17-year-old Blades Brown turning pro, to make debut at PGA Tour’s American Express

Blades Brown shares the same agent as Akshay Bhatia, the now two-time PGA Tour winner who famously turned pro instead of going to college.

And Blades, a 17-year-old from Nashville, Tennessee, is going to follow in Bhatia’s footsteps. He announced Tuesday he was turning professional, skipping the college route. The top-ranked junior in the Class of 2026 will instead make his pro debut next month at the PGA Tour’s American Express, one of a handful of sponsor exemptions Brown has lined up in 2025.

This weekend, Brown was scheduled to be one of 16 amateurs who teed it up in Florida as part of a United States Walker Cup practice session, but he wasn’t in the team picture. Carson Bacha from Auburn was in his place.

Brown entered PGA Tour Q-School but didn’t advance from first stage. He made his Tour debut earlier this year at the Myrtle Beach Classic, making the cut.

His resume, however, is impressive. Last year, he became the youngest medalist in the history of the U.S. Amateur. This summer, he won medalist honors at the U.S. Junior, joining Tiger Woods and Bobby Clampett as the only players to medal at both events. Last month, he was named AJGA Rolex Player of the Year.

He had offers from seemingly every top college program in the country, and Brown’s prowess likely would’ve earned him lucrative NIL deals that would’ve made him one of, if not, the highest paid college golfer in the country.

Instead, Brown will turn his focus to the professional game, where next month in California he makes his debut at the American Express. In January, Nick Dunlap won the tournament, becoming the first amateur to win on the PGA Tour since Phil Mickelson in 1991.

This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Blades Brown turning pro, debut at PGA Tour’s American Express