The top-ranked player in the Class of 2026, Blades Brown, has elected to turn pro at age 17.

Brown, No. 1 in the American Junior Golf Association rankings, posted on social media that after weighing offers from some of the country’s top golf schools, he decided to forego college.

“This is not a decision that I take lightly, and I have spent the past months weighing all possible options before deciding on what I know is best for me,” Brown said. “While I am proud of the accomplishments of my amateur career, I am focused on the future and getting off to a strong start in my professional career.”

Last year, the then-16-year-old broke Bobby Jones’s 103-year-old record in becoming the youngest medalist at stroke play in the U.S. Amateur. He made the cut at the PGA Tour’s Myrtle Beach Classic in May, finishing T26.

Brown’s mother, Rhonda Blade, played professional basketball in the WNBA and was the first in the league to make a 3-point shot.

Blades will make his professional debut at the American Express in January on a sponsor exemption.