Blades Brown made a splash in the first professional start of his young career last month when he shot an eight-under 64 during the second round of the American Express. Not bad for a 17-year-old pro, right?
Brown made his PGA Tour debut as an amateur at the 2024 Myrtle Beach Classic and tied for 26th. Since then he’s decided to skip college and turn pro, and he received a sponsor’s exemption into the American Express in what was his first start as a professional.
After a first-round 72, his 64 rocketed him up the leaderboard. He still missed the cut, but he made plenty of headlines in the process.
PGA Tour veteran Charley Hoffman already knew what Brown was capable of. Hoffman was captain of the Junior Presidents Cup team Brown played on last season, and at the American Express Hoffman spoke about what most impressed him about the teenager.
17-year-old pro made history in first start but was even more impressive after heartbreaking missed cut
“I got up before the team played — we’ll say 5 in the morning — and I would go and work out, and he was in the gym working out,” Hoffman said. “I don’t know if I had that work ethic at 17 — I promise you I didn’t. I didn’t know what the gym was.”
Brown, speaking to the media after that 64, said he gets that work ethic from his parents. His mom, Rhonda Brown (Blades), played in the WNBA.
“I love the gym,” he said last week on GOLF’s Subpar podcast. “The gym is an awesome place to get work done. I love lifting weights, I love the recovery aspect of it.”
When he’s at home, Brown said he usually works out with a trainer four to five times a week. When he used to attend school in person — he’s now online — he’d wake up before school and work out at 6.
“After [school], I’d go hit balls, then do what I need to do, play a match with a couple of my friends, come back, and either watch a movie or play basketball, and then pickleball, just depending on the day,” he said. “Then go to sleep and do it all over again.”
“He puts the work in, he’s a solid golfer, and obviously the future’s very bright for him,” Hoffman said. “It’s not easy out here though and hopefully he has a lot of success, but it’s a tough training ground out here on the PGA Tour, and hopefully he gets some success early on.”
You can listen to the complete podcast with Brown here, or watch the YouTube video below.
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