Blades Brown

Blades Brown

 USGA/Chris Keane

Blades Brown put together another round of golf that belied his age Tuesday at the U.S. Amateur Championship in Colorado.

A 16-year-old rising sophomore at Brentwood Academy, Brown shot a sizzling, eight-under 64, matching the course record for Colorado Golf Club and earning a share of medalist honors.

Brown, who just turned 16 in May, became the youngest co-medalist in U.S. Amateur Championship history, breaking the record of Bobby Jones, who claimed co-medalist honors in 1920 when he was 18. The Nashville native finished at 7-under par 136 over two days, tied with 22-year-old Sampson Zheng and 21-year-old Jackson Buchanan.

“I was told the U.S. Am is like one level down from the U.S. Open,” Brown told the USGA following his round. “To be able to shoot 8-under here is awesome. It really gives me confidence in my game and my practice.”

Brown needed to make up ground on Tuesday after finishing tied for 72nd place with a 1-over round of 72 on Monday. He was still at 1-over par after five holes on Tuesday, but picked up the pace with four birdies and an eagle in his next seven holes. Brown finished with an eagle, birdie and birdie to tie the competitive course record set by Petter Mikalsen in a 2016 event.

This is hardly the first time Brown has raised eyebrows by beating many of his elders.

He’s the two-time Division II-AA golf state champion, winning his most recent high-school crown as a freshman in October 2022. Brown shot 7-under in the second round of that state tournament, finishing 10-under (134) over the two-day tournament at the Sevierville Golf Club.

Brown is the son of Rhonda Brown, who played basketball at Vanderbilt and was the first overall pick in the 1998 WNBA expansion draft. She now coaches the Brentwood Academy girls’ basketball team.

Brown was scheduled to resume play in the round of 64 on Wednesday morning. Two rounds of match play will be played on Thursday, with the quarterfinals on Friday, the semifinals on Saturday, and the 36-hole final on Sunday.

Three Vanderbilt golfers — Gordon Sargent, Jackson Van Paris and William Moll — also finished among the top 64 and have qualified for match play.