Next teen phenom on TOUR is up: 16-year-old Blades Brown takes on Myrtle Beach Classic

Editor's note: Blades Brown shot a 1-over 72 in Round 1 of the Myrtle Beach Classic on Thursday, May 9.

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. — At first glance, Blades Brown is your typical 16-year-old: He loves hanging out with friends and playing pickleball with his family.

This week, he’s cutting class to make his PGA TOUR debut on a sponsor’s exemption at the Myrtle Beach Classic.

Brown became the youngest stroke play co-medalist in U.S. Amateur history in 2023, breaking a record set by Bobby Jones 103 years ago. He blazed the field at the 2023 Tennessee Junior Amateur Championship by 12 strokes, and his 22-under finish over 54 holes was the lowest in tournament history. Brown currently sits at No. 4 on the Rolex AJGA rankings as a sophomore high schooler.

Brown has generational roots in sports. His mother, Rhonda Blades Brown, was starting point guard for Vanderbilt and made the first three-pointer in WNBA history. Brown also grew up playing basketball and was point guard in his freshman year of high school, but it was his father, Parke Brown, who wanted him to play golf.

Parke was diagnosed with hairy cell leukemia in 2022, and after his U.S. Amateur co-medalist finish, Blades recalled: “When I qualified, (my dad) posted, ‘My son is going to the U.S. Amateur!’ What dad can say that after thinking that they were going to die?”

Ahead of the event, Blades differentiated his parents’ varying approaches to his game: “She's my mom. She gives me hugs, encourages me all I can. My dad's like, ‘Hit it at the pin.’”

This is the second straight week a teenager will compete on the TOUR, as 16-year-old Kris Kim became the youngest player to make the cut on TOUR since 2015 at THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson last week. Kim’s performance came on the heels of 15-year-old Miles Russell becoming the youngest player to make the cut on the Korn Ferry Tour.

“I think it's so awesome what Miles (Russell) has done," said Brown, who is also friends with Kim. "He's one of my friends so I was rooting for him. It shows that if he can do it, I can do it.

Amidst the erupting trend of teenage and amateur phenoms in golf, Brown is keeping things simple. He has a simple swing thought this week.

“Executing the shot that I'm visualizing in my head," he said. "Some people can get very mechanical with it – I’m just trying to be an athlete.

“It'd be awesome to make it to the weekend. That's probably my biggest goal this week. … All my friends have sent me texts like, ‘Hey Blades, good luck this week. Praying for ya.’ I'm so excited for this week."

In a family full of inspiring figures, Brown draws his motivation for greatness from a genuine enjoyment of golf.

“I love golf. Playing golf brings me so much joy in life: visualizing shots, making calculations, then executing is awesome,” reflected Brown. “It's so much fun. God's given me the ability and the talent, and to be able to put that on display for others is a driving factor.

“Another thing is that you get to play some really good courses,” he added eagerly.

A native Tennessean, Brown grew up playing the Junior Golf Tour of the Tennessee Golf Foundation, backed by Brandt Snedeker and the Snedeker Family Foundation. Brown sees Snedeker, who is also in the Myrtle Beach field this week, as one among several mentors who have kept him grounded.

"He doesn't need anything from me – he's way better than I am,” joked Snedeker.

“He's such a great kid and well-rounded kid," he continued. “Got a great head on his shoulders. I just told him enjoy it, have fun … Not to go too fast, and just really enjoy and live in the moment. He's gonna have a bunch of first-time things come up in his life, so it's gonna be awesome for him."

Other mentors include Austin Smotherman, who Brown played with in a Korn Ferry Tour pro-am several years ago.

"Jonathan Byrd has shown me how to hit some wedge shots out of this thick rough,” added Brown. “Scott Stallings has been a great mentor to me, overflowed me with encouragement and love.”

In his first PGA TOUR start, Brown is most looking forward to walking inside the ropes as a competitor.

“My favorite player is Jordan Spieth, who came up beside me on the ropes at the Masters and talked to me for a few minutes," Brown reflected. "There’s no way he remembers it, but it meant everything to me. … I want to do that to others someday.”

But for now, Brown is entering this week joyful for the opportunity and committed to patience: “Just treating it like it's any other tournament, cause that's what golf is. ... it's the same shot.” He's just 16, going on 17 -- and ready to turn the lights on.