01시즌 개막 앞두고 자신감 충전, PGA 투어 정복 나선 신예
유망주 블레이즈 브라운이 PGA 투어 첫 풀시즌을 맞이해 그동안 쌓은 경험을 바탕으로 만반의 준비를 마쳤다.
브라운은 지난 대회들에서 얻은 값진 교훈을 성장의 밑거름으로 전환하며, 다가오는 투어 무대에서 가시적인 성과를 내겠다는 각오다.
치열한 정규 투어 경쟁 속에서 자신만의 흐름을 찾아가고 있는 그는 이번 첫 정규 시즌을 통해 차세대 스타로서의 입지를 다질 계획이다.
02Original (English) — PGA TOUR
Blades Brown has already gotten a taste of life on the PGA Tour. Now, he's preparing for the full experience.
With a card secured for 2027 via the Korn Ferry Tour, the 19-year-old is making the most of his remaining opportunities this season and will use each start to sharpen his game ahead of his first full year on Tour.
That process continued Sunday during the first of two straight FedExCup Fall events in Mexico, where Brown recorded his eighth top-25 finish in 12 PGA Tour starts this season. But despite another strong showing, the Nashville native left Vidanta Vallarta with a reminder that there's still plenty to learn.
"I want to figure this game out so much," Brown said Sunday after finishing at 14 under, 11 behind the winner Andrew Novak. "What's crazy to me about golf is every single time you play in an event, I feel like I learn something new."
This week's lesson? His short game.
Brown's ball-striking was among the best in the field. He led in driving accuracy, tied for first in greens in regulation and ranked second in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee. But his short game and putting told a different story, as he ranked 39th in Strokes Gained: Around the Green and 62nd in SG: Putting.
"I feel like I just need to dial in around the greens," Brown said. "I probably lost around eight shots short game wise this week, which eight shots goes a long way."
Brown entered the final round tied for ninth and appeared poised to climb the leaderboard, playing his first 15 holes in 4 under. But a bogey on the par-4 16th and a double bogey on the par-3 17th derailed his late charge, dropping him into a tie for 19th as he settled for a final-round, 1-under 70.
Rather than dwell on the disappointing finish, Brown was quick to put the closing stretch into perspective.
"Does it kind of hurt to finish bogey, double bogey, par? A little bit, but there are a lot worse things in life, and I'm just going to keep my head high and keep working on things I can," Brown said.
For Brown, the difficult finish served as another reminder that knowing when to take risks can be just as important as executing the shots themselves.
"Golf is the weirdest game you'll ever play," Brown said. "For me whenever I feel like I play almost more conservative, I make less bogeys and more birdies, and sometimes when I feel like I play too aggressive, that's when the double bogeys and stuff happens. I don't know, we're going to figure it out."
That willingness to learn has been a constant throughout Brown's season, one in which he's balanced sponsor exemptions on the PGA Tour with a full Korn Ferry Tour schedule to ultimately secure his card for 2027.
Across both tours, Brown has made 26 cuts in 30 starts, recording eight top-10 finishes. He's come close to breaking through on several occasions, playing in the final group alongside Scottie Scheffler at The American Express in January, finishing solo third at the Puerto Rico Open and placing runner-up at the Korn Ferry Tour Championship.
It's been an impressive run for a teenager navigating his second full year as a professional, gaining experience in contention against established players while adjusting to the demands of competing across two tours.
The one thing missing from his resume? A professional victory.
But with his PGA Tour future already secured, Brown can turn his attention to the next step in his development — and competing on just one tour.
His remaining starts this fall offer the rising star another opportunity to build toward 2027 without the pressure of playing for his card.
"These last I guess three events now, Cabo, Austin and RSM, they're kind of like playing with house money," Brown said. "Just trying to improve my (Official) World Golf Ranking, and yeah, getting ready for the 2027 season."