On December 17, 2024, the 17-year-old Blades Brown decided to quit playing collegiate golf and turn professional. That decision is proving to be the right one.

"I am ready to begin the next chapter of my golf career and will be competing as a professional in 2025," Brown wrote.

"While I am proud of the accomplishments of my amateur career, I am focused on the future and getting off to a strong start in my professional career," he added.

At just 16, he broke a century-old record by Bobby Jones and became the youngest gold medalist in the U.S. Amateur stroke-play history. 

The Tennessean won three straight individual state titles at ‌Brentwood Academy. He then shifted to online schooling to handle his travel schedule. In January last year, Brown made his PGA Tour debut at The American Express. He scored 64 in the second round, which was the third-fewest by a player under 18. 

Although he missed a cut by 3 strokes, his heroics in the ongoing American Express prove why his decision to quit college and turn pro at an early age was spot on. 

Blades Brown breaks record at The American Express

At the 2026 American Express tournament, he is going toe-to-toe with the world No. 1, Scottie Scheffler. In the first round, Brown finished in 11th place, with 67 strokes.

However, he stunned everyone in the second round. The Tennessean shot the lowest round in the PGA Tour history by an 18-year-old since 1983.

He shot a 12-under-par 60 at the Nicklaus Tournament Course. Unfortunately, Brown missed a legendary 59 after failing to score a 6-foot birdie putt. Currently, he is tied for second with Scheffler, who shot a 63 in the first round and a 64 in the second.

Written by

Kalp Thaker

Edited by

Sagnik Bagchi