Blades Brown, 17, to skip college golf, turn professional

Blades Brown has made his decision: He’s not committing anywhere.

Brown, a 17-year-old, high-school junior from Nashville, Tennessee, and the top-ranked player in the Class of 2026, had been weighing offers from nearly every top program in the country, but he recently informed those coaches that he plans to eschew college golf and instead turn professional, which he officially announced on Tuesday morning.

He’ll make his pro debut at the PGA Tour’s American Express in January.

“This is not a decision that I take lightly, and I have spent the past months weighing all possible options before deciding on what I know is best for me,” Brown said. “While I am proud of the accomplishments of my amateur career, I am focused on the future and getting off to a strong start in my professional career.”

The development also comes after Brown forfeited his spot in this month’s U.S. Walker Cup practice session; he was replaced by Auburn senior Carson Bacha.

Brown became the youngest medalist in U.S. Amateur history in 2023 by breaking Bobby Jones’ record that had stood for 103 years. And this past summer, he joined Tiger Woods and Bobby Clampett as the only players to medal at both a U.S. Amateur and U.S. Junior Amateur. Last year, Brown won three AJGA titles, the Elite Invitational and the Tennessee State Junior by a whopping 12 shots.

He entered PGA Tour Q-School this fall but failed to make it out of first stage by two shots.

Brown’s mother, Rhonda, was a star basketball player at Vanderbilt and then was the first pick in the 1998 WNBA expansion draft. She is also the first player in WNBA history to make a 3-pointer.

Brown is represented by Sportfive’s Tommy Riehle, who also reps PGA Tour player Akshay Bhatia, a former top-ranked junior who skipped college and now plays on the PGA Tour.