BIRMINGHAM, Ala. & MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. — It was a big weekend for Tennesseans in the world of professional golf that included a major win and a dazzling debut. Memphis’ Doug Barron won his first PGA TOUR Champions major title and Nashville’s Blades Brown was the only amateur to make the cut at the Myrtle Beach Classic.
For Barron, this win was a culmination of perseverance and things clicking at the right time. He’s less than a year removed from elbow surgeries on both arms and says he’s still recovering and playing in some pain. Barron says one day he knows the pain will go away but for now, he manages it the best he can.
As for things clicking at the right time, it came down to the tee and green. Off the tee, Barron didn’t have as much confidence in the big stick coming into the major as he would have liked but turned it on in time.
“I drove it as good as I've driven it in years,” Barron said. “It's, you know, just the pressure of a major and just the pressure of winning.”
As for his success on the green, that is due in part to his coach back in Memphis, Jonathan Fly. Barron said he got a “great putting lesson” from the 2010 Tennessee State Amateur and 2011 Tennessee State Open Champion. The lesson helped Barron finish top 15 in total putts for the tournament and the realization of goal he set out to complete since the day he turned pro.
“When I started, I told my wife, I want to win a major.” Mission accomplished.
On the PGA TOUR, another Tennessean burst onto the scene at the Myrtle Beach Classic. Already a household name in the Tennessee golf world, Blades Brown made sure everyone in golf would remember the name.
After a slow first round (by his standards), Brown showed everyone why he deserved the sponsor invite to the PGA TOUR event. The next three rounds of the tournament, the 16-year-old went 67-66-69 to card a 10-under-par 274 in his PGA TOUR debut.
Good luck to the 2023 Tennessee Men’s & Boys’ Junior Player of the Year Blades Brown as he gets set to make his @PGATOUR debut tomorrow at the Myrtle Beach Classic.
— Tennessee Golf Association (@TNgolf) May 8, 2024
The 16-year-old Nashville native tees off tomorrow at 7:07 am CT at The Dunes Golf and Beach Club. pic.twitter.com/8T15owqrIW