Georgia teenager Mason Howell wins US Amateur, youngest champion since 2009
The 18-year-old Howell raced out to a big lead over Tennessee teenager Jackson Herrington on the opening 18 holes and went on to win the 36-hole final 7 and 6 to become the youngest U.S. Amateur champion since Byeong Hun An won at age 17 in 2009 at Southern Hills in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
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. The win earned Howell invitations to the Masters, U.S. Open and British Open next year.
This was the first U.S. Amateur final featuring two teenagers since Matt Fitzpatrick bested Oliver Goss in 2013 and Howell showed the composure of a much more experienced golfer by repeatedly making clutch putts while Herrington made repeated mistakes.
Howell won 11 holes, eight of them with pars. He also responded after all four holes he lost, winning the following hole each time.
Howell burst onto the scene when he qualified for the U.S. Open this year with rounds of 63-63 from the Atlanta sectional. He failed to make the cut at Oakmont but used that experience this week at The Olympic Club.
He was one of 17 players to advance from a 20-man playoff to make the match play portion of the tournament, where he won all six matches.
Howell won five of six holes on the front nine of the opening 18 holes — including an eagle at No. 7 — to take a four-hole lead. He increased the lead to five with a birdie on the par-5 16th hole as his steady putting helped keep Herrington at bay.
Herrington closed the first 18 with a birdie on the par-5 18th to get back within four. But he then bogeyed the first three holes after the lunch break to fall down by six and never really threatened the rest of the way.
Howell now gets ready for his senior year of high school before he is set to start college at the University of Georgia in 2026.
The 19-year-old Herrington is about to start his sophomore season in college at Tennessee.
This is the fourth U.S. Amateur to be held at The Olympic Club. Charles Coe (1958), Nathaniel Crosby (1981) and Cole Knost (2007) won the others.
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AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
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