Regardless of what happens on Sunday at American Express, Blades Brown’s 2026 has kicked off with a party.
On Sunday, Brown could become the youngest winner on the PGA Tour since then Herbert Hoover was in office – His 18 years, seven months and 29 days at the time of his first PGA Tour win, second only to Charles Kocsis at the 1931 Michigan Open.
A win would be a shocking announcement of Brown’s talent, conferring the kind of eccentric status usually reserved for concert pianists and Olympic gymnasts. It can also land the second on Brown’s own January 2026 achievement list, after another bear.
secondary school.
“I graduated high school about two weeks ago, so it’s nice to get that burden off my back,” Brown said Saturday afternoon on American Express, the same day he finished at 21-under par, good for a tie for second place with the No. 1 in the world, Scottie Scheffler. “But I really can’t wait for tomorrow.”
While beating the best players on the planet is now Brown’s first job, not too long ago it was second … after school. Blades can thank his mother, Rhonda, for his commitment to books. Rhonda Brown is a former Vanderbilt basketball star and health and anatomy teacher at Brentwood Academy in Nashville. Rhonda was also once a prolific youngster: She was the first overall pick in the 1998 WNBA draft and is the first WNBA player to make a three-pointer. But she learned that it was possible to be talented and also realized: She holds two degrees from Vanderbiltincluding a master’s in nursing.
Blades — who bears his mother’s maiden name — also attended Brentwood, where he was on pace to become the first athlete ever to win five straight state titles before the Tour came midway through the year’s sophomore season. As it became clear that Blades’ golf schedule would no longer allow him to attend Brentwood, his family soon decided that a PGA Tour card and a high school diploma were not mutually exclusive accomplishments. Brown started taking online classes during golf’s down times and stuck with them until the end, which happened to arrive two weeks before the start of his 2026 American Express season.
The best movie in the US when Blades Brown was born in May 2007?
Shrek 3.
This man’s entire life took place AFTER Shrek.
— James Colgan (@jamescolgan26) January 25, 2026
In Palm Springs, 18-year-old Brown has shown that his competition should be troubled by the proposition of a life devoted entirely to golf. His first start of 2026 has displayed the kind of blistering talent that made Brown capable of making the incredible leap to the pros at just 17 years old after the split. Bobby Jones’ 103-year record as the youngest medalist in US amateur history.
Brown shot 12 under through 15 holes on Friday afternoon, finishing at par to tie the lowest score for first in PGA Tour history and carding an impressive 60. group from the PGA West on Sunday afternoon after Brown birdied his final three holes, including a 25-footer on the 17th that secured discount beer for all in attendance — an event Brown won’t be able to participate in himself until the spring of 2028.
“No way,” the teenager said with a smile when informed of his achievement on Saturday night. “Well, I’ll make sure I go get some bottled water and then I’ll get my own bottled water.”
Still, a victory for Brown on Sunday at American Express would mark a good moment for golf — even if it happened in the relatively toothless Palm Springs conditions that allowed 20-year-old Nick Dunlap to win as an amateur just two years ago. (Dunlap’s victory was rightly celebrated, but his crowning Sunday showed nothing close to the competitive pressure Brown will face in Scheffler.) A measure of the challenge Brown faces is reflected in Vegas, where Scheffler enters Sunday morning even money to win the event by a single stroke… and Brown enters at +850 percent – an implied 10 win.
Of course, long odds are a bit of a theme for Blades Brown – the golfer born two weeks after the release of Shrek 3 who now faces a chance at a small slice of golfing immortality. However, regardless of the result, there is already much to celebrate.
“I’m 18 years old playing on the PGA Tour,” Brown said with a smile. “How awesome is that?”
