Mason Howell, an 18-year-old from Georgia, dominated the U.S. Amateur at The Olympic Club on Sunday, defeating Tennessee’s Jackson Herrington 7 and 6 in the 36-hole final. It’s the most lopsided U.S. Amateur final since Bryson DeChambeau’s identical margin of victory in 2015.
The win caps an impressive summer for Howell, who competed in his first U.S. Open just two months ago. He’s now the youngest U.S. Amateur champion since Byeong Hun An won at age 17 in 2009.
Howell’s victory earns him invitations to three majors next year: the Masters, U.S. Open, and The Open.
What makes Howell’s performance so impressive is his composure under pressure. He won 11 holes in the final match, eight with pars, showing remarkable steadiness while Herrington struggled. Even more telling: after losing a hole, Howell immediately bounced back to win the next one all four times.
Howell first grabbed attention when he shot back-to-back 63s at the Atlanta sectional to qualify for this year’s U.S. Open. While he missed the cut at Oakmont, that experience clearly paid dividends at Olympic Club.
His path to the amateur title wasn’t straightforward. He was one of 17 players who advanced from a 20-man playoff just to reach the match play portion, then won all six of his matches.
The final match turned decisive early. Howell won five of six holes on the front nine of the opening 18, including an eagle at the 7th, building a four-hole lead. His advantage grew to five after a birdie at the par-5 16th.
Herrington briefly showed life with a birdie at 18 to cut the deficit to four before the lunch break. But any momentum vanished when he bogeyed the first three holes after the break, falling six down and effectively ending the contest.
Howell now returns for his senior year of high school before heading to the University of Georgia in 2026. The 19-year-old Herrington is entering his sophomore season at Tennessee.
This marks the fourth U.S. Amateur held at The Olympic Club, with Howell joining previous champions Charles Coe (1958), Nathaniel Crosby (1981), and Cole Knost (2007).
