Blades Brown

Blades Brown (born May 21, 2007) is an American professional golfer from Nashville, Tennessee who at age 16 broke Bobby Jones' record as the youngest medalist at stroke play in U.S. Amateur history. Jones set the record at age 18, and it remained unbroken for 103 years. Brown's performance in the U.S. Amateur enabled him to compete in his first PGA Tour event where he performed with distinction, 10 under par. Despite numerous college golf offers, he elected to go directly from high school to enter professional golf in January 2025.

Early life His father, Parke Brown, is a Nashville businessman who played golf with Blades at Nashville's Richland Country Club since Blades was eight years old. The father said, "He's not always winning. . . he's growing and showing he's resilient". Brown's mother Rhonda Blades played professional basketball in the WNBA, and was the first player in the WNBA to score a 3-point shot. His older sister Millie was the main basketball protégé of their mother. Brown went on to win the 2023 Elite Invitational at the Tradition Golf Club in Pawleys Island, South Carolina with a final-round 64. The Tennessean named him high school "Sportsperson of the Year" for 2024. Brown joined Tiger Woods and Bobby Clampett in 2023 as the only players to win a medal in both U.S. Amateur and U.S. Junior competitions.

He earned entry into the national golf tournament after playing a qualifying round in July 2023, at the Franklin Bridge Golf Club in Franklin, Tennessee, where he shot a 62 in the final round. His impressive performance in the U.S. Amateur opened the door to a sponsor's exemption allowing him to compete in his first PGA Tour event, the 2024 Myrtle Beach Classic. At Myrtle Beach, he made the cut and tied for 26th, finishing 10 under par. In November 2024, he was ranked number 1 in the Junior Golf Scoreboard, number 1 in the American Junior Golf Association and number 79 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking. Brown won three consecutive TSSAA golf individual state championships (2021–2023) for his high school, Nashville's Brentwood Academy. Brown said he was proud of his amateur accomplishments, but wanted to focus on his pro career, saying, "I am delighted to make my professional debut (at the American Express Golf Tournament)". At his debut as a pro golfer at The American Express on the PGA Tour in January 2025, Brown started with even par the first round, and a 64 in the second. This latter score was the third lowest in a PGA Tour event by a player under age 18 in the past 40 years. However, his third round produced a 2-over-par 74, and he missed the cut by 3 strokes. He played under a sponsor's exemption; his management company, Sportfive, ran the tournament. In his first full season as a professional, Brown finished 68th on the 2025 Korn Ferry Tour's points list, which made him fully exempt for 2026.

At The American Express on the PGA Tour in January 2026, Brown shot a second round 60 to set a new course record for the Nicklaus Tournament course at PGA West. He missed a 7 footer for birdie on the 18th hole to just miss shooting a 59. Brown's performance in tying for 14th in the CJ Cup Byron Nelson in May 2026, earned him 55 non-member FedEx Cup points, enough to surpass the threshold for Special Temporary Membership on the PGA Tour, allowing him to accept unlimited sponsor's exemptions for the remainder of the season.

Amateur wins 2023 AJGA Junior at Canebrake, Huntsville.org Junior Championship, Wyndham Invitational, Tennessee Junior Amateur, The Elite Invitational

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U.S. national team appearances Junior Presidents Cup: 2024 (winners)

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