Did Blades Brown make the smart move?

Blades Brown, from Nashville, Tennessee, turned professional in December 2024 after choosing not to pursue college golf despite receiving multiple offers. 

At that time, he held no tour status. Since then, he has secured full-time membership on the Korn Ferry Tour. As a result, performances like this reinforce his belief that a TOUR card is within reach.

According to @acaseofthegolf1, Brown withdrew on January 26. Based on that update, shifting focus to the Korn Ferry Tour appears to be the better move.

For now, Brown is stepping away from the PGA TOUR schedule. After Sunday’s final round, he acknowledged feeling worn down, despite emphasizing that fatigue did not impact his performance.

In recent weeks, he completed the final round of the Bahamas Great Abaco Classic at The Abaco Club on Wednesday, then immediately traveled to La Quinta to compete in The American Express, without a single practice round.

He began with a 5-under 67 and followed it with a 12-under 60 in the second round. After a quieter showing on Saturday, he closed with birdies on his final three holes to reach the final pairing with Scheffler and Si Woo Kim.

That outcome supported Brown’s decision to turn professional while still in high school rather than take the college route. 

He finished 68th on the 2025 Korn Ferry Tour Points List. To earn a TOUR card for 2027, he will need to place inside the top 20 this season.

“Everyone has their own path, and I’m running my race,” Brown said. “There’s a lot of strong junior and amateur talent coming up, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see another amateur make a run.”

Brown reflected on playing alongside Scheffler on Sunday. Speaking afterward, he shared what he observed during the round and explained what stood out from seeing it up close.

Blades Brown shared his observations from playing alongside Scottie Scheffler during The American Express

Speaking on The Smylie Show, Brown explained what stood out from playing alongside Scheffler. To start, he said the world No. 1 made the game look simple from inside the ropes.

“Scottie Scheffler’s the number one-ranked golfer in the world right now, and it showed,” Brown said. “They just make the game so easy.”

He noted that the scorecard did not always show what happened during the round, pointing out that Scheffler still shot six under despite hitting a ball in the water on the 17th. 

Brown then explained that the main takeaway for him was Scheffler’s short game, an area he is also working to improve. 

He added that anything inside 120 yards stood out, citing the way Scheffler recovered from difficult lies as the part of the round that left the biggest impression.

What do you think of Blades Brown’s decision?

Written by

Aditi Singh

Edited by

Joyita Das