PGA Tour veteran Charley Hoffman raves about rising star Blades Brown's 'work ethic at 17'

Charley Hoffman lauded praise to the rising star Blades Brown for the impressive game at The American Express 2025. The PGA Tour players are competing this week in La Quinta. After the second round of the tournament on Friday, January 17, Charley Hoffman took the lead, tying with Rico Hoey.

Meanwhile, Blades Brown played an impressive round of 64 in the second round of the PGA Tour event, jumping 76 spots on the leaderboard to tie for 40th place. His performance on Friday garnered praise from fans and fellow players alike.

During the press conference of The American Express, Charley Hoffman praised the budding star Blades Brown, saying (via ASAP Sports):

"He's very polished. Let's put it this way, surprisingly, this is what stuck out with me is, I got up before the team, before the team played at, we'll say 5:00 in the morning, I would go and work out because I had to get some work because I'm still playing, and he was in the gym, and he was in the gym working out.

"I don't know if I had that work ethic at 17 -- I promise you I didn't. I didn't know what the gym was. I didn't learn about that until probably my college golf coach. He puts the work in, he's a solid golfer, and obviously the future's very bright for him. It's not easy out here though and hopefully he has a lot of success, but it's a tough training ground out here on the PGA TOUR, and hopefully he gets some success early on," he added.

The American Express is a four-day tournament with a cutline after 36 holes. Only players finishing above the cutline will compete in the final two rounds over the weekend. The event will conclude on Sunday, January 19.

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Charley Hoffman reflects on his performance at The American Express 2025

In the second round of The American Express, Charley Hoffman played a stellar round of 63, climbing the leaderboard and tying for the lead. Starting on the 10th hole at the Nicklaus Tournament Course, Hoffman carded four birdies and a bogey on the front nine and six birdies on the back nine for a round of 9-under 63 on Friday.

Speaking about his second-round performance, Hoffman said (via ASAP Sports):

"I was hitting fairways and then I was able to attack into the greens, hitting some wedge shots close and obviously making a few putts. It's one of those golf courses if you keep the ball in front of you, you can attack some of those pins. If you don't, you're not able to. I was able to make a few putts hit some wedges close and it all added up to a 63."

Meanwhile, he played the first round at the La Quinta Country Club, making five birdies, two eagles, and two bogeys for a round of 7-under 65. With a total of 16-under, Hoffman heads into the weekend as the tournament leader.