Blades Brown, 16, shoots 66, moves up Myrtle Beach Classic leaderboard in PGA Tour debut
Brentwood Academy golfer Blades Brown, 16, shot a bogey-free 66 and was tied for 22nd Saturday after the third round of the Myrtle Beach Classic in the sophomore's PGA Tour debut.
Brown made five birdies, including four on the back nine. He started the back nine with birdies on Nos. 10, 12 and 13 and sits at 8-under 205 heading into Sunday's final round. He moved up 26 spots on the leaderboard during Saturday's round.
"I didn't really have any expectations of myself today, and I was able to go out and play free and focused golf," Brown said. "I was pretty much on cruise control today. I wish I could have more days like this when golf just feels really easy. It was a lot of fun."
Chris Gotterup leads the tournament at 18-under.
Brown opened with a 1-over 72 on Thursday and shot a 4-under 67 on Friday to get to 3-under and make the cut, which was at 2-under.
It's been a crazy week for Brown, who has been signing autographs, including one fan's forehead.
"He took off his hat and was like, have you ever signed a forehead before?" Brown said. "I was like, no. I thought he was kidding, but I've signed like four shoes, so I'm keeping tally. But everything is awesome."
Why Blades Brown, 16, is playing in PGA Tour event at Myrtle Beach Classic
Brown received a sponsor exemption to play in Myrtle Beach this week while the PGA Tour’s main event, the Wells Fargo Championship, is being played in Charlotte, North Carolina. He is the top-ranked golfer in the Class of 2026, No. 4 in the AJGA rankings and No. 176 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking.
BLADES BROWN MAKES CUT: How Blades Brown, 16, rallied to make the cut in PGA Tour debut at Myrtle Beach Classic
He became the second consecutive 16-year-old to make the cut in a PGA Tour-sponsored event. England’s Kris Kim, 16, did so at last week's CJ Cup Byron Nelson. Miles Russell, 15, tied for 20th at the Korn Ferry Tour’s Lecom Suncoast Classic last month.
Brown was asked if his expectations changed after Saturday's round.
"Probably not," he said. "Yes, it would be nice to shoot another 5-under or 6-under. It could happen. But I'm 16 playing in a PGA Tour event, so I'm just stoked to be here."
Blades Brown's mother is Rhonda Blades Brown, former Vanderbilt, WNBA player
Brown's mother is Rhonda Blades Brown, a former Vanderbilt women's basketball player and WNBA New York Liberty star and she helped motivate him to make the cut before Friday's round.
His exemption at Myrtle Beach stems from his record-breaking performance in last summer’s U.S. Amateur. He broke Bobby Jones’ record as the youngest medalist in U.S. Amateur history, tying for first place in the tournament's stroke play portion. Brown was eliminated in the match play portion in the round of 32 but earned recognition as one of the nation's top rising stars.
He became a client of Sportfive sports marketing agency and now has NIL deals with Callaway and New Jersey-based Transcend Capital Advisors.
Brown has won three consecutive TSSAA Division II-AA individual titles and last season set the Tennessee Junior Amateur Championship record for the lowest score in tournament history, finishing 22-under in 54 holes.
In 2023, he was the first to win Tennessee Boys’ Junior and Men’s Player of the Year honors in the same year.
How to watch Blades Brown in Myrtle Beach Classic on Sunday
Final-round coverage Sunday of the Myrtle Beach Classic begins at 2 p.m. CT on the Golf Channel and Peacock.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Blades Brown, 16, on Myrtle Beach Classic leaderboard in PGA Tour event
