Blades Brown, 16, breaks 103-year-old record at U.S. Amateur
DENVER (BVM) — The U.S. Amateur Championship is being held at Cherry Hills Golf Course in Colorado, and it’s featured plenty of promising golfers, such as 16-year-old Blades Brown, who etched his name into golf’s history books by breaking a record set in 1920.
On Tuesday, Brown, a sophomore at Brentwood Academy in Tennessee, tied the course record by shooting a 64 and also became the youngest co-medalist in U.S. Amateur Championship history, breaking a 103-year-old record set by 18-year-old Bobby Jones.
Blades Brown, 16, became the youngest co-medalist in #USAmateur history today, breaking Bob Jones’ record set in 1920 at age 18.
This was Brown’s shot of the day, a hole-out eagle with a 58-degree wedge at the 311-yard 8th at Colorado GC, where he shot a course-record 64. pic.twitter.com/u5XYUVn1x2
— Brentley Romine (@BrentleyGC) August 16, 2023
“I was told the U.S. Am is like one level down from the U.S. Open,” Brown told golfchannel.com. “To be able to shoot 8-under here is awesome. It really gives me confidence in my game and my practice.”
Brown was eventually knocked out of the tournament by Jackson Koivun in match play on Thursday, but overall, it was a successful run for Brown. He’s seen plenty of individual success, which includes capturing two state titles, and his family has also been a part of great athletic accomplishments, especially his mother, Rhonda Brown, who played in the WNBA.
Rhonda played at Vanderbilt and was the first overall pick in the 1998 WNBA Expansion Draft and made the first-ever 3-point basket in league history. She now coaches the Brentwood girls’ basketball team and helped the Eagles to a 16-14 record last season.
8th grader Blades Brown is the state individual champion in the TSSAA DIV II-AA Golf Tournament! Blades won the tournament by six shots, shooting 11-under during the two-day event. Blades is pictured here with varsity golf coach Mark Sutton Photo Credit: @smilestonephoto pic.twitter.com/EdT9qxkWnP
— Eagles Sports Broadcast Network (@ESBN_BA) October 5, 2021
Blades still has a lot to accomplish when it comes to his athletic career, and if this week is a signal of what’s to come, it’s sure to be a bright future for him on the links.
