Blades Brown’s early journey in professional golf full of purpose

Think back to when you were only 18-years old, if your memory will allow you to delve that deeply into your past. Chances are that life back then was relatively uncomplicated compared with adulting, a blissful period where things were simple and uncomplicated. 

Basically, you didn’t yet know what you didn’t know. There was an innocent ignorance of all the successes and failures that lay ahead. 

This sweet slice of life has looked much different for Blades Brown, the Nashville golf prodigy who decided last December to turn professional at the tender age of 17. Instead of worrying over prom dates or upcoming term papers, his focus has been about gaining traction in the realm of professional golf while gaining an education about himself and life that could have never been gleaned in a classroom.

And after sitting down with Brown and his father, Parke, over lunch recently, one thing became evident – he wouldn’t have it any other way. Demonstrating an uncanny maturity that far exceeds his years, Brown has come to grips at an early age that golf is not where he discovers his identity, Instead, it is merely the platform for him to deliver a more important message.

Brown will be making his first professional appearance in Tennessee this week at the Vanderbilt Legends Club when the Korn Ferry Tour’s Simmons Bank Open comes to town. The event runs Thursday through Sunday with a total purse of $1.5 million being awarded and has free admission for all four days.

Although Brown had already gained the reputation as a rising star by winning three straight TSSAA Division II-AAA golf championships for Brentwood Academy starting in 2021 as an eighth grader, his emergence on a national stage occurred in 2023. It was then that he became the youngest stroke play medalist in U.S. Amateur history, eclipsing a standard set by the immortal Bobby Jones that had stood for 103 years. His accomplishments earned him dual recognition as the Tennessee Golf Association Men’s and Junior Player of the Year.

That momentum continued into 2024 when Brown was named the top male junior golfer in the world as the American Junior Golf Association’s Rolex Junior Player of the Year award, joining the ranks of former winners Tiger Woods, Jordan Spieth, and Scottie Scheffler.

Brown also made his PGA Tour debut as an amateur at the Myrtle Beach Classic that May, finishing in a tie for 26th. His standout year continued as he captured medalist honors at the 77th U.S. Junior Amateur Championship, becoming only the third player to do so at both the U.S. Junior and U.S. Amateur, joining Woods again in that elite company. Brown also capped his season by finishing second at The Junior Players Championship.

In recognition of his stellar year, Brown was selected to represent the U.S. Team at the Junior Presidents Cup in Quebec, helping the team reclaim the cup. For good measure, he and current Tennessee sophomore Jackson Herrington teamed for a runner-up finish at the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball earlier in the year.

Blades Brown had become a household name among golfing circles, and his unique first name seemingly destined him for golf greatness, although it is actually the maiden name of his mother, Rhonda, who spent two seasons in the WNBA after a solid career at Vanderbilt. The only question that remained unanswered was the pathway Brown would choose on his way to professional stardom. 

But an unexpected setback occurred during his freshman year that altered the Brown family’s outlook on the future. Parke was diagnosed in December 2022 during with what was believed to be an aggressive form of bone cancer, and the prognosis was not favorable.

“When the doctor says that your dad only has six months left to live, it puts a whole new perspective on life and golf,” Blades said. “It was the first time in my life that I felt like my heart had just been stabbed.”

Further tests revealed that Parke had Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia, a type of cancer of the blood and bone marrow that could be successfully treated through chemotherapy. Even though the grim initial outlook had been averted, going through that period of uncertainty greatly impacted Blades.

“Those first couple of weeks, I was really scared,” Blades said, while battling his emotions. “I looked up online what could happen, and it frightened me that I might lose my dad. I remember there was one time when I was literally bawling my eyes out in my room, and I was playing a worship song asking God ‘why is my dad having to go through this?’ And then the song repeated five times, ‘There will be victory.’ When I heard that, I knew that my dad was going to be okay.”

Parke responded well to the treatment regimen, but the scare brought with it a new perspective on Blades’ future. That is why last December, after much prayer and consultation with an inner circle of advisors, Blades made the decision to turn professional at the age of 17 during his junior year of high school.

“There’s no doubt that my illness played a role in the timing of this decision,” Parke said. “He told me he wants me to see him walk up the 18th fairway at Augusta National one day. That doesn't necessarily mean we'll be there, but we believe we will be, and that's something that I think really is a testament of his faith.”

Blades made his professional debut weeks later at the American Express Championship in California, missing the cut despite posting a 64 in his second round. With no status at the professional level, he has made the cut in two of six PGA Tour starts while finding success on the Korn Ferry Tour. Despite playing in only 10 KFT events, he is 75th on the points list with a pair of top 10 finishes including a runner-up.

With two more PGA Tour starts slated for this fall, Brown is hoping for a strong finish to secure his standing for 2026. The top 20 on the Korn Ferry earn their PGA Tour cards, while the top 50 are exempt to the final stage of Q-School plus full status on the KFT for next year. A top 75 placement will guarantee entrance into 25 KFT events in ’26, which would cap a remarkable rookie season. 

“I've learned so much being out there this year,” Blades said. “One thing I thought was really cool was the Korn Ferry has elevated my game to heights that I didn't even think were possible. My game right now is where I'm consistently shooting in the 60s every single time I play, and I would have never thought that would have been possible.”

Considering that Blades is only a senior in high school who is scheduled to complete his online degree in December, the whirlwind of travel and tournaments has been a dizzying experience. Detractors will argue that he should have further developed his game by playing in college, and yet he has remained undaunted given the burden of expectations. His goal was to become a professional golfer, and he has proven in a short time that he certainly belongs. 

“The way that I've been able to cope with that all of that external pressure reminds me of when Kobe Bryant was asked about handling the expectations of making it to the NBA finals,” Blades said. “Kobe looked at the interviewer and said, ‘My expectations for myself are so much greater than anybody could ever have on me.’ I really like that, because that allows a mindset that I'm going to focus on what I can do because what I can do is so much greater than what people expect of me. That takes the focus off what other people think about you. I just want to focus on executing the shots that I know I can and having fun playing the sport that I love. If I do that, the score will take care of itself.”

But there is even a greater message Blades hopes to convey with his presence on the professional tour that drives him daily.

“Single-handedly, my relationship with God is the most important thing in my life,” Blades said. “I think there's a really cool parallel with golfing and my faith. At the end of the day, whether I shoot 66 or 86, I know that my identity is not in that score. My identity has God at the center, and He's already won the battle. That gives me all the confidence in the world to go out and do what I love.”

Being able to share this experience with his son, to see the way he has been able to mature both as a golfer and as a young man, is something that has drawn Parke’s admiration.

“Rhonda and I were just vessels, and whatever God has placed on him since he was a little kid, you can see the light in him,” Parke said. “I want the world to see the light in Blades, and I want that to be brighter than the lights that are on him. Even at his age, people are learning to respect him for his character just as much as his ability. Not many people can do that, and we would have never put him out there if we didn’t believe that he wasn’t coded for it.”

There is a relentless pursuit of excellence within Blades that burns within him. He is wise enough at his young age to recognize that there are no shortcuts in his quest for success. He has seen in Scheffler how that partnership between faith and golfing brilliance can be balanced, footsteps that he aspires to follow as he establishes goals for his future.

“I don’t have a set thing in mind,” Blades said. “I could say I want to win the Grand Slam in one year, but that is very outcome-oriented. I feel like there's another way to think about that that would be the fruit of those things happening. God is giving me a platform to impact a lot of people. I want to build my foundation to where, when people see me, they see Jesus, essentially. So, at the end of the day, if I win no majors, that's going to be okay. But if I impacted one little kid and he's now a Christian, then I would say that's a great career in my book.”

No matter the ultimate outcome of Blades’ professional journey, it’s impossible not to root for his future success. He has navigated success at the amateur level to where there were no more mountains to conquer there. Now, with loftier goals on the horizon, he is embarking upon this odyssey in a fashion that is sure to make his mark in professional golf. 

Pretty impressive stuff from a high school senior. I have a gut feeling we’ll be hearing plenty about Blades Brown for years to come.