He had three straight birdies on the front nine and finished his round with 12 straight pars. Brown was tied for 117th place, 10 shots behind leader JT Poston after the first round. The cut will be made after Saturday's third round and the top 65 plus ties will make Sunday's final round.

Blades Brown, 17, is making his pro debut at this week's 2025 American Express. On Friday, he's showing why he belongs on the game's biggest stage.

The 17-year-old Nashville native, already etched in golf’s record books, draws inspiration from Nick Dunlap’s victory at La Quinta last year.