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Blades Brown Wins PGA Tour at 19, Becoming Youngest Since 1938
Confirmed
In Short: Blades Brown, 19, won the World Wide Technology Championship in Mexico, becoming the youngest PGA Tour winner since 1938.
Blades Brown, 19, clinched the World Wide Technology Championship in Los Cabos, Mexico, on Sunday, marking the youngest PGA Tour victory since 1938. Brown's triumph came after a dramatic final round where he rallied from a seven-shot deficit with a 9-under 63.
Brown faced a playoff against Ben James, who had a strong finish but missed a crucial 8-foot putt on the second playoff hole. Brown then made his 3-foot birdie putt to secure the win.
Brown's victory is a testament to his early decision to turn professional at 17, bypassing college golf. He earned his PGA Tour card this year by finishing among the top 20 in Korn Ferry Tour points.
In the playoff, Brown and James returned to the 18th tee, with both players showing their mettle. Brown's drive was particularly impressive, as he had already gone through two bags of golf balls on the range.
Brown's win is a significant milestone, as he is now eligible for the PGA Tour's elite Championship Series when it begins in 2028. He expressed his excitement about the future of his career, saying, 'I love golf, all the stuff that goes into it and I can't wait for what's next.'
Brown's journey to this victory began when he was just a 5-year-old watching Tiger Woods on TV. He said, 'To think that I'm now in a similar spot with having won a PGA Tour event is mind-blowing.'
The tournament was a showcase of the next generation of golf, with both Brown and James demonstrating exceptional skill and determination. Brown's win is a historic moment for the PGA Tour, breaking a record that stood for nearly a century.
Brown's win also highlights the growing trend of young players making significant impacts in professional sports. Just last year, Kimi Antonelli became the youngest Formula 1 world champion at 20.
Brown's victory is a reminder of the potential of young athletes and the impact they can have on their respective sports.
Brown's win is a testament to his dedication and passion for golf, as he said, 'I'm so obsessed with this game. It tests you in so many ways.'
What this adds
Brown's win is a significant milestone, breaking a record that has stood for nearly a century. His decision to turn professional at 17 and his subsequent success highlight the potential of young athletes in professional sports.
Background
Kimi Antonelli, 20, became the youngest Formula 1 world champion in history after finishing third at the Mexico City Grand Prix.
Kimi Antonelli, 20, became Formula One's youngest world champion after finishing third at the Mexico City Grand Prix.
What's confirmed
- “It hasn’t set in just yet, I guess, the magnitude of being a PGA Tour winner,” Brown said.
- Brown now has a two-year exemption, which puts him in the elite Championship Series when the PGA Tour's new model begins in 2028.
- Denny McCarthy, winless in nine years in 240 starts on the PGA Tour, made a 30-foot birdie putt on the 13th hole to take the lead.
- That put him one shot ahead of Michael Kim, who played with the Tennessee teen and made birdie from 12 feet for 64 right before Brown made his putt.
- Two years after his surprising decision to turn pro while a junior in high school, the 19-year-old Brown became the youngest PGA Tour winner in 95 years when he closed with a 9-under 63 and beat Ben James on the second playoff hole in the World Wide Technology Championship.
- Brown was tested even more by going through two bags of golf balls on the range waiting to see if the two-shot lead he had over James would hold, and then going back out to the 18th to decide it.
- Brown, who had a similar pitch in regulation that he hit to 6 feet for a closing birdie, this time came up 3 feet short.
- LOS CABOS, Mexico -- Blades Brown became the youngest PGA Tour winner in 88 years Sunday, when the 19-year-old rallied from a seven-shot deficit with a 9-under 63 and beat Ben James with a birdie on the second playoff hole in the World Wide Technology Championship.
- "I just go back to 5-year-old Blades that was watching the TV and watching Tiger Woods and all those great players win major championships, and to think that I'm now in a similar spot with having won a PGA Tour event is mind-blowing."
- "I'm so obsessed with this game. It tests you in so many ways," Brown said.
- But he missed an 8-foot putt on the second playoff hole, and Brown made his 3-footer.
What's still developing
- They returned to the 18th tee and their drives were next to each other.
- Brown, at 19 years, 171 days, became the youngest tour winner since Bobby Dunkelberger captured the St. Augustine Pro-Amateur in 1938 at the age of 18.
- James nearly holed his pitch and saw it run out 8 feet.
Sources
- AOL.comlink
- CBS Sportslink
- Chattanoogan.com Breaking Newslink
- Espnlink
- Jefferson City News Tribunelink
- NGSC Sportslink
- WarpBeat — background on Kimi Antonelli Becomes F1's Youngest World Champion at 20 link
- WarpBeat — background on Kimi Antonelli Becomes F1's Youngest Champion at 20 link
- PGA Tour — video link