PGA Tour makes Blades Brown announcement after CJ Cup Byron Nelson
Blades Brown continues rapid rise with PGA Tour status secured in Texas.
Blades Brown has taken another significant step towards becoming a full-time PGA Tour player after earning Special Temporary Membership following the CJ Cup Byron Nelson.
The 19-year-old secured the status thanks to a tied-14th finish on 18-under par at TPC Craig Ranch, where he produced rounds of 66, 68, 65 and 67 to continue an impressive rookie campaign.
It marks Brown’s fourth top-25 finish on the PGA Tour this season and came in just his 15th start since turning professional.
By earning enough non-member FedEx Cup points, Brown now qualifies for Special Temporary Membership, which allows him to accept unlimited sponsor exemptions for the remainder of the 2026 PGA Tour season.
Special Temporary Membership is awarded to non-members who accumulate enough FedEx Cup points to equal the total of the player who finished 150th in the standings the previous season.
This status now allows Brown to accept an unlimited number of sponsor exemptions for the remainder of the year, including the fall schedule.
Before earning this upgrade, Brown, as a non-member, was restricted to a maximum of seven sponsor exemptions.
Players who have earned their PGA Tour card through Special Temporary Membership and gone on to succeed on the circuit include Akshay Bhatia, Min Woo Lee, Ryan Gerard, Ryan Fox, and Nicolai Højgaard.
While Brown's latest achievement opens more doors for him on the PGA Tour, he has revealed he still intends to continue competing on the Korn Ferry Tour where possible.
Brown told reporters he still plans to compete in this week's $1m UNC Health Championship in Raleigh, North Carolina, rather than compete in the PGA Tour's $9.9m Charles Schwab Challenge in Texas.
“I mean, good golf takes care of everything,” said Brown.
“The Korn Ferry Tour is awesome. For me, what it's done for me is it's provided me a pathway to the PGA Tour.”
After completing a composed final round of 67 to finish inside the top 15 at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson on Sunday, Brown spoke proudly about the impact the lower-tier Korn Ferry Tour has had on his development within the game.
“The cool thing that I think it's done is it's taught me to go low,” Brown told a pool of reporters at TPC Craig Ranch.
“I can't thank the Korn Ferry Tour enough for teaching me those valuable lessons because everybody out on the PGA Tour, they can go low. Look at Wyndham (Clark), look at Scottie (Scheffler), look at Si Woo (Kim): 28-under, 27-under is no joke. Without the Korn Ferry Tour, I would not have had that strength.”
Brown was unwilling to look too far ahead when asked how he plans to use his newly-earned status.
“I'm excited for the next couple of weeks and see what's going to happen,” he said.
Wyndham Clark went on to claim victory at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson after producing a remarkable final-round 60 to close on 30-under par, three shots ahead of Si Woo Kim.
World number one and defending champion Scottie Scheffler finished solo third, ending the week five shots behind Clark.
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