As the sun dipped below the horizon in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, a young boy stood with his parents near The Dunes Golf and Beach Club clubhouse. The boy, Blades Brown, had impressively scored a 4-under 67. His remarkable performance, especially with a 4-under 31 on the back nine, secured his spot in the inaugural Myrtle Beach Classic.

Parke Brown, his father, radiated pride as he admired his 16-year-old son’s achievement. “A year and a half ago, I had a year left to live,” he said, holding back tears. “I’d been diagnosed with leukemia and we’ve been through a lot as a family. … The Lord gave me some more time. Special.”

On a memorable Saturday in Myrtle Beach, the younger Brown outdid himself, carding a flawless, 5-under 66 round without any bogeys.

The Nashville native delivered a solid performance on the front nine, scoring eight pars and a birdie. Noteworthy par saves from 7 feet on holes 3 and 5 set the pace. Transitioning at 34, precision on holes 10 and 13 with approach shots to 4 and 3 feet led to successful birdie putts. Further birdies on holes 13 and 17 from 13 and 17 feet capped off a remarkable back-nine score of 4-under 32.

Rhonda Blades Brown, the mother and namesake of Blades, who holds the distinction of being the first player in the WNBA to make a three-pointer, remarked… “I think he loves these moments, the spotlight, the best ones shine brighter when the lights are on, and I think that’s him.

“The way I was able to block out stadiums of thousands of people and focus on my game, he reminds me of that. He gets his demeanor and his name from me. I’m not good at golf, so that’s about it.”

While he thrives in the spotlight, transitioning from junior golf to the TOUR has required a subtle adjustment process.

“I’ve reached for my range finder four times and then gone — ‘Oh, wait,'” Brown admitted. “After I got acclimated to everything — the only big environment I’ve ever really been around was the (U.S. Amateur Golf Championship). There were a lot of people there, but nowhere near to how many people are here. But I think this is just perfect for my future. … You can’t practice for this. You can only get this experience playing in a tournament like this.

“Yes, it would be nice to shoot another 5-under or 6-under tomorrow. It could happen. But I’m 16 playing in a PGA TOUR event, so I’m just stoked to be here.”

“He’s just getting going though,” said Rhonda. “He knows there’s a lot of stuff he can better at in his game. … Playing with these guys, they’re amazing and I think they’re great for him and keep raising the bar.”