Blades Brown withdrew from THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson on Sunday evening, and it had nothing to do with injury. After a runner-up finish at the Korn Ferry Tour’s Veritex Bank Championship, he’s staying on the Korn Ferry Tour to chase status.

Why did he do this? After turning pro in December at age 17, Brown has no status on a major tour, and his runner-up finish Sunday brings Special Temporary Membership into the serious realm. Brown qualified for this week’s Tulum Championship at PGA Riviera Maya with his top-25 finish at the Veritex Bank Championship, and he’s now just 53 points shy of earning Special Temporary Membership (the equivalent of a 16th-place finish at a standard Korn Ferry Tour event).

Why is this so important? Korn Ferry Tour Special Temporary Members are eligible for the reshuffle category on the Priority Ranking, which essentially guarantees a full schedule of starts before the Korn Ferry Tour Finals. Special Temporary Members can also accept unlimited sponsor exemptions. The top 20 players on the season-long Korn Ferry Tour Points List, finalized after the Korn Ferry Tour Finals in October, will earn 2026 PGA TOUR membership. Brown currently ranks No. 44 on the Korn Ferry Tour Points List.

Korn Ferry Tour non-members are only permitted up to four sponsor exemptions in a season, and the Veritex Bank Championship marked Brown’s third Korn Ferry Tour sponsor exemption of 2025. Had he opted to remain in THE CJ CUP field (he had received a sponsor exemption), he would have passed up the extra Korn Ferry Tour start via his top-25 finish. He would have just one Korn Ferry Tour sponsor exemption remaining to earn Special Temporary Membership; otherwise, his only avenue into a Korn Ferry Tour event would be via a Monday qualifier, a much more uncertain prospect.

Brown would be eligible to accept Korn Ferry Tour Special Temporary Membership upon turning 18 on May 21.

Brown carded a final-round 63 Sunday at the Veritex Bank Championship, playing his final 10 holes in 8-under to finish in a five-way tie for second at 27-under, three back of winner Johnny Keefer. It was a breakthrough week for the reigning AJGA Player of the Year, who turned pro in December, after going without a top-25 finish in his first six starts as a pro across the PGA TOUR and Korn Ferry Tour.

Brown’s first-round 61 at Texas Rangers Golf Club set a new mark for the lowest round by a player under 18 on either the PGA TOUR or Korn Ferry Tour, on record, and he followed with rounds of 67-66-63 in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. The Korn Ferry Tour requires players to stay aggressive and rack up birdies, and Brown proved at the Veritex that he has no problem doing so. The Nashville native made 27 birdies and three eagles against six bogeys on the week, and had an outside chance at a spot in a playoff before Keefer pulled away with three birdies in his last four holes.

Brown entered the Veritex with 18.167 Korn Ferry Tour Points, and he earned 167 points for his five-way T2 finish at Texas Rangers Golf Club. The Special Temporary Membership threshold is 237.718 points (equivalent to the No. 100 player from the 2024 Korn Ferry Tour Points List).