Blades Brown, a high school junior, has announced on social media that he will turn professional. The No. 1 ranked junior by Junior Golf Scoreboard played in his first PGA Tour event this year at the Myrtle Beach Classic. He made the cut and used a third-round 66 to climb the leaderboard and finish in 26th place.

His amateur highlights include becoming the youngest medalist in U.S. Amateur history at 16, breaking Bobby Jones' 103-year-old record. He shot a course-record 64 at Colorado Golf Club. Then, in 2024, he joined Tiger Woods as the only golfer to earn medalist honors in both the U.S. Amateur and U.S. Junior Amateur. He was also named 2024 Rolex Junior Player of the Year. 

Brown played in the First Stage of PGA Tour Q-School this fall, and when he skipped the Walker Cup practice session this week, it looked increasingly likely that this news was coming.

He will make his professional debut at the American Express Championship in January with a sponsor's exemption. This is the same event that Nick Dunlap won as an amateur in 2024.

His management team, SportFive, runs the AmEx and other PGA Tour events, so it's likely Brown will tee it up in the Puerto Rico Open, Myrtle Beach Classic, and the ISCO Championship. The PGA Tour allows seven sponsor exemptions for the year. 

After that point, Brown will have to compete in Monday Qualifiers, which are more limited than in the past, or finish the Top 10 from the previous week. 

Blades Brown has some professional DNA in his family. His mom, Rhonda Brown, played in the WNBA and was inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in 2023.

I am excited to announce that after much prayer and seeking advice from those I trust, I am ready to begin the next chapter of my golf career and will be competing as a professional in 2025.

I will be making my professional debut at @theamexgolf in La Quinta January 16-19. pic.twitter.com/5X6c0fWjSk

— Blades Brown (@BladesBrown2026) December 17, 2024