Mason Howell Claims U.S. Junior Amateur Medalist Honors in Remarkable Summer Run
Mason Howell’s hot streak began on a bridge in Georgia this May, and now he’s standing atop the leaderboard at the 77th U.S. Junior Amateur.
The 17-year-old from Thomasville, Georgia turned what could’ve been disaster into triumph when he yanked his final tee shot onto a bridge during the Georgia Independent Athletic Association’s Class AAA state tournament. Instead of taking a drop, Howell played it as it lay, hitting his approach to 9 feet and making birdie to force a playoff against Clemson signee Jackson Byrd, son of five-time PGA Tour winner Jonathan Byrd.
Howell won in extras, and he hasn’t looked back since.
He fired consecutive 63s to qualify for the U.S. Open, then beat 34 competitors at Oakmont despite missing the cut. Now, he’s added U.S. Junior Amateur medalist to his growing resume.
“It’s been a really fun run,” Howell said Tuesday evening. “Really like where my game’s at right now.”
The Georgia commit opened with a 3-under 67 at Brook Hollow, the companion course for stroke play that played over two shots tougher than Trinity Forest. He followed with a 4-under 67 at Trinity Forest on Tuesday, highlighted by six birdies including a momentum-saving 12-footer at the par-4 seventh.
“That kept the momentum going,” said Howell, who joins recent U.S. Junior medalists like Blades Brown, Tommy Morrison and two-time medalist Kelly Chinn.
Being medalist is impressive but historically challenging to convert into a championship. Since stroke-play qualifying began in 1964, only seven medalists have gone on to win the title. Johnny Miller did it first, Tiger Woods accomplished it twice, but no one has pulled it off since Matthew Rosenfeld in 2000.
“Some people think it’s a curse, but I think it’s whoever is playing the hottest gets that medalist spot,” Howell said. “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, currently ranked 24th in AJGA rankings, has committed to the University of Georgia for 2026. Standing nearly 6-foot-4, he experienced a 6-inch growth spurt less than two years ago that added about 10 mph to his ball speed, which now consistently reaches the low 180s.
“I feel like my swing is starting to fit my body,” Howell said.
This marks Howell’s fourth U.S. Junior appearance. He finally reached match play last year but lost his first match.
“Ever since then I’ve really wanted to get back and try again,” he said. “I’m grateful to have another chance. I love match play, but you never know, match play is crazy.”
In a rare occurrence, the cut line fell cleanly at 3-over par after Jackson Ormond birdied Brook Hollow’s 17th hole. For the first time since 2008, no playoff was needed to determine the 64 match-play competitors.
Howell’s reward for earning the No. 1 seed? A first-round matchup against incoming Oklahoma State freshman Henry Guan, who’s actually ranked higher in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (135th) than Howell (366th).
Ormond didn’t get an easy draw either. He’ll face top-ranked junior Miles Russell in a battle of Florida and Florida State commits. Russell, a class of 2027 standout, recently committed to the Seminoles.
Other notables advancing to match play include defending champion Trevor Gutschewski and last year’s runner-up Tyler Watts. Watts is one of four players ranked in the WAGR top 51 to make the knockout stage, alongside Russell (18), Luke Colton (25), and Vietnam’s Nguyen Anh Minh (51).
Cameron Kuchar, son of PGA Tour veteran Matt Kuchar, squeezed in at the 3-over cut line.
Charlie Woods, son of Tiger Woods, improved with a 3-over 74 at Trinity Forest on Tuesday, but at 14 over total, missed his second straight U.S. Junior cut.
