Blades Brown joins PGA TOUR as Special Temporary Member
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Blades Brown drains 13-foot putt for birdie on No. 14 at THE CJ CUP
Korn Ferry Tour member Brown creates additional opportunity to earn TOUR membership in 2027
Korn Ferry Tour member Brown creates additional opportunity to earn TOUR membership in 2027
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – The PGA TOUR announced Tuesday that 19-year-old Blades Brown has accepted Special Temporary Membership on the PGA TOUR and is eligible to receive unlimited sponsor exemptions for the remainder of the 2026 PGA TOUR Season through the FedExCup Fall. Brown, who is also No. 11 on the Korn Ferry Tour Points List in his first season as a member, can secure his PGA TOUR card for the 2027 season by earning as many or more non-member points as No. 70 in the final 2026 FedExCup Fall standings or by finishing in the top 20 on the Korn Ferry Tour Points List.
With his T14 at THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson, the Nashville, Tennessee, native earned enough non-member FedExCup points to cross the threshold for Special Temporary Membership. He currently has 266 non-member FedExCup points. For reference, that would fall between Nos. 88 and 89 in the current standings.
Brown is also competing this season as a member of the Korn Ferry Tour and currently sits No. 11 in the Korn Ferry Tour Points List with two top-three finishes in nine starts. The top 20 players on the Korn Ferry Tour Points List through the season-ending Korn Ferry Tour Championship presented by Virginia’s Richmond Region (Oct. 8-11) will earn PGA TOUR cards for the 2027 season.
Blades Brown on trade-offs of professional golf as teenager, changes over past two years
Brown would become the youngest player on record to earn a PGA TOUR card via the Korn Ferry Tour, eclipsing Jason Day, who earned his card at 19 years, 11 months, 23 days. Brown will be 19 years, 4 months, 17 days on Sunday of the Korn Ferry Tour Championship.
In seven starts on the PGA TOUR this season, Brown has four top-25 finishes, highlighted by a solo-third at the Puerto Rico Open. He added his second top 10 (T9) at the ONEflight Myrtle Beach Classic to earn a spot in the field at THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson.
In his first start of the 2026 season, Brown finished T18 as a sponsor exemption at The American Express, where he carded a second-round 60 at the Nicklaus Tournament Course to earn a spot in Saturday’s final pairing alongside world No. 1 and eventual champion Scottie Scheffler.
Brown turned professional in early 2025 as a 17-year-old and earned Korn Ferry Tour Special Temporary Membership last August at age 18 following a T7 at the Utah Championship presented by Zions Bank and Intermountain Health. He finished the season at No. 68 in the Korn Ferry Tour Points List to earn Korn Ferry Tour membership for the 2026 season.
Prior to turning professional, Brown made headlines as the youngest-ever stroke-play medalist at the 2023 U.S. Amateur as a 16-year-old. In his lone TOUR start as an amateur, Brown finished T24 at the ONEflight Myrtle Beach Classic, making him one of 12 players on record to make a PGA TOUR cut at 16 years old or younger.
