All of it started on a bridge again in early Might.
Mason Howell, a 17-year-old standout from Thomasville, Georgia, was battling for the Georgia Unbiased Athletic Affiliation’s Class AAA state particular person title when he yanked his ultimate tee ball onto the paved construction. However as a substitute of taking a drop, Howell determined to play the ball because it lay, and he hit his method to 9 ft, to arrange a closing birdie and spot in a playoff reverse Clemson signee Jackson Byrd, the son of five-time PGA Tour winner Jonathan Byrd.
Howell gained in extras, sparking a run that’s nonetheless going.
Just a few weeks later, Howell fired back-to-back 63s to qualify for the U.S. Open.
Then at Oakmont, he missed the reduce however beat 34 rivals.
Now, he’s the medalist of the 77th U.S. Junior Beginner.
“It’s been a very enjoyable run,” Howell stated Tuesday night. “Actually like the place my recreation’s at proper now.”
Howell opened Monday with a 3-under 67 round Brook Hole, the companion course for stroke play and over two photographs harder than Trinity Forest, which Howell performed Tuesday to the tune of 4-under 67. He carded six birdies, together with a bounce-back birdie from 12 ft on the par-4 seventh gap.
“That stored the momentum going,” stated Howell, who joins current U.S. Junior medalists resembling Blades Brown, Tommy Morrison and Kelly Chinn, a two-time medalist.
Since 2003, there have been 11 medalists who’ve gone on to earn PGA Tour playing cards, together with main champions Jordan Spieth and Brian Harman, and fellow Tour winners Sung Kang, Seung Yul Noh, Nico Echavarria, Austin Eckroat and William Mouw. 4 of the medalists throughout that span are nonetheless in faculty.
On the similar time, the medalist hardly ever takes the entire thing. Simply seven occasions since stroke-play qualifying was added in 1964 has the medalist gone on to win. Johnny Miller achieved the feat that first yr. Tiger Woods did it twice. However not since Matthew Rosenfeld in 2000 has it occurred.
“Some folks suppose it’s a curse, however I believe it’s whoever is taking part in the most popular will get that medalist spot,” Howell stated. “Yeah, it needs to be a variety of enjoyable. My caddie and I are going to take it one step at a time, and I do know everyone goes to be gunning for me, however that’s what I like; I like everyone’s finest as a result of it brings out the most effective in me.”
Howell, a College of Georgia commit for 2026, is at the moment ranked twenty fourth within the AJGA rankings. He’s almost 6 ft, 4 inches tall, having skilled a few 6-inch progress spurt lower than two years in the past. Within the course of, he added about 10 mph to his ball velocity, which now grooves within the low 180s.
“I really feel like my swing is beginning to match my physique,” Howell stated.
That is Howell’s fourth U.S. Junior. Solely final yr did he lastly attain match play, although he misplaced his first match.
“Ever since then I’ve actually needed to get again and check out once more,” Howell stated. “I’m grateful to have one other probability. I like match play, however you by no means know, match play is loopy.”
In contrast to most years, Howell will go to mattress Tuesday evening figuring out who he’ll face in Wednesday’s Spherical of 64. Jackson Ormond birdied Brook Hole’s par-4 seventeenth gap to maneuver the reduce line to three over, and for the primary time since 2008, the was no playoff wanted to find out the 64 match-play rivals.
Howell’s prize for incomes the No. 1 seed: Incoming Oklahoma State freshman Henry Guan, who’s ranked one hundred and thirty fifth within the World Beginner Golf Rating (Howell is No. 366).
Ormond didn’t get off any simpler; he’ll face top-ranked junior Miles Russell in a matchup of Florida and Florida State commits. Russell, a 2027, current dedicated to the Seminoles.
Different notables making match play included defending champion Trevor Gutschewski and final yr’s runner-up Tyler Watts, who’s considered one of 4 gamers ranked 51st or higher in WAGR to advance. Watts is ranked forty fifth. Russell (18), Luke Colton (25) and Nguyen Anh Minh (51) from Vietnam additionally certified for the knockout stage.
Cameron Kuchar, the oldest son of PGA Tour veteran Matt Kuchar, was amongst those that completed at 3 over.
One other son of a well-known professional, Charlie Woods, fared higher on Tuesday at Trinity Forest, capturing 3-over 74, however at 14 over, he missed his second straight U.S. Junior reduce.
