Blades Brown couldn’t wait to turn his phone back on after landing in Palm Springs.
The 17-year-old golf phenom, making his pro debut at The American Express this week, had spotted something exciting from the air – not just golf courses, but tons of pickleball courts scattered across the desert landscape.
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His first move? Texting his mom, Rhonda: “Bring my pickleball stuff. We’re playing this week.”
That competitive spirit runs in the family. His mother made WNBA history by sinking the league’s first-ever 3-pointer. And Blades? He figures he’s pretty much a scratch pickleball player.
He’s ready to take on all comers at ping-pong too.
“I’m totally down to play,” Brown said with a grin. “Just let me know.”
But the real challenge starts now, as he trades his amateur status for life as a pro golfer. It’s a path that Nick Dunlap knows well – exactly one year ago, he became the first amateur since Phil Mickelson to win a PGA Tour event right here at PGA West.
Brown watched that historic moment unfold. He can even tell you the length of Dunlap’s winning putt: 6 feet.
“It just gave me so much inspiration,” Brown said. “It raises the question, What if I can do that?”
Now he’s got his chance.
The Nashville native has already put together an impressive resume. He’s ranked #74 in world amateur golf and dominated the junior circuit. Last year, he joined Tiger Woods as one of only three players ever to win both the U.S. Amateur and U.S. Junior Amateur medals.
But going pro at 17? That’s a whole different game.
“I feel like you’re put in a position out here where you have to get better,” Brown said. “Playing against people like Xander Schauffele, Scottie Scheffler – I mean, you learn from the best. I’m probably not going to be going to school in college, but I am going to be going to school on the PGA Tour.”
He’ll need sponsor exemptions to get into tournaments until Q-School this fall. But Brown seems ready for the challenge ahead.
The teenager is keeping things in perspective. He wants to have fun, make some birdies, and build experience for future events.
Just don’t expect him to go easy on his mom in pickleball.
