Mason Howell, who turned 18 in June, beat fellow teenager Jackson Herrington in the 36-hole final 7 and 6
When Mason Howell's high school classmates asked him how his summer went, the senior at Brookwood School will have quite the story to share.
The Thomasville, Georgia, resident also has a darn good excuse for missing the first week of school.
Howell built a big lead in the opening 18 holes and won the U.S. Amateur at The Olympic Club in San Francisco on Aug. 17, just two months after competing in his first U.S. Open.
Howell, who turned 18 in June and also played golf at Maclay a few years ago, beat fellow teenager Jackson Herrington in the 36-hole final 7 and 6 to surpass Tiger Woods and become the third youngest U.S. Amateur champion ever.
Howell clinched the event with a par to halve the 30th hole. It was the most lopsided final since Bryson DeChambeau beat Derek Bard 7 and 6 in 2015.
"My name next to these other names on this trophy is unbelievable," Howell said "To be next to somebody named Tiger, that's an unreal feeling."
Thomasville's Mason Howell earns noteworthy PGA invitations
Howell will return to Georgia with invitations to the Masters, U.S. Open and British Open next year. He also got a spot in the Walker Cup matches in September, which will cause him to miss even more school.
"Yeah, sorry not sorry," Howell mused.
"At the end of the day, I still have to go sit in a classroom for eight hours these coming months. Just got to soak this up and really enjoy this one with friends and family."
Howell, a 2026 signee to Georgia, has also enjoyed a memorable summer, one that also proved he could compete at a high level as he played in the U.S. Open and was a medalist at the U.S. Junior.
"I felt like I always had it, " Howell said. "It was self-belief. I knew it was in me. I just needed to walk with some confidence. I think that would translate to good golf and staying positive. Overall, I've always known I've had it.
"It's just really unlocking it."
Mason Howell a familiar face at Glen Arven Country Club
Howell is also a familiar face at Glen Arven Country Club, one of the oldest private courses in the United States. He credited the course and director Bill Connelly for helping shape his development as a golfer.
"Yeah, it's one of those things that makes you want to go play golf," Howell said. "When you wake up every morning to texts from five to six people who say let's get a group together, let's go play, it just makes all of us better.
"We have so many Division I players and so many great golfers just in general. We have great matches out there. It's intense. We like to make it worth our while. It's all props to Bill Connelly, the director of golf out there. He's our coach for all of us. He's built what we've become today."
Howell probably won't make his first appearance at Brookwood School.
But that's OK in his mind.
"I think I convinced them (parents) to move our flights so we're not on the red eye tonight, which will be awesome," Howell said. "A lot of those guys (friends) that came in, I'm sure we're going to go back to our Airbnb. We'll celebrate, have a lot of fun, have a lot of laughs, and really soak this one in."
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Thomasville golfer Mason Howell wins U.S. Amateur in a runaway
Category: General Sports
