Teenager Blades Brown narrowly misses a 59. He's tied for American Express lead with Scheffler

LA QUINTA, Calif (AP) — A chaotic week for 18-year-old Blades Brown was an inch away from a most spectacular highlight Friday when he narrowly missed a 6-foot birdie putt for 59, leaving him tied for the lead in The American Express with Scottie Scheffler.

Brown, who turned pro last year and is weeks removed from graduating high school, needed only one birdie over the final three holes on the Nicklaus Tournament course at PGA West, the easiest of three courses in the rotation in ideal weather.

He hit a gap wedge just right of the pin on his last hole, the par-4 ninth. He had the advantage of seeing David Ford go first on the same line. He picked his spot, rolled the putt and it stayed right, grazing the edge as the gallery groaned.

No matter.

“I'm so stoked,” he said, along with needing what he called a “fat nap.”

Brown earned Korn Ferry Tour status last year and was in the Bahamas for a tournament that didn't end until Wednesday. He used a flight voucher he earned from a top-50 finish in the Myrtle Beach Classic last year to fly private to Palm Springs, arriving to his hotel about 8 p.m. on the eve of The American Express, where he is playing on a sponsor exemption.

And now he goes into the weekend tied with golf's best player.

“We're going to see what happens,” Brown said.

Scheffler wasn't quite as sharp as he was in the opening round and still managed a bogey-free 64 on the Nicklaus course, playing before the largest gallery and two groups ahead of Brown.

Scheffler has started on the two easiest courses — he faces the Stadium Course on Saturday — and was only 2 under through eight holes at Nicklaus Tournament. That feels like losing ground. But then he hit into 4 feet for birdie at No. 18, made the turn and birdied two of the next three, and then ran off three straight birdies late in the round.

“I didn’t get off to the start I would have hoped to get off to today,” Scheffler said. “Outside of that, I did a really good job on the back nine of staying patient and didn’t really try to force things out there. I made a good birdie on my ninth hole today, which was 18, and made some nice birdies on that back nine.

“We’re halfway done, but I put myself in good position after two days with two solid rounds, and just looking forward to hopefully putting up another solid round tomorrow and then we’ll see where we’re at going into Sunday.”

What typically is a casual tournament in the Coachella Valley, set among desert mountains and palm trees and emerald green fairways, was a sellout on Friday.

Scheffler is a big draw in the strongest field in years. And now there's a teenager who was one putt away from becoming the youngest player in PGA Tour history to break 60.

Brown got attention quickly when he was 8 under through seven holes — six birdies and a 25-foot eagle putt on No. 11 after starting on the back nine.

“And then by the time we made the turn I said, ‘OK, couple birdies here on the front nine, let’s see how low we can go.’ When I stepped onto 18 tee box I knew what was at stake. I knew I needed a birdie to shoot 59, and I was just close this time.”

Brown wasn't alone. As he was teeing off on his final hole at the Nicklaus course with a shot at 59, Andrew Putnam was on the 18th hole at La Quinta, needing birdie to break 60.

Both made par. And the tournament is half over, with thoughts now turning to a weekend that features Scheffler looming large as ever atop the leaderboard with a teenager, both at 17-under 127.

Scheffler doesn't know much about Brown except that he turned pro while still in high school. He also heard that he was in the Korn Ferry Tour event in the Bahamas (Brown tied for 17th) without realizing it didn't end until Wednesday and he flew straight to PGA West.

“So he's in form,” Scheffler said with a smile.

“These kids coming out, they know they got to come out and make some birdies,” Scheffler said. “I think when you’re coming out young you don’t have as much scar tissue as the guys that are a little bit more seasoned, and you just come out, and if you want to make a name for yourself you got to put up some good scores.

“It sounds like an 18-year-old shooting 59 is a pretty good start to his career there.”

This was before Brown missed his short birdie putt on the final hole, but the point stands. It was an impressive round of golf for anyone, much less an 18-year-old.

Si Woo Kim, a past champion here, shot 65 on the tougher Stadium Course and was one shot behind, and plenty more players were lined up behind him.

Eleven players were separated by three shots at the halfway point, a group that included Rickie Fowler and Wyndham Clark, both three behind. The cut is not made until Saturday after everyone has played all three courses.

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

Blades Brown reacts to missing a birdie putt on the ninth hole, his final hole, scoring a 12-under-par 60 during the second round of the American Express golf event at the Jack Nicklaus Tournament Course at PGA West Friday, Jan. 23, 2026, in La Quinta, Calif. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Scottie Scheffler waves to the crowd after making a birdie putt at the first hole during the first round of the American Express golf event at La Quinta County Club Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026, in La Quinta, Calif. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Blades Brown reacts to missing a birdie putt at the ninth hole, his final hole, scoring a 12-under-par 60 during the second round of the American Express golf event at the Jack Nicklaus Tournament Course at PGA West Friday, Jan. 23, 2026, in La Quinta, Calif. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Blades Brown, right, reacts for a cheering gallery as he walks with David Ford as the gallery cheers for Brown who finished with a 12-under-par 60 during the second round of the American Express golf event at the Jack Nicklaus Tournament Course at PGA West Friday, Jan. 23, 2026, in La Quinta, Calif. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

MILAN (AP) — At the Milan Cortina Olympic Games, winning medals isn’t the only thing making hearts swell. From the ice rinks to the snowy hills, love is in the frozen air.

Some competitions already seem to have Cupid in attendance.

Dutch skater Jutta Leerdam set an Olympic record in the 1000-meter race, then turned to find her fiancé Jake Paul in the stands; both visibly weeping, they made heart signs to one another with their hands. And downhill skiing champion Breezy Johnson ’s longtime boyfriend proposed to her near the finish line Thursday while surrounded by members of the U.S. Ski Team.

Valentine's Day for athletes and attendees at the Games doesn't usually mean grand gestures, but it's no less special.

Valentine’s Day is the finals for the women’s skeleton event. That means that Kim Meylemans of Belgium and Nicole Rocha Silveira of Brazil — an international couple who play for their separate national teams — will be too busy for a romantic dinner. They told The Associated Press they didn’t even bring gifts to exchange.

But since they are together all the time, “It’s always a bit of a Valentine's Day," Meylemans said. “It is part of our sport every day, our love.”

The two feel fortunate their national Olympic committees arranged for them to bunk together at Cortina's Olympic village, since typically only teammates share housing. Half their room is decorated for Belgium, the other half Brazil.

Rocha Silveira was new to the sport in 2019 when Meylemans was already competing in World Cup races. They fell in love during the pandemic while sharing short-term rentals, since many hotels closed.

Fast forward to 2024, and they unknowingly bought identical engagement rings and planned proposals for the same boat trip in Brazil while on vacation. They married last August.

When they compete, they high-five and kiss before each run, wishing the other well.

“It doesn’t matter which one is on the podium. At the end of the day, it’s a victory for our team," Meylemans said.

Rocha Silveira said it’s important their relationship appears during these Games in Italy, where same-sex marriages aren't recognized and only married heterosexual couples are allowed to jointly adopt.

It’s a great place to “show it even more,” and “encourage and inspire people that they can be themselves,” she said.

Lori and Curtis Brown have been married for over 30 years and will be spend Valentine's Day at the skating arena where they are volunteering for this year’s Winter Olympics.

About 18,000 volunteers are spread across the venues in northern Italy — a sea of navy blue uniforms keeping the Olympics running around the clock, with duties such as giving directions, accompanying athletes to venues, crowd control and medical support.

Curtis, 60, said neither of them had realized they were scheduled to work. Now, they're hoping they can coincide their breaks to have dinner together, perhaps surrounded by the rest of the volunteers, he joked.

“This is the most special Valentine’s Day of our lives,” Curtis said. “Because we’re both here, we’re both on the same page, we’re both enjoying this adventure together.”

While presents are neither’s love language, Lori, 61, told the AP she bought boxer briefs from the official Milan Cortina souvenir store. Curtis hadn’t bought anything for her.

“It’s not so much about gift giving, just going out and doing something together,” said Lori, 61. She spoke while sitting beside Curtis, so perhaps she’ll be surprised on Saturday.

Canadian hockey forward Laura Stacey and her wife, team captain Marie-Philip Poulin, have a different kind of date: playing Germany's team in the quarterfinals in Milan.

“We have a game, we have a big game, so spending it together. We’re pretty lucky,” Stacey said. “Most people don’t get to do what they love, chasing their dreams together, and we do. So I think on February 14th, I think it’s important for us to just appreciate that and not take it for granted."

Aside from taking on Germany, they don't have plans — but Stacey said they will surely at least give each other cards.

Many other couples are at the Olympics, some teammates and others competing against each other.

— U.S. alpine skiing star Mikaela Shiffrin — that sport’s all-time wins leader — is engaged to Norway’s Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, who returned to racing this season after dealing with major injuries.

— Latvia’s luge team includes the husband-and-wife pair of Martins Bots and Elina Bota, both single sliders.

— Italy’s luge team Dominik Fischnaller and the U.S.'s Emily Sweeney married last year after dating for almost 15 years.

— U.S. bobsledding has a power couple with reigning women’s monobloc world champion Kaysha Love engaged to men’s push athlete Hunter Powell. She’s in the Olympics for the second time, while he's making his debut.

— American figure skaters Madison Chock and Evan Bates were married in 2024 and won a silver medal on Wednesday.

—Curling may have the most well-known couples of any sport. Norway’s Magnus Nedregotten and Kristin Skaslien have been together since 2008 and won bronze in Pyeongchang. Jocelyn Peterman and Brett Gallant of Canada married in 2022 and were favorites this year. There are Switzerland’s Yannick Schwaller and Briar Schwalller-Huerlimann, too; they brought their baby and photos of him carrying a curling broom twice his size went viral.

He looked like a curling Cupid.

Associated Press writers Jennifer McDermott in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy and John Wawrow in Milan contributed to this report.

AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

Belgium's Kim Meylemans, right, and Brazil's Nicole Rocha Silveira, left, embrace at the finish during a women's skeleton run at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Friday, Feb. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Belgium's Kim Meylemans, left, and Brazil's Nicole Rocha Silveira react, at the finish during a women's skeleton run at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Friday, Feb. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Brasil's Nicole Rocha Silveira arrives at the finish during a women's skeleton training session at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Belgium's Kim Meylemans starts for a women's skeleton run at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Friday, Feb. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)

Belgium's Kim Meylemans, left, and Brazil's Nicole Rocha Silveira react, at the finish during a women's skeleton run at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Friday, Feb. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)