Blades Brown climbs to the top alongside Scottie Scheffler in just his 10th PGA Tour start. Schmid and Jäger are on track for the cut while Straka falls behind.
Brown and Scheffler take the lead at the PGA Tour
The second round of the PGA Tour event The American Express in La Quinta, California, was marked by birdies. The 18-year-old Blades Brown shot a perfect, bogey-free 12-under round, climbing an incredible 50 places to share the lead with Scottie Scheffler at 17-under par heading into the weekend.
World number one Scheffler posted a solid bogey-free 8-under, nearly a flawless day, while Brown went one better with 10 birdies and an eagle, impressively advancing the young player. Remarkably, Brown recorded six birdies and an eagle on his first seven holes. After starting the week on the Korn Ferry Tour, this is only Brown’s tenth PGA Tour start.
12-under thru 15 for Blades Brown! 🤯
@TheAmexGolf | #59Watch pic.twitter.com/AvGkCUS9yE— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) January 23, 2026
Brown said he enjoys the course and loves playing without wind. He expressed great happiness with his performance, stating there is nothing better than playing his sixth consecutive round since starting on the Korn Ferry Tour earlier this week. His round of 60 sets a new tournament record and narrowly misses becoming the 15th player in PGA Tour history to break 60 in a round.
His competitor at the top has already managed that feat. Scheffler began just as strong with birdies on five of the first six holes. After a bogey-free 9-under on day one, the world No. 1 added a bogey-free 8-under on day two, confirming his status as favorite.
‘Can he make a long one?’