Blades Brown has become the third teenager in recent times to receive an exemption for a PGA TOUR sanctioned event.
Last week we carried the story about teenagers Miles Russell and Kris Kim, two juniors who both impressed in separate performances on the elite Korn Ferry and PGA TOUR in America.
If you missed that you can read it here : RELATED: Global Teen stars make waves on pro tours
As a follow up, 16-year-old Blades Brown, a highschool student from Nashville, Tennessee, playing on a sponsor invitation, like Russell and Kim had done earlier, carded rounds of 72-67-68-69 for a total score of 10-under 274 for a tied-26th place finish at the US$ 4 mn Myrtle Beach Classic on the PGA Tour.
And so the story continues about the quality of golf these teenagers are producing against the best players in the world. Will it be long before a teenager wins on the PGA Tour ?
The change in rules two years ago allowing amateurs to be represented by marketing agencies and getting paid to wear sponsor logos, is helping drive such high profile appearances. Brown is being represented by Sportfive sports marketing agency and has deals with Callaway and New Jersey-based Transcend Capital Advisors.
16 yr old Brown made 18 birdies and eight bogeys throughout the four rounds, with his third round 5-under 66 being bogey-free. He was most impressive off the tee, hitting 38 of 56 fairways, which was ranked T6 in the field. Brown is ranked No. 176 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings and is the top player in the High school Class of 2026.
Is it time Indian golf authorities see the signs of what is coming ? Do our young amateurs even get invitations to pro tournaments in India so they can be groomed for bigger things in future ?
We will be analysing and pointing out trends in world golf for our readers of India Golf Weekly. Lets learn what we can from what’s happening elsewhere in the world of golf.
Photo – PGA TOUR