Blades Brown became the youngest winner on the PGA Tour in 95 years after defeating Ben James in a playoff at the World Wide Technology Championship in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Brown, at 19 years and 171 days old, beat his fellow American on the second playoff hole after shooting a nine-under-par 63 in the final round, which included a birdie on the 18th hole to complete a comeback from seven shots behind.
Brown is the youngest PGA Tour winner since 18-year-old Charles Kocsis won the 1931 Michigan Open, which was considered a regional event in the early years of the tour. He is the first teenage winner on the tour since Jordan Spieth won the John Deere Classic in 2013 at 19 years and 352 days old.
Brown and James finished at 23 under par for the tournament. Michael Kim finished third at 22 under, with Kensei Hirata of Japan one shot further back at 21 under.
Brown turned professional at 17 and earned his PGA Tour card by finishing in the top 20 on the Korn Ferry Tour points list earlier this year. After his victory, Brown said the magnitude of being a PGA Tour winner had not yet set in and reflected on watching Tiger Woods and other players win major championships as a five-year-old. He added that he is obsessed with the game and looks forward to what comes next.