix, but Jack, my caddie, was like, 'bro, you don't need these guys' signatures, just have them as friends. So that's kind of the mindset I have going into this week.
"I still haven't said hi [to Dahmen]. I stepped in his line on the practice green a few days ago. But yeah, I'll say hi to him sometime."
Brown is looking to finish ahead of Dahmen following Sunday's final round, with the amateur holding a four-shot headstart. Whatever happens, Brown is likely to go smiling his way to the Netflix star for a chat, and maybe an autograph.
