Howell Continuing Dream Summer in Unexpected Place: Cypress Point

Like most of his junior golf brethren, Mason Howell entered the summer competition season hoping to be among the 12 players teeing it up in Long Island as part of the USA Junior Ryder Cup Team.

The Walker Cup?

Perhaps a year, or three, down the road once the Thomasville, Ga., high school senior (Brookwood School) and University of Georgia verbal commitment for 2026 established himself against elite amateur golfers.

But fate has a way of working in mysterious ways. Bounced in the opening round of the U.S. Junior Amateur as the medalist and No. 1 seed, Howell, who competed in this year’s U.S. Open at Oakmont (Pa.) Country Club after an impressive pair of 63s during final qualifying at Piedmont Driving Club, in Atlanta, Ga., compiled one of the more remarkable championship runs in last month’s U.S. Amateur at The Olympic Club.

As the No. 63 seed and the second-to-last match-play qualifier from a 20-for-17 playoff – one in which he made a bogey on the second hole that nearly sent him packing – Howell proceeded to eliminate one heavyweight after another to become the third-youngest player to etch his name on the Havemeyer Trophy, and the fourth No. 63 seed to claim a USGA title since seeding began in its current form in 1985.

That 7-and-6 triumph in the 36-hole final over University of Tennessee sophomore Jackson Herrington came with a number of notable perks, including a spot in the 2026 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills and The Open Championship at Royal Birkdale, as well as a likely invitation to next April’s Masters at Augusta National Golf Club.

But it also guaranteed Howell a place on the 2025 USA Walker Cup Team, where at 18 years, 2 months and 10 days, he’ll be the third-youngest competitor in USA Team history, trailing only Akshay Bhatia (2019) and Jordan Spieth (2011).

“Two weeks ago, I wasn’t thinking about the Walker Cup,” said Howell after completing a nine-hole practice round for the 50th Walker Cup Match, which takes place this weekend at iconic Cypress Point Club in Pebble Beach, Calif.

Howell was a candidate to represent the U.S. in the Junior Ryder Cup, where six girls and six boys face Europe in a couple of weeks at Nassau Country Club and Bethpage State Park’s Black Course (singles) as an appetizer for the main event. Automatic spots went to the champions of the U.S. Junior Amateur and top-two finishers at the Junior PGA Championship, plus three captain’s picks. Howell’s week in Texas ended prematurely with a Round-of-64 loss to U.S. National Junior Team member Henry Guan, and a tie for ninth the following week at the Junior PGA in Indiana left Howell on the outside looking in.

Not fazed, Howell prepared for his next competition.

Somehow, he found a way to qualify for match play at the U.S. Amateur and then proceeded to eliminate two 2025 USA Walker Cuppers (Tommy Morrison and Ben James) in his first two matches. He followed by defeating University of Illinois star Max Herendeen and John Daly II, an Arkansas standout who’s the son of a two-time major champion. Then in the semifinals, he produced what he called the highlight of the championship, rolling in a 15-foot birdie on the par-5 16th hole to oust Oklahoma State star Eric Lee.

Back in Thomasville, a Sunday watch party cheered on Howell from afar, along with future Georgia teammate/roommate Hamilton Coleman, an Augusta, Ga., native who won the U.S. Junior Amateur. The two are planning to attend a couple of Georgia home football games this fall and hoping to share their two pieces of USGA hardware.

Howell, of course, will have some stories from Cypress Point to share. Shortly after receiving the Havemeyer Trophy from USGA President Fred Perpall, 2025 USA Walker Cup Captain Nathan Smith welcomed him to the 10-man squad that will seek a fifth consecutive win over Great Britain & Ireland in the biennial competition.

While he might be a bit younger than his nine other teammates, Howell has quickly assimilated with his immense talent and maturity.

“There’s a lot of good in his game,” said University of Notre Dame junior Jacob Modleski, who played his Thursday practice round with Howell, portending a possible foursomes pairing. “It’s no surprise to me that he won the U.S. Amateur. He does basically everything well. I hope I get a chance to play with him. I think we can make a really good team.”

One trend Howell would like to end is the performance of the reigning U.S. Amateur champion in the Walker Cup. Since David Gossett’s 1999 triumph at nearby Pebble Beach Golf Links, the U.S. Amateur titlist has posted a 10-18-6 overall match-play record. Two years ago at St. Andrews, Nick Dunlap was 1-2-1 in the USA’s come-from-behind win. At Seminole in 2021, Tyler Strafaci fought through a bout with food poisoning to post a 1-2 mark. At Royal Liverpool two years earlier, Andy Ogletree was 1-2-1.

Even in the USA’s 19-7 rout of GB&I at The Los Angeles Country Club, Doc Redman was a disappointing 0-3. One has to go back to 2015 at Royal Lytham & St. Annes, the last USA loss, to find a winning mark for the reigning holder of the Havemeyer when Bryson DeChambeau went 2-0-1 in the seven-point USA defeat.

But if there’s an underlying lesson that Howell learned from his 2025 U.S. Junior Amateur experience is not to take any opponent for granted. Match play is a format that doesn’t care about your world ranking or seeding.

Just because he had a remarkable six-match run at The Olympic Club doesn’t guarantee success the next time out. He’s also worked with his close-knit team to remain grounded.

“You never sleep on any match,” said Howell. “Henry is such a great player, and he got the best of me that day…You’ve just got to be ready to play.

“That’s why we’ve got to focus this week on GB&I. We may be favored on paper, but at the end of the day, we’re all tied when we’re on the first tee.”

David Shefter is a senior staff writer at the USGA. Email him at dshefter@usga.org.