Mason Howell was supposed to be prepping for the second week of his senior year at Brookwood School on Sunday. Instead, he was hoisting a prestigious golf trophy.
Howell — a high schooler — took home the win at the U.S. Amateur in dominant fashion Sunday. In doing so, he became the youngest golfer to win the event since 2009 and the third-youngest golfer ever to take home the trophy.
Byeong Hun An, who won the event at 17 years old in 2009 and Danny Lee, who picked up a win after just turning 18 in 2008, are the only two golfers younger than Howell to win the event. Howell's win knocked Tiger Woods down to fourth in the ranking. Woods won the U.S. Amateur at 18 years and seven months old in 1994. Howell is 18 years and one-and-half months old.
It was an excellent performance by Howell, who defeated teenage golfer Jackson Herrington by a large margin, per the Associated Press.
Howell won it with a par to halve the 30th hole, ending the most-lopsided final since Bryson DeChambeau also beat Derek Bard 7 and 6 in 2015.
Howell's name might sound familiar to passionate golf fans. After shooting a 63-63 at the Atlanta sectional, he qualified for the U.S. Open in 2025. He didn't make the cut at the event, but it was an impressive performance for someone still in high school.
The U.S. Amateur marked the first time since 2013 that two teenagers played in the final. Herrington, who finished second to Howell on Sunday, is 19. He'll start his sophomore year at the University of Tennessee soon.
As for Howell, he'll celebrate the win by ... actually starting his senior year of high school. Brookwood School started its school year last week, when Howell was taking part in the tournament. He'll start the school year a little later than expected, but will have one heck of story to tell his classmates.
Once he graduates, Howell is slated to attend the University of Georgia in 2026.
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