Big things are undoubtedly ahead for the happy-go-lucky Brown, who took about a half hour during his couple of weeks off to chat with Golf Channel. Before the interview commenced, Brown was eager to note that it was noticeably cold at home in Nashville \u2013 a chilly 60 degrees. This interviewer had to brag that it was 70 degrees where he was located; about the only disappointment for the rising superstar this year.<\/p>\n
Here is the full conversation, which has been slightly edited for clarity and length:<\/p>\n
BRENTLEY ROMINE: Blades, it\u2019s been not even two weeks since you officially locked things up at the Korn Ferry Tour Championship. I\u2019m interested, how did you celebrate? And two, we always hear guys say like, there\u2019s one thing I reward myself with after a big accomplishment. Maybe it\u2019s a purchase, maybe it\u2019s anything. Did you have anything that you rewarded yourself with?<\/p>\n
BLADES BROWN: That\u2019s a phenomenal question. So it\u2019s still starting to set in now that I\u2019m gonna be a PGA Tour professional for the 2027 season, and I was putting all the tournaments into my calendar, and it was just firing me up. I mean, I color coded everything. I got green events for PGA Tour, regular events, and then signature events I put in red, and majors. So now, I\u2019m just getting fired up.<\/p>\n
So, my mom, whenever we came home, she surprised me with a massive cookie cake that said, Blades Brown is Tour bound. And I\u2019ve eaten about 85% of that thing. So, my treat is gonna be I\u2019m about 5 pounds heavier since we did that.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n GLEN ALLEN, VIRGINIA – OCTOBER 11: Blades Brown points to his TOURBOUND hat after the final round of the Korn Ferry Tour Championship presented by Virginia\u2019s Richmond Region at The Federal Club on October 11, 2026 in Glen Allen, Virginia. (Photo by Tracy Wilcox\/PGA TOUR via Getty Images)<\/p>\n BRENTLEY: How long do those cookie cakes last? What\u2019s the statute of limitations before you got to throw it away?<\/p>\n BLADES: It\u2019s about three days. You gotta eat about 20,000 calories in about three days, so\u2026<\/p>\n BRENTLEY: Did I hear correctly that you\u2019ve already mapped out your 2027 schedule and color coded everything?<\/p>\n BLADES: Oh yeah, oh yeah.<\/p>\n BRENTLEY: I mean, you\u2019ve been that way your whole life. Where do you get that from, your mom, or your dad, or both of them?<\/p>\n BLADES: I just really love having a vision of what\u2019s gonna be in the future, and I think that\u2019s just come along with time. I wasn\u2019t that way in high school. I mean, I was the type of guy to study at the last minute, you know, kind of cram everything in, and now that golf is essentially my job, I\u2019ve kind of tried to take things more professionally and get an idea of what tournament I\u2019m playing in. It hit me the other day. I was in the airport, and I didn\u2019t even know what airport I was in. Just cause we\u2019re on the road so much, and so I\u2019m trying to get a better handle of the travel and what tournaments we\u2019re playing in, and yeah, it\u2019s awesome.<\/p>\n BRENTLEY: What airport were you in?<\/p>\n BLADES: Great question. I don\u2019t know.<\/p>\n BRENTLEY: I mean, look, you split your time this year between both tours, PGA Tour, Korn Ferry Tour; success on both of them; I think, maybe 18 total top-20s, evenly split, too, but we always hear guys talk about how different the two tours are. Like Korn Ferry, when it used to be Web.com, they called it the Wedge.com. It\u2019s a lot of birdies. You gotta go really low, and then on the PGA Tour, there are some birdie fests, but there\u2019s some more difficult setups, too. What is the biggest difference setup-wise and test-wise between those two tours now that you\u2019ve played a ton on both?<\/p>\n BLADES: I think Korn Ferry for me just unlocked another level of scoring that that that I didn\u2019t know I had. I know that the top players in the world like Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy, they know how to go low, and if the tournament conditions present themselves, you know, they\u2019re knocking off five or six birdies in a row. I was talking to Patton Kizzire the other day, and I think I just came back from a Korn Ferry event and the cut was 9 under par for two days. So, if you shot 68-68, you\u2019re packing your bags and you\u2019re going home, and we were talking and he said, \u201cIf you shoot 2 under every single day on the PGA Tour, no matter what tournament it is, you\u2019re probably gonna be a top 20 golfer in the world. Now, if you shoot 2 under on the Korn Ferry Tour every single day, you\u2019re probably gonna lose your card.\u201d<\/p>\n So, I mean, that just shows the difference between the Korn Ferry Tour and the PGA Tour. I just think the PGA Tour just makes you think a little bit more. While I was on the Korn Ferry Tour, you can just rip driver and make a bunch of birdies, which I love doing that.<\/p>\n BRENTLEY: Who doesn\u2019t?<\/p>\n BLADES: Yeah, yeah, so I\u2019d say that\u2019s probably the biggest difference I\u2019ve noticed.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n GLEN ALLEN, VIRGINIA – OCTOBER 11: Blades Brown of the United States reacts during a tour card ceremony after the final round of the Korn Ferry Tour Championship presented by Virginia\u2019s Richmond Region at The Federal Club on October 11, 2026 in Glen Allen, Virginia. (Photo by Mike Mulholland\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n BRENTLEY: You\u2019ve also shot 60 on both tours, too. I probably missed this, but have you ever shot 59?<\/p>\n BLADES: I\u2019ve not, I\u2019ve not actually.<\/p>\n BRENTLEY: Not even casually?<\/p>\n BLADES: Not even casually. Well, for some reason, my tournament rounds are lower than kind of just my regular everyday rounds that whenever I\u2019m practicing. I think it\u2019s just because it\u2019s a focus thing. Maybe when I\u2019m playing around back at home here in Nashville, you know, sometimes maybe I\u2019m working on something, but then when I come to tournament time, I have to throw all that stuff out the window and then just play.<\/p>\n And then plus, I have an awesome caddie on the back, Brett Swedberg. He helps calm me down and knows my game, so he adds definitely a couple shots saved per round, I would say.<\/p>\n BRENTLEY: I think you\u2019re definitely a big-game hunter. Now, last week, I went on Golf Channel and I compared you to Xander Schauffele. When Xander was on Korn Ferry, he didn\u2019t win, but he was always in contention, scrambled really well, obviously a great ball-striker, but just no weaknesses, all of that. Even, you know, height and stature, like you guys kind of share a lot. Do you see that at all? Am I off base in making that comparison?<\/p>\n BLADES: I\u2019m extremely honored that you\u2019re comparing me to Xander Schauffele. I look up to him, I admire him. He\u2019s one of the most consistent golfers on the PGA Tour, and I think that\u2019s what\u2019s so special and so challenging about this game is consistency is very hard to come by. I think Scottie does a phenomenal job at exercising that. I mean, there\u2019s just so many variables in golf, like you see guys, they\u2019re contending one week, and then all of a sudden turn around the next week, they missed the cut, and you\u2019re like, what the heck happened?<\/p>\n My mom, that\u2019s the part of the game that she hates is because basketball, you\u2019re just so consistent, and then in golf, it\u2019s like you said, you can be contending and then you miss a cut. She\u2019s like, what, did something go wrong? I\u2019m like, \u201cMom, it\u2019s just golf. We just got to deal with it.\u201d But no, the one thing I want to be able to do is just try to be as consistent as I can be.<\/p>\n BRENTLEY: The private jet story from Bahamas to AmEx, that got a lot of play, but the summer on the Korn Ferry Tour, I mean, you\u2019re in some cities that most people will never visit in their life, middle America. What\u2019s the craziest travel story, from this past year?<\/p>\n BLADES: I would say one of the coolest events was in Bogota, Colombia, and there were a couple of reasons for that. I remember we were spinning 8-irons back, like I remember I hit 8-iron from 115 yards just to control the spin, just because it had rained a lot and the greens are so soft. But one of the coolest things was we were walking up to the entrance of the golf tournament, and there were a couple of guys holding AK-47s.<\/p>\n BRENTLEY: Normal.<\/p>\n BLADES: I was like, all right, I hope they are our security guards, and they\u2019re here to protect us. My sister got a good kick out of that. She was like, \u201cThey\u2019re what? Are you OK?\u201d And I said, \u201cWe\u2019re all good down here in Bogota, Colombia.\u201d<\/p>\n BRENTLEY: Yeah, that\u2019s gotta be a little unnerving, no matter whose side they\u2019re on. Obviously, you\u2019ve been repping the Callaway hat for a while. I was so shocked that equipment trucks were actually at the Korn Ferry Tour Championship. Is that a normal thing throughout the year on Korn Ferry, and if so, or even if not, do you have a story from this year where they kind of saved the day? Like something broke or you needed something and they had to, you know, scramble 11th hour to overnight something to you?<\/p>\n BLADES: Yeah, I\u2019m just so blessed and honored to be a part of Team Callaway. The reps are incredible. Mike Soroka, who was my Korn Ferry Tour rep, and Steve Mata, I mean, they\u2019re just the best. I remember there was one time I was playing, I think it was in Raleigh, North Carolina \u2026 but my driver failed. My driver had failed, and I was like, man, I don\u2019t have another driver head backup. And then Soroka said, \u201cGive me a second,\u201d and he came out and had a perfect driver head, and it actually was perfect because my spin with the other driver head was about 2,100, which is a little low. But then as soon as I went to the new driver head, it was at 2,400, which is ideal. I mean, is it usual for the trucks to be out there? There\u2019s always gonna be a Callaway rep on site. Now, PGA Tour, they travel with the big fancy truck.<\/p>\n BRENTLEY: Oh yeah, you\u2019ll be in heaven.<\/p>\n BLADES: I mean, I\u2019ve just had a blast hanging out with all the Callaway guys on both tours.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n GLEN ALLEN, VIRGINIA – OCTOBER 10: Blades Brown on the first green during the third round of the Korn Ferry Tour Championship presented by Virginia\u2019s Richmond Region at The Federal Club on October 10, 2026 in Glen Allen, Virginia. (Photo by Tracy Wilcox\/PGA TOUR via Getty Images)<\/p>\n BRENTLEY: So you probably are aware of this, but you should be, in your freshman year, freshman first semester of college right now. I feel like it\u2019s been long enough. How close were you actually to going to school? Put a percentage on it.<\/p>\n BLADES: Man, I would say it was probably 51%-49%. I thought I was gonna go to college. I went on five visits. I went to Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Florida State, Stanford and Illinois. And, I mean, it\u2019s like going to a Ferrari dealership; they\u2019re all nice, it\u2019s just a matter of what you wanted. And then the thought of turning professional came on the table, and I was like, man, you\u2019re telling me I get to play on tour all the time, that sounds good to me.<\/p>\n BRENTLEY: Did it make it easier to tell the coaches that, hey, I\u2019m not coming because you weren\u2019t picking another school, you were just turning pro?<\/p>\n BLADES: I\u2019m sure a couple of the coaches were kind of relieved that I didn\u2019t choose one school over the other, but what was so cool; I called every single one of the college coaches and let them know what I was doing, and they all were like, \u2018Blades, go make some birdies. It\u2019s been exciting learning about you and about your family.\u2019 And the coolest thing was, a lot of them were like, \u2018Hey, Blades, if you\u2019re ever in town, let us know and you can practice at our facility.\u2019 And Coach Limbaugh here at Vanderbilt, I still practice out there and hang out with the team, and I\u2019m enjoying hanging out with some of my buddies that are freshmen in college right now, like Tyler Mawhinney and Luke Colton, guys that I played junior golf with. And so just seeing them is awesome.<\/p>\n BRENTLEY: I think that means Vanderbilt won the recruiting then.<\/p>\n BLADES: Well, I guess we\u2019ll never know.<\/p>\n BRENTLEY: You have a really competitive family. Obviously, your mom played in the WNBA. Your dad\u2019s super competitive, as well. Is there any like mundane household chore or anything around the house that you guys are really competitive in?<\/p>\n BLADES: So, one of the family board games that we play is Monopoly, and my dad, we call him the Sensei. We played the other night. It was me, him and his brother, and he whipped us so bad it was almost, it was criminal. It was criminal.<\/p>\n BRENTLEY: Is he the banker, too? Does he control the money?<\/p>\n BLADES: I\u2019m actually the banker and the person that holds the cards because I don\u2019t trust anybody else still dealing with the money. My dad has a tendency to, you know, slip a couple 500s into a stack there, but no, we call him the sensei. We call my great uncle, Uncle Oscar, we call him the Great One. I\u2019ve grown up playing Monopoly, and it\u2019s just such a fun game. I looked it up the other day, so it\u2019s actually luck and skill. I thought it was all luck. And my dad, being the business guy that he is, knows how to sweet talk into a deal, no matter what.<\/p>\n BRENTLEY: When\u2019s the last time he\u2019s beaten you in golf?<\/p>\n BLADES: We actually played yesterday. He has got a long way to go. I think it\u2019s funny, he thinks that he\u2019s gonna go out and shoot 65 after not practicing for a little bit. I\u2019m like, \u201cDad, you gotta practice a little bit.\u201d But he is an unbelievable putter. He\u2019s actually somebody that I look up to when it comes to short game and stuff. He can go months without picking up a club, and he\u2019ll roll in 100 feet of putts for those 18 holes. So, he is an unbelievable putter. He\u2019s taught me that it\u2019s mainly just reactive. And it\u2019s a lot like shooting a basketball shot, you know, you don\u2019t have a lot of time to think, you just got to react.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n BRENTLEY: Well, as, as anyone who\u2019s gotten older and has had kids, they\u2019ll tell you that the less you play, the better you are because it\u2019s, you know, less time for bad habits to creep in. I want to touch more on your dad. You know, the past few years, he\u2019s gone through his battle with cancer and I\u2019m sure that\u2019s been tough on everyone, but seeing how he\u2019s been able to go through that, not miss a tournament, be there to support you and still put you and your career ahead of him at times, what\u2019s the biggest thing that\u2019s taught you now that you look back on these last few years?<\/p>\n BLADES: I would say, unfortunately, with leukemia, it never really goes away. So, he\u2019ll have to eventually go back for treatment, hopefully not for a long time, probably another decade or so, which I\u2019ll be 29 or 30 before the next time he has to do one of those. But I mean, it\u2019s just so special. I think the coolest thing is there aren\u2019t very many other people that want you to be better than yourself. And my parents have sacrificed so much for me. My dad, I mean, there\u2019s no other individual in the world that has that role. And so, he\u2019s poured so much into my life. He\u2019s helped me out so much when it comes to the golf. He\u2019s having to take a step back when it comes to some of the hats that he\u2019s had on for so many years, just because I have an awesome team around me now. But he\u2019s learning about it, and I\u2019m having a blast with him on the road.<\/p>\n BRENTLEY: It\u2019s like going up against Scottie Scheffler is nothing to what, you know, he\u2019s gone up against. Again, enough time has passed since AmEx back in January; how nervous were you going into that final round?<\/p>\n BLADES: I remember I was walking down the fairway, and I think the week prior \u2013 I love going on YouTube and watching just old Tiger Woods highlights and highlights about, you know, just guys playing really good golf. And I had to remind myself, Blades, you\u2019re in the tournament, leading the tournament playing with Scottie Scheffler, you know, and the week prior to that, I was watching the highlights of him making a bunch of birdies. And so, I just think it\u2019s so cool.<\/p>\n Another story was, I was on the first tee, and I forgot what order I teed off on, but, Scottie, they said, \u201cNow on the tee from, from Dallas, Texas \u2026 Scottie Scheffler,\u201d and I started clapping. And Brett looks at me and was like, \u201cWhat? No, no, no, we\u2019re playing against him.\u201d And I go, \u201cSorry, I\u2019m gonna lock in!\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n LA QUINTA, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 25: Blades Brown of the United States and Scottie Scheffler of the United States shake hands following the final round of The American Express 2026 at Pete Dye Stadium Course on January 25, 2026 in La Quinta, California. (Photo by Jed Jacobsohn\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n BRENTLEY: What was more nerve-wracking, playing against Scottie or asking Tiger for a photo at the U.S. Junior? Although I did hear that that he may have asked you for the photo, is that true?<\/p>\n BLADES: I can\u2019t remember how it happened, but that was at the U.S. Junior Amateur in 2024, I believe. Oakland Hills, yeah, Charlie was in the field, so Tiger was there watching him, and I remember after he had finished, someone told me, \u201cHey, you know, you want a picture with Tiger?\u201d I said, \u201cabsolutely.\u201d And I mean there were probably 1,000 or so people just huddled around there to see Tiger and Charlie, and I got to go up to the front and shake his hand, and I just remember his hand felt like a ribeye, like I can\u2019t even put it into words. I\u2019ve never shaken somebody\u2019s hand that felt that way, and I mean, his hands, so many thousands of golf balls, millions of golf balls. I don\u2019t know, I would probably say as of right now, just because I was playing golf, and when I met Tiger, I\u2019d finished playing golf, I\u2019d probably say I was more excited to play with Scottie.<\/p>\n Blades Brown and Tiger Woods.<\/p>\n Two of only three players in history to earn medalist honors at both the U.S. Junior Amateur and U.S. Amateur. pic.twitter.com\/a6CofBkMuO<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 USGA (@USGA) July 24, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n BRENTLEY: Now, some people don\u2019t know this, but when you broke Bobby Jones\u2019 record at Cherry Hills at the U.S. Amateur the year before, Jackson Koivun\u2019s the one who knocked you out of match play in the round of 32. What do you still remember about that match? And then the second part of the question is, I mean, you saw what he did this summer. What does Blades Brown have to do in 2027 to do something like Koivun did, win and play on one of these teams.<\/p>\n BLADES: I\u2019m not surprised at all at the success that Koivun\u2019s had. I remember when I played against him at the round of 32, you know, he was just a stripe show. I mean, you do not want to let that guy get hot with the putter cause it\u2019s gonna be a lot of birdies if he does. But no, I mean, I\u2019m just, I\u2019m so excited for the 2027 season. I\u2019m just gonna keep focusing on some of the goals and some of the expectations for myself and see what we can make happen. It\u2019s gonna be a lot of fun.<\/p>\n BRENTLEY: All right, well, I have a few rapid-fire questions before I let you go. We\u2019re a little bit over the time I told you, but you know, you\u2019re young \u2013 although I did hear that you like you literally have your day scheduled out by like 15-minute blocks.<\/p>\n BLADES: I love knowing what I\u2019m doing day to day. It\u2019s really easy to see if something\u2019s working and something\u2019s not working if I have it all scheduled.<\/p>\n BRENTLEY: We will spin through this, but you\u2019ve played with a lot of guys this year. Whose game is most underrated?<\/p>\n BLADES: I\u2019d probably say Wyndham Clark. I remember I got to play with him at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson, and obviously he won the U.S. Open this year, but he hit one drive so far right, I want to say on hole 15 or 16, and I look at my caddie Brett, and I go, \u201cThis dude\u2019s a major champion?\u201d And so, he was in like the other fairway, all the way to the right, like it was probably an 80-yard slice. And then he hits it up to about 30 feet and makes the putt for birdie, and I go, \u201cwell, yeah, that makes sense.\u201d So, I\u2019d probably say Wyndham Clark\u2019s putting is very underrated. He\u2019s an extremely good putter.<\/p>\n BRENTLEY: Most comfortable shot for you, yardage, club, shot shape?<\/p>\n BLADES: I would say a stock tight fade off the tee.<\/p>\n BRENTLEY: OK, least comfortable?<\/p>\n BLADES: Right now, I\u2019d probably say like a 50-yard bunker shot to a back pin.<\/p>\n BRENTLEY: Non-major, so take out Augusta, take out Pebble Beach, but the PGA Tour course that you\u2019re most looking forward to playing that you haven\u2019t played yet.<\/p>\n BLADES: TPC Sawgrass. I have played it as a junior at the Junior Players, but I haven\u2019t played it in tournament conditions where it\u2019s windy and firm and fast.<\/p>\n BRENTLEY: Don\u2019t you have a little redemption, you know, at TPC Sawgrass?<\/p>\n BLADES: Oh yeah, oh yeah, one of my buddies, Hamilton Coleman, he actually beat me in a playoff for that title. It took him two holes, and unfortunately, I came runner-up, but I was really excited to see him win Junior Players.<\/p>\n BRENTLEY: Guilty pleasure on the road? Could be food. Could be something that rots your brain. I mean, you\u2019re 19\u2026<\/p>\n BLADES: It\u2019s hard to go wrong with Chick-fil-A chicken minis. I actually found this out, so you have 30 minutes to do this. So, the breakfast closes at 10:30 for Chick-fil-A, right? And they\u2019re not open on Sundays, but breakfast closes at 10:30, and from 10 o\u2019clock to 10:30, you can get the grilled nuggets and put them in the Chick-fil-A chicken minis. So, you have a 30-minute window to get like a healthier version of chicken minis.<\/p>\n BRENTLEY: No way. That\u2019s the hack for Chick-fil-A\u2026<\/p>\n BLADES: You gotta go try grilled chicken minis or grilled nuggets.<\/p>\n BRENTLEY: Might have to do that. We can call that order, the Blades. All right, strangest item in your golf bag? Or most random \u2013 strange is kind of a strong word.<\/p>\n BLADES: I don\u2019t really have a lot of strange items. I have a little Aquaphor chap (holds up the stick). I try to keep my golf bag pretty clean.<\/p>\n BRENTLEY: Anything sentimental then?<\/p>\n BLADES: I always like to have 12 golf balls in there. I always like to make sure my tees are restocked. I like to use the same ball marker, which right now, I\u2019m using a president\u2019s silver coin with the United States flag printed in the middle of it, from Tri Star stamps here in Nashville, and that\u2019s probably my favorite one right now. Yeah, I don\u2019t really have anything sentimental in my bag. I like to keep it pretty clean. I like to keep it as light as possible. I\u2019m sure Brett, my caddie likes that as well.<\/p>\n BRENTLEY: What\u2019s the most consecutive free throws you\u2019ve made?<\/p>\n BLADES: I actually don\u2019t know that, but I have made, I wanna say, close to 50 3-pointers in a row, just shooting around.<\/p>\n BRENTLEY: Impressive. Do you have another hidden talent besides basketball and pickleball?<\/p>\n BLADES: I like ping-pong. Ping-pong is a lot of fun. I\u2019ve been playing a lot of it whenever I go down to Sea Island with one of my buddies down there, and it can get pretty aggressive.<\/p>\n![\"Korn](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1792540930_506_.jpeg\")
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