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Blades Brown nears history as youngest PGA Tour card holder with 54-hole lead at Korn Ferry Tour Championship
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Blades Brown makes birdie on No. 9 at Korn Ferry Tour Championship
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Written by Staff
Charting the leader (stats entering week)
| Category | Blades Brown |
| Age | 19 |
| 2026 Korn Ferry Tour Points List | No. 14 |
| Starts – Wins – Top 10s on Korn Ferry Tour in 2026 | 17-0-5 |
| Starts – Wins – Top 10s in Korn Ferry Tour Career | 31-0-7 |
| Starts – Wins – Top 10s at Korn Ferry Tour Championship | 1-0-0 |
Blades Brown (first/-16)
- Carded 3-under 68 to maintain one-stroke lead over Austin Hitt at 16-under 197
- Holds his fourth 54-hole lead/co-lead in what is his 32nd career start on the Korn Ferry Tour; he is 0-for-3 converting to victory
- At 19 years, 4 months, 19 days of age, becomes the fourth-youngest 54-hole leader/co-leader in Korn Ferry Tour history, only trailing three of his own performances
- 18 years, 10 months, 7 days/2026 Club Car Championship at The Landings Golf and Athletic Club/finished third
- 18 years, 10 months, 28 days/2026 Tulum Championship at PGA Riviera Maya/finished second
- 19 years, 2 months, 11 days/2026 Utah Championship presented by Zions Bank and Intermountain Health/finished T6
- Bidding to become the second-youngest winner in Korn Ferry Tour history and the fifth teenager to win on the Korn Ferry Tour; the previous four all became PGA Tour winners
- Aldrich Potgieter – 19 years, 4 months, 11 days (2024 The Bahamas Great Abaco Classic at The Abaco Club)
- Blades Brown – 19 years, 4 months, 20 days (2026 Korn Ferry Tour Championship presented by Virginia’s Richmond Region)
- Jason Day – 19 years, 7 months, 26 days (2007 Legend Financial Group Classic)
- Sungjae Im – 19 years, 9 months, 17 days (2018 The Bahamas Golf Classic)
- Akshay Bhatia – 19 years, 11 months, 19 days (2022 The Bahamas Golf Classic)
- Stands No. 14 on the 2026 Korn Ferry Tour Points List and is the highest-ranked player yet to be declared TourBound
- In line to become the youngest graduate in Korn Ferry Tour history (current: Day, 19 years, 11 months, 23 days in 2007)
- Holds Special Temporary Membership on the PGA Tour and owns seven top-25s in 11 starts on Tour this season, highlighted by a solo third at the 2026 Puerto Rico Open
- Previously earned Special Temporary Membership and finished No. 68 on the 2025 Korn Ferry Tour Points List
- Recorded a T2 finish at the 2025 Veritex Bank Championship, the highest finish by a player under the age of 18 in Korn Ferry Tour history, usurping 17-year-old Si Woo Kim's T11 finish at the 2013 Mid-Atlantic Championship
- Named the 2024 AJGA Rolex Junior Player of the Year and turned professional on Dec. 17, 2024, at 17 years of age
Austin Hitt (second/-15)
- Entered the week at No. 22 on the 2026 Korn Ferry Tour Points List in bid to earn first PGA Tour card; he currently projects to finish No. 10 in the standings
- Ties his career-high 54-hole position in what is his 78th career start on the Korn Ferry Tour (previous: 2025 Simmons Bank Open for the Snedeker Foundation/finished second)
- Previously finished No. 30 on the 2025 Korn Ferry Tour Points List and No. 48 on the 2024 Korn Ferry Tour Points List as a rookie
- Finished No. 4 on the 2023 PGA Tour Latinoamérica Order of Merit to earn Korn Ferry Tour membership
- Played five seasons at University of North Carolina (2016-2021), where he was a two-time All-Atlantic Coast Conference selection
Barend Botha (third/-14)
- Stands No. 38 on the 2026 Korn Ferry Tour Points List and needs a minimum finish of solo second to potentially finish in the top 20 and earn his first PGA Tour card
- Stands in the top three through 54 holes for the third time in 50 career starts on the Korn Ferry Tour (previous: first/2025 Korn Ferry Tour Championship presented by Virginia’s Richmond Region/finished second; T2/2026 The Bahamas Great Abaco Classic at The Abaco Club/finished fourth)
- Runner-up finisher at the 2025 Korn Ferry Tour Championship presented by Virginia’s Richmond Region, his tournament debut; he held a one-stroke lead through 54 holes and needed a win to finish in the top 20 of the 2025 Korn Ferry Tour Points List
- Previously finished No. 28 on the 2025 Korn Ferry Tour Points List as a rookie
- Finished No. 4 on the 2024 PGA Tour Americas Points List and earned Korn Ferry Tour membership with back-to-back wins at the BioSteel Championship and Elk Ridge Saskatchewan Open
- Played four seasons at University of Toledo (2020-24), where he earned four individual victories and was the 2023 and 2024 Mid-American Conference Golfer of the Year
Additional notes
- Ross Steelman (T5/-12) is the only player who can pass Sandy Scott (T45/-2) for the No. 1 position on the 2026 Korn Ferry Tour Points List; Steelman is currently projected to finish No. 1 by 67.237 points.
- While the top 20 players on the 2026 Korn Ferry Tour Points List earn PGA Tour membership, the No. 1 player also earns exemptions for the 2027 The Players Championship and 2027 U.S. Open.
- Steelman and Ian Holt (T5/-12) are bidding to achieve the Three-Victory Promotion, which would grant the winner an immediate promotion to the PGA Tour and eligibility for the remaining 2026 FedExCup Fall events; the last player to achieve the Three-Victory Promotion was Matt McCarty (2024).
- Davis Lamb (T10/-11), who plays from Potomac, Maryland, entered the week at No. 23 on the 2026 Korn Ferry Tour Points List and currently projects to finish No. 22; he is currently 13.977 points behind No. 20.
- Two players are currently projected to move into the top 20:
- Austin Hitt (second/-15) – started No. 22, projected No. 10
- Yuta Sugiura (T24/-5) – started No. 21, projected No. 20
- Two players are currently projected to fall out of the top 20:
- Cole Hammer (T33/-3) – started No. 20, projected No. 21
- Ben Kohles (not in field) – started No. 19, projected No. 23
