Blades Brown has been garnering all the attention since his strong performance at the 2026 American Express after he got in via a sponsor exemption.

That performance brought him a couple more sponsor exemptions. One of them is bringing him into the $9.1 million Valspar Championship. 

Brown will compete against 20 of the top 50 golfers. And the list is continuously expanding with the tournament being just a month away. But most eyes would likely be on Brown, who skipped college to become a professional golfer. 

Reflecting on the Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club’s Copperhead Course, Brown said, "Man, that golf course is hard. You definitely need to know where your golf ball is going to be going if you are going to play that golf course.” 

The Copperhead Course’s demanding ‘Snake Pit’ stretch (including holes 16 to 18) has often troubled the golfers. This final stretch is also the reason why the leaderboard gets reshuffled on the final round.

If Blades Brown can get a top 10 finish, he could propel his professional status quite far. 

Excited about facing elite PGA Tour athletes before turning 20, the 18-year-old admitted, “I am really excited to tee it up again this year and see how many birdies we can make."

But why did the officials at the Valspar Championship offer Brown a sponsor exemption? 

Why Did Blades Brown Get a Sponsor Exemption to the PGA Tour Tournament

"We always want to bring the big-name players to play, but we are known for more than just that," Valspar tournament director Tracy West said. "We are a fun happening."

But there’s much more to that story. Brown has been one of the highest-ranked American junior golfers in recent years. And tournament sponsors often use exemptions to highlight the rising American talent. 

Apart from that, Brown has a youth appeal and could be a long-term PGA Tour pipeline investment. But it’s his recent performance at the American Express that pushed sponsors further. After all, Brown tied it up with Scottie Scheffler by making six birdies and an eagle in his first seven holes in round two. He further added four more birdies in his first six holes on his second nine. 

But can he achieve a similar feat at the Valspar Championship? Tell us what you think!

Read more at Daily Club Golf!

Written by

Krushna Pattnaik

Edited by

Oajaswini Prabhu