Loading article...
Loading article...
see also: Blades Brown
The 17-year-old shot an 8-under 64 in the second round but missed the cut by three shots
17-year-old Blades Brown carded rounds of 72-64-74 to finish 6-under at the American Express and miss the cut by three shots.
Brown carded a second round 8-under 64 with birdies on holes No. 12 to 17 to get to 8-under and give himself a chance to make the cut. He birdied holes No. 1, 2, and 5 to get all the way to 11-under. However, he played the last 13 holes at 5-over, including bogeys on holes No. 14 and 15 and a double bogey on No. 17 after he found the water on his tee shot saw him fall to 6-under and T91.
The teenage phenom shot an even par round in the opening round at La Quinta Country Club to open the tournament.
He started slow, bogeying his second hole and double-bogeying the third hole, but he birdied holes No. 4, 5, and 6 to get back to even and made 12 pars the rest of the round.
"Golf is a weird and funny game ... but I'm going to keep my head up."
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) January 18, 2025
Despite missing the cut, 17-year-old Blades Brown keeps a positive mindset after his first professional start @TheAmExGolf. pic.twitter.com/XhEpNiMvG2
PREVIEW
A month after announcing his decision to turn pro, 17-year-old Blades Brown will make his debut as a professional golfer this week at the American Express.
It’s not an event that’s close to home. Brown is from Tennessee and was named The Tennessean’s High School Sportsperson of the Year last year. Brown's management team, SportFive, runs the American Express.
The new professional made his mark as an amateur. In 2023, he became the youngest medalist in U.S. Amateur history at 16, breaking Bobby Jones' 103-year-old record. Incredibly, Brown was nearly two years younger than Jones, who was 18 when he set the record in 1920. Brown shot a course-record 64 at Colorado Golf Club en route to that accomplishment.
A year later, he was the medalist in the U.S. Junior Amateur. Joining Tiger Woods and Bobby Clampett as the only golfer to earn medalist honors in both the U.S. Amateur and U.S. Junior Amateur. To have your name in the record books with Bobby Clampett, Bobby Jones, and Tiger Woods is a good harbinger.
While Brown never broke through to win a USGA event or a major amateur event, he took home three AJGA events, won the Tennessee Jr. by a whopping 12 shots, and made the cut in the only PGA Tour event he played in as an amateur in the 2024 Myrtle Beach Classic. He also recorded a runner-up finish in the U.S. Four-Ball with Jackson Herrington, along with seven other top-ten finishes in events like the Jones Cup in 2024 (5th place), the Junior Players Championship (2nd), and the Western Amateur (9th).
Following his first round at the TPC Myrtle Beach, Brown said, "This course has some teeth to it. I'm not 100 percent used to that yet, but I feel like the experience I'm getting this week is -- like you can't pay for this."
Over this PGA Tour season, Brown will likely gain more experience because SportFive runs more than just the AmEx; it is likely Brown will tee it up in the Puerto Rico Open, Myrtle Beach Classic, and ISCO Championship. The PGA Tour allows seven sponsor exemptions for the year. This gives Brown a good opportunity to gain some momentum. Any top-ten finishes will also grant him a spot in the following week's event. This is how Luke Clanton played in extra PGA Tour events last summer.
Brown will tee off in the final group on Thursday at 1:42 pm at La Quinta with Isaiah Salinda.
A year after Nick Dunlap won the event as an amateur, Blades Brown is currently 8-under through 15 holes of his second round and has jumped all the way to T38. He birdied holes No. 12 to 17 (he started on No. 10) of the Nicklaus Tournament Course.

Meet the Amateurs in the 2026 Masters: Six Different Paths to Augusta National
Apr 8, 2026From teenage phenoms to seasoned dreamers, the amateur class at the 2026 Masters brings six compelling stories to AugustaMasters: Memorable performances by amateurs in the last 40 years
Apr 2, 2026A Mid-Amateur legend and a 14 year old have won low-amateur honors at Augusta National over the years
U.S. Open Qualifying 2026: Local & Final Qualifying Sites for Shinnecock
Apr 8, 2026The road to Shinnecock Hills begins in April as 110 local qualifying sites and 13 final qualifying venues are set.
Masters 2026: Amateur Tracker Ends at Augusta as Rory McIlroy Surges Into the Lead
Apr 10, 2026All six amateurs missed the cut at the 2026 Masters, where Rory McIlroy seized control at 12-under and a dramatic Friday
2026 Augusta National Women's Amateur: Full Field Preview, Favorites & How to Watch
Mar 30, 202648 of the top 50 players in the world. Two past champions. One teenager who lost by a single stroke last year.Loading latest news...