Jason Day knows exactly what it takes to become the best player on the planet having reached the top of the world rankings shortly after winning the PGA Championship a decade ago.
There is no question that Jason Day has had a phenomenal career. The 37-year-old has won 13 times on the PGA Tour, with the high point coming in 2015 when he clinched five victories.
It is remarkable to look back on the 2015 season, with Day and Jordan Spieth winning 10 times between them. As well as triumphing at Whistling Straits, Day also won two FedEx Cup playoff events. It was after his victory at the BMW Championship that he reached the summit of the world rankings.
So he is someone to definitely listen to when he backs a player for greatness.
Jason Day tips American teenager to be a future superstar on the PGA Tour
Blades Brown has made a handful of appearances on the PGA Tour this year, having turned professional at the age of 17.
Although he missed four of his six cuts, he did display his potential with a 64 in the second round of The American Express.
Brown was catching the eye again this past week, posting a 60 at the Compliance Solutions Championship on the Korn Ferry Tour.
And speaking on The Lads’ YouTube channel, Day tipped the teenager for greatness, having been particularly impressed by his mental game.
“He’s going to be on the PGA Tour a very, very long time. Obviously, he’s pretty much got Korn Ferry status locked up next year. I’m going to be seeing a lot of this guy for many years to come. Very good player, tee to green, very solid ball striker,” he said.
“He’s beyond his years in how he old is. His maturity levels are obviously off the charts for being a rookie,” he added.
“To have the mindset he has, a small percentage of people have that. So hats off to Blades, because it is very difficult to compete against the best players in the world, but also, go, ‘hey, I’m 17, I’m going to turn professional and go from there’. Like I said before, you’re going to hear a lot of this guy, he’s a complete stud.”
Blades Brown outlines the biggest difference between the Korn Ferry and PGA Tour
Brown has gone down the path of turning professional early rather than go to college. He has already finished second on the Korn Ferry Tour this year, with a further top 10 coming in Utah.
But of course, taking that step to the PGA Tour is not easy, even for some of the most talented prospects in the game.
Having featured in events on both this year, Brown outlined to Day the biggest difference between the two tours.
“From a course management perspective, the courses on the PGA Tour are a lot more difficult and you have to think, you have to strategise so much more,” he said.
“With the Korn Ferry, granted, you’re not playing PGA Tour-like golf courses, but you’re still playing hard golf courses. But I just remember the Charles Schwab, number one, if the pin’s back left and you’re past pin high, you’re making bogey. So I’d say the strategising around the greens and course management on the PGA Tour is just a little bit better, a little bit more difficult than the Korn Ferry Tour.”
It has not been plain sailing for Brown in recent months. He has missed three of his last five cuts on the Korn Ferry Tour, with his best result in that run being tied for 30th.
But in the long term, it will probably not do him much harm to find out early on that the pathway to potential superstardom is far from straightforward.
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