Tyler PalmateerNashville Tennessean
Nashville’s Blades Brown, who is 17 years old, had a day to remember in the second round of his pro golf career.
Brown had 10 birdies Friday at the 2025 PGA Tour American Express Golf tournament at the Jack Nicklaus Tournament Course in La Quinta, California.
Brown made six birdies in a row on his front nine and had eight birdies in nine holes at one point. Brown shot an 8-under 64, rising to a tie for 41st. He began the day in 117th place after shooting an even-par 72 in his first round as a pro.
Brown is eight shots behind leaders Charley Hoffman and Rico Hoey, who are at 16-under.
Will Blades Brown, 17, make cut in first pro golf tournament on PGA Tour?
The cut for the American Express tournament will be made after Saturday's third round. Brown is tied for 41st heading into the third round.
The top 65 golfers plus ties will make Sunday's final round.
What is Blades Brown's tee time for Saturday's third round?
Brown will tee off at 11:36 a.m. CT Saturday with Isaiah Salinda at the Pete Dye Stadium course, which is considered the hardest of the three courses where the tournament is being played.
Blades Brown has 10th birdie of day to get to 9-under at American Express
Blades Brown shot his 10th birdie of the day in his second round as a pro golfer, making one on the par-5 seventh hole in his 16th hole of the day.
Brown is 9-under for the round and the tournament and he is up to 30th place in the PGA Tour American Express tournament
Blades Brown has ninth birdie of day to get to 8-under at American Express
Blade Brown, 17, has nine birdies the second round of his pro career after getting one on the par-4 No. 5 hole on his back nine Friday at the Jack Nicklaus course.
Brown is at 8-under for his round and the tournament. He has moved into a tie for 37th place.
Blades Brown has eight birdies in nine holes, gets to 7-under at American Express
Blades Brown birdied the par-4 second hole, giving him eight in his last nine holes in the second round of the PGA Tour American Express Invitational.
Brown is at 7-under for the tournament and his round and has moved into a tie for 42nd place
Blades Brown starts back nine with another birdie, 6-under at American Express
Blades Brown has seven birdies in his last eight holes after getting one on the par-4 first hole in his second round Friday at the PGA Tour American Express tournament at the Jack Nicklaus course.
Brown began his round on the 10th hole, and he is at 6-under for the tournament and his round and is in a tie for 51st place.
Blades Brown makes turn in second round as pro golfer, birdie run ends at six in a row
Blades Brown's string of birdies on his front nine Friday at the PGA Tour American Express tournament ended at six when he made a par on the 18th hole.
He shot 5-under 31 on his front nine at the Jack Nicklaus course, and he is at 5-under for the tournament.
Blades Brown has six straight birdies, up 60 places on American Express leaderboard
Blades Brown, 17, has six consecutive birdies in his second round as a pro golfer at the PGA Tour American Express tournament Friday.
Brown birdied the par-3 17th hole and is nearly done with his front nine at the Jack Nicklaus course. He is at 5-under for the round and the tournament and he has risen over 60 places on the leaderboard into a tie for 55th.
Blades Brown has five straight birdies, gets to 4-under at American Express
Blades Brown's torrid front nine is continuing Friday at the PGA Tour American Express tournament.
Brown birdied the par-4 16th hole at the Jack Nicklaus tournament course, giving him five in a row and dropping him to 4-under for the tournament and his round.
Blades Brown has four straight birdies, gets to 3-under at American Express
Blades Brown, 17, is on a tear in his second round as a pro golfer. Brown has four consecutive birdies on his front nine in the PGA Tour American Express tournament at the Jack Nicklaus course.
Brown birdied the par-5 15th hole for his fourth in a row, and is now at 3-under for the tournament and 3-under for Friday's round.
Blades Brown has three straight birdies for second consecutive round
For the second day in a row, Blades Brown had three consecutive birdies on his front nine at the PGA Tour American Express tournament.
Brown is starting on the back nine at the Jack Nicklaus course on Friday and has birdied Nos. 12, 13 and 14. That puts the 17-year-old golfer at 2-under for the tournament and for the second round.
Blades Brown gets under par for first time since turning pro
Blades Brown has back-to-back birdies and the 17-year-old golfer is at 1-under par in his first tournament since turning pro at the PGA Tour American Express.
Brown birdied the par-3 12th hole and the par-4 13th hole at the Jack Nicklaus tournament course. This puts him at 1-under for the tournament and for his second round on Friday.
Blades Brown run of par scores ends at 13 straight holes
Blades Brown got a par Friday on his first hole, No. 10 at the Jack Nicklaus tournament course. That extended his string of pars to 13 straight holes. He finished Thursday's round with 12 straight pars after he had three straight birdies.
But that streak ended on his next hole, the par-5 11th hole, when Brown made a bogey.
Blades Brown tee time, pairing in American Express tournament
Brown will tee off at 12:09 p.m. CT Friday with Isaiah Salinda at the Jack Nicklaus Tournament course, and on Saturday at 11:36 a.m. CT, they will tee off at the Pete Dye Stadium course.
Blades Brown American Express golf tournament odds, purse
Brown has +75000 odds to win the American Express, tied for second-worst in the tournament, according to FanDuel.
More: Everything Blades Brown, 17, said ahead of pro golf debut at PGA Tour American Express
His odds are better than several big names, however, including 2016 Masters champion Danny Willett and 2013 PGA Championship winner Jason Dufner.
The tournament's total purse is $8.8 million, with the winner taking home $1.584 million.
How to watch Blades Brown at 2025 American Express online, streaming
The 2025 American Express will be streamed online with PGA Tour Live on ESPN+ beginning at 10:30 a.m. CT Friday through Sunday.
Simulcasts of Golf Channel and NBC’s television coverage will be available on NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app.
How to watch Blades Brown, 2025 American Express on TV
Here’s the American Express schedule on Golf Channel.
● Friday, Jan. 17: 3-6 p.m. CT (Golf Channel)
● Saturday, Jan. 18: 3-6 p.m. CT (Golf Channel)
Why Blades Brown is making pro golf debut at PGA Tour American Express tournament
Brown is playing in the 2025 American Express on a sponsor exemption. His management agency, SportFive, runs the tournament.
Exemptions are Brown’s key to PGA Tour success in the 2025 season. The tour allows players up to seven sponsor exemptions each year. SportFive also runs the Puerto Rico Open, Myrtle Beach Classic and ISCO Championship.
Top 10 finishers at PGA Tour events can earn additional tournament exemptions.
How old is Blades Brown?
Brown, who attended Brentwood Academy near Nashville, is 17 years old.
Is Blades Brown a pro golfer?
Brown decided to forgo college to compete in professional tournaments for money. Technically, he is a pro but does not have full-time status on the PGA Tour, meaning he cannot play in every event.
PGA Tour Q-School is the most direct way to make the tour full-time. Q-School is a months-long series of fall tournaments in which the top five finishers are awarded PGA Tour status.
More: Nashville's Blades Brown, 17, turning pro, will play in PGA Tour Amex Golf Tournament in 2025
It’s not uncommon for European players to skip college and turn pro out of high school. Most Americans choose the college route. But there could be a shift as some amateurs, like Brown and 16-year-old Miles Russell, dabble in PGA Tour events on exemptions.
Akshay Bhatia, at age 17 in 2019, is the most recent notable American to turn pro. He has since won the Barracuda Championship and Valero Texas Open.
What Blades Brown, Nick Dunlap have in common
Alabama golfer Nick Dunlap, at 20, became the first amateur in 33 years to win on the PGA Tour when he captured the American Express title last year. His 29-under 259 was the event record since it moved to a 72-hole format in 2016.
Brown and Dunlap have crossed paths. While Brown won the 2023 U.S. Amateur stroke play title, Dunlap went on to win the U.S. Amateur championship, outlasting Neal Shipley in the final match.
Has Blades Brown played in a PGA Tour tournament?
Brown tied for 26th place at the Myrtle Beach Classic in May as an amateur in his first PGA Tour event. He finished at 10-under 209.
Blades Brown broke Bobby Jones' record, equaled Tiger Woods
In 2023, Brown won the stroke play portion of the U.S. Amateur, regarded as the nation’s most difficult amateur tournament. At age 16, he shot 8-under 64 at Colorado Golf Club to become the youngest medalist in U.S. Amateur history, breaking Jones’ 103-year-old record.
Brown was the 2024 U.S. Junior Amateur medalist, firing rounds of 66-68 (134) at Oakland Hills Country Club in Detroit to join Woods and Clampett as the only players to medal at both the U.S. Junior and the U.S. Amateur.
More: Why Blades Brown was named Tennessean's 2024 High School Sportsperson of Year
Brown won three AJGA titles in 2024 and captured the Tennessee State Junior by 12 shots. He also represented the United States on the national junior and junior Presidents Cup teams.
In high school, he attended Brentwood Academy and won three consecutive Division II-AAA TSSAA state championships (2021-23). In 2023, he tied the TSSAA two-day scoring record at 14-under 130 for the tournament.
Who is Blades Brown’s mom, Rhonda Brown?
Brown’s first name comes from his mom, Rhonda Brown, whose maiden name is Blades.
Rhonda Brown led Vanderbilt women’s basketball to its only Final Four during her career from 1991 to 1995 and became the first pick in the 1998 WNBA expansion draft. She made the WNBA’s first 3-pointer in league history in 1997 as a member of the New York Liberty.
More: How did 16-year-old Brentwood Academy star Blades Brown finish in PGA Tour debut?
Brown’s mom played seven professional seasons in the WNBA and overseas before becoming the coach at Brentwood Academy, where she won five TSSAA basketball state titles in 23 seasons.
Who sponsors Blades Brown?
Brown’s major golf sponsors include Callaway golf products and Travis Mathew apparel.
He’s also giving a nod to Tennessee golf this week with a custom bag featuring the Tennessee Golf Foundation logo.