Blades Brown is taking his talents to the professional level and will be foregoing the remainder of his college career, and will be instead signing with the PGA Tour.
On Tuesday, the top-ranked golfer in the class of 2026 announced that he’d be leaving college behind after receiving interest from several of the top programs across the country. The 17-year-old is slated to make his pro debut at the PGA Tour’s American Express at La Quinta, California, in January.
“I am excited to announce that after much prayer and seeking advice from those I trust, I am ready to begin the next chapter of my golf career and will be competing as a professional in 2025,” he shared in a lengthy post to Instagram.
“This is not a decision that I take lightly, and I have spent the past months weighing all possible options before deciding on what I know is best for me. 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.
“I want to thank God for the many blessings he has bestowed upon me and giving me the talents to pursue a 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥hood dream,” Brown continued. “Thank you to my family and the team I have around me for believing in me and guiding me, and to everyone for their continued support, love, and passion to help me reach this point. I wouldn’t be here without you all and I am forever grateful.”
Brown has achieved no shortage of success thus far in his golfing career, becoming the youngest medalist in U.S. Amateur history at age 16 in 2023. Bobby Jones was the previous record holder, accomplishing the feat at 18 years old in 1920.
Blades Brown is set to make his PGA Tour debut in January (Image:Getty Images)
Last summer, Brown additionally joined Bobby Clampett and Tiger Woods as one of only three players to ever medal at both a U.S. Amateur and U.S. Junior Amateur competition. The significance of the accomplishment is not lost on the high-school junior, who said: “To have your name in the same category as Tiger Woods, Bobby Jones, that’s something that you work for and you practice for and that you dream of. And for it to become a reality is incredible.”
On the heels of pulling off the feat, Brown received the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to exchange pleasantries with Woods in person. “It was so surreal. I’d never seen Tiger in person,” he recalled.
“It was the coolest thing, it was like I was starstruck. I’m looking at Tiger Woods and I’m like, ‘I don’t know what to say!’”
Back in May, Brown participated in the Myrtle Beach Classic under a sponsor exemption – his only PGA Tour event – where he finished 10 under par and tied for 26th place. Several months later, the Nashville native was unable to advance out of PGA Tour qualifying school, though he’s still is in possession of multiple sponsor exemptions for 2025.
