On heels of U.S. Open, Mason Howell medals at U.S. Junior Amateur; tough matchup on tap

NBC Sports

4 days ago

It all began on a bridge back in early May.
Mason Howell, a 17-year-old standout from Thomasville, Georgia, was battling for the Georgia Independent Athletic Association's Class AAA state individual title when he yanked his final tee ball onto the paved structure. But instead of taking a drop, Howell decided to play the ball as it lay, and he hit his approach to 9 feet, to set up a closing birdie and spot in a playoff opposite Clemson signee Jackson Byrd, the son of five-time PGA Tour winner Jonathan Byrd.
Howell won in extras, sparking a run that's still going.
A few weeks later, Howell fired back-to-back 63s to qualify for the U.S. Open.
Then at Oakmont, he missed the cut but beat 34 competitors.
Now, he's the medalist of the 77th U.S. Junior Amateur.
'It's been a really fun run,' Howell said Tuesday evening. 'Really like where my game's at right now.'
Howell opened Monday with a 3-under 67 around Brook Hollow, the companion course for stroke play and over two shots tougher than Trinity Forest, which Howell played Tuesday to the tune of 4-under 67. He carded six birdies, including a bounce-back birdie from 12 feet at the par-4 seventh hole.
'That kept the momentum going,' said Howell, who joins recent U.S. Junior medalists such as Blades Brown, Tommy Morrison and Kelly Chinn, a two-time medalist.
Since 2003, there have been 11 medalists who have gone on to earn PGA Tour cards, including major champions Jordan Spieth and Brian Harman, and fellow Tour winners Sung Kang, Seung Yul Noh, Nico Echavarria, Austin Eckroat and William Mouw. Four of the medalists during that span are still in college.
At the same time, the medalist rarely takes the whole thing. Just seven times since stroke-play qualifying was added in 1964 has the medalist gone on to win. Johnny Miller accomplished the feat that first year. Tiger Woods did it twice. But not since Matthew Rosenfeld in 2000 has it happened.
'Some people think it's a curse, but I think it's whoever is playing the hottest gets that medalist spot,' Howell said. 'Yeah, it should be a lot of fun. My caddie and I are going to take it one step at a time, and I know everybody is going to be gunning for me, but that's what I like; I like everybody's best because it brings out the best in me.'
Howell, a University of Georgia commit for 2026, is currently ranked 24th in the AJGA rankings. He's nearly 6 feet, 4 inches tall, having experienced about a 6-inch growth spurt less than two years ago. In the process, he added about 10 mph to his ball speed, which now grooves in the low 180s.
'I feel like my swing is starting to fit my body,' Howell said.
This is Howell's fourth U.S. Junior. Only last year did he finally reach match play, though he lost his first match.
'Ever since then I've really wanted to get back and try again,' Howell said. 'I'm grateful to have another chance. I love match play, but you never know, match play is crazy.'
Unlike most years, Howell will go to bed Tuesday night knowing who he'll face in Wednesday's Round of 64. Jackson Ormond birdied Brook Hollow's par-4 17th hole to move the cut line to 3 over, and for the first time since 2008, the was no playoff needed to determine the 64 match-play competitors.
Howell's prize for earning the No. 1 seed: Incoming Oklahoma State freshman Henry Guan, who is ranked 135th in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (Howell is No. 366).
Ormond didn't get off any easier; he will face top-ranked junior Miles Russell in a matchup of Florida and Florida State commits. Russell, a 2027, recent committed to the Seminoles.
Other notables making match play included defending champion Trevor Gutschewski and last year's runner-up Tyler Watts, who is one of four players ranked 51st or better in WAGR to advance. Watts is ranked 45th. Russell (18), Luke Colton (25) and Nguyen Anh Minh (51) from Vietnam also qualified for the knockout stage.
Cameron Kuchar, the oldest son of PGA Tour veteran Matt Kuchar, was among those who finished at 3 over.
Another son of a famous pro, Charlie Woods, fared better on Tuesday at Trinity Forest, shooting 3-over 74, but at 14 over, he missed his second straight U.S. Junior cut.