Blades Brown made the cut in his second PGA Tour event as a professional golfer with opening rounds of 68-69 at the Mexico Open at VidantaWorld in Vallarta, Mexico.
Brown, a 17-year-old from Nashville who turned pro in December, shot a 2-under 69 on Friday to reach 5-under 137 for the tournament. His grouping included 20-year-old South African rookie Aldrich Potgieter, who shot a second-round 61 to take a commanding lead at 16 under.
Brown has made a PGA Tour cut before — he finished tied for 26th at the 2024 Myrtle Beach Open — but not since forgoing his college eligibility in December to play professionally.
In January, he missed the 54-hole cut at the American Express, finishing at 6-under 210 over three days. He shot 40 on his final nine holes before the 54-hole cut.
In all, Brown has shot in the 60s in three of his five rounds since turning pro.
More: How 16-year-old phenom Blades Brown may be among best golfers in Tennessee history
He looked like he might get hot Friday after three birdies on his front nine. But Brown bogeyed twice on the back with errant drives on holes 10 and 16. He finished strong with a birdie on the par-5 18th.
Brown did not qualify for full-time PGA Tour status through Q-School in the fall. He gained entry to the American Express and Mexico Open on sponsor exemptions.
The Mexico Open field has some notable names, including Joel Dahmen, Aaron Rai and rising talent Akshay Bhatia, who also turned pro at 17. Many of the PGA Tour’s top stars are taking the week off after last week’s Genesis Invitational, one of the tour’s signature events.
More: Why Blades Brown was named Tennessean’s 2024 High School Sportsperson of Year
2025 Mexico Open at VidantaWorld payouts, winnings
This will be Brown’s first chance at bringing home a considerable paycheck since turning pro. He’s guaranteed at least $15,050 for making the cut, which includes the top 65 players, plus ties. He would earn at least $30,000 if he finishes in the top 40.
The winner will make $1.26 million.
What to know about Blades Brown, 17, playing PGA Tour events
Brown, a former Brentwood Academy star, was the top college prospect in the class of 2026 before turning pro in December.
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.
His major golf sponsors include Callaway golf products and Travis Mathew apparel.
How to watch 2025 Mexico Open final rounds
Saturday
● TV: 12-2 p.m. on Golf Channel, fubo; 2-5 p.m. on NBC.
● Streaming: 12-2 p.m. on NBC Sports App; 2-5 p.m. on Peacock.
Sunday
● TV coverage: Noon-2 p.m. on Golf Channel, fubo; 2-5 p.m. on NBC.
● Streaming: Noon-2 p.m. on NBC Sports App; 2-5 p.m. on Peacock.
Reach sports writer Tyler Palmateer at [email protected] and on the X platform, formerly Twitter, @tpalmateer83.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Blades Brown at 2025 Mexico Open: 17-year-old makes first PGA Tour cut as pro
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