Blades Brown cards lowest round by player under 18 on PGA TOUR or Korn Ferry Tour

Blades Brown, 17, might be finding his groove in professional golf.

Brown carded an opening-round, 10-under 61 at the Korn Ferry Tour’s Veritex Bank Championship, the lowest round by a player under 18 on either the PGA TOUR or Korn Ferry Tour, on record. Brown, who turned pro in December after being named 2024 AJGA Rolex Junior Player of the Year, made nine birdies and an eagle against one bogey in the first round at Texas Rangers Golf Club.

It marked a crucial round for Brown, who is currently seeking a permanent home on a professional golf circuit. The Veritex Bank Championship is his third Korn Ferry Tour start of 2025, all on sponsor exemptions, and non-members can receive up to four sponsor exemptions in a season. A top-25 finish at the Veritex Bank Championship would qualify Brown for next week’s Tulum Championship at PGA Riviera Maya, another chance to earn points toward Special Temporary Membership. Brown entered the week with 18.167 Korn Ferry Tour points, needing to reach 238 points to become eligible for Special Temporary Membership, which allows a player to accept unlimited sponsor exemptions and move onto the Korn Ferry Tour Points List for subsequent reshuffles (a second-place finish is worth 300 points; a third-place finish is worth 190 points).

Brown was even-par through four holes to begin his first round at the Veritex; he began play on Friday due to heavy storms that suspended most of Thursday’s play. The Nashville, Tennessee native then caught fire, playing his next seven holes in 8-under (five straight birdies, an eagle at the par-5 10th, and a birdie at No. 11). He added birdies at Nos. 15 and 18 to solidify a record-setting round. It was still one off the first-round lead, as Rick Lamb and Zach James matched 11-under 60 at Texas Rangers Golf Club, taking advantage of soft conditions in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex.

Brown surpassed Si Woo Kim’s first-round 65 at the 2013 Mid-Atlantic Championship (at 17) for the lowest round by a player under 18 on the Korn Ferry Tour. It’s also Brown’s lowest PGA TOUR-sanctioned round by three strokes, surpassing his second-round 64 at The American Express (PGA TOUR) earlier this year and was the lowest on the TOUR as well.

It’s also Brown’s lowest PGA TOUR-sanctioned round by three strokes, surpassing his second-round 64 at The American Express earlier this year, which is the lowest round by a player under 18 on the PGA TOUR, on record.

Three players under 18 have shot 65 on the PGA TOUR: Justin Thomas (age 16, 2009 Wyndham Championship, Round 1), Tony Finau (age 17, 2007 U.S. Bank Championship in Milwaukee, Round 2), and Ty Tryon (age 17, 2001 B.C. Open, Round 1).

In two prior Korn Ferry Tour starts this year, Brown finished T41 at the Club Car Championship at The Landings Golf & Athletic Club and T51 at the LECOM Suncoast Classic. Beyond up to four sponsor exemptions, non-members can qualify for Korn Ferry Tour events via Monday qualifying or by finishing inside the top 25 in the prior event.

Brown would become eligible to accept Special Temporary Membership upon turning 18 on May 21.

Brown has competed in four PGA TOUR events this season, making one cut (T34 at the Mexico Open at VidantaWorld).