PEBBLE BEACH — Mason Howell didn’t hesitate when answering the question, as if it’s something he had asked himself recently in a quiet moment of reflection. Three months ago, could he have imagined he would be speaking to the media at Cypress Point as a member of Team USA on the eve of the 50th Walker Cup?
“If I’m being completely honest, going into the year, the Walker Cup wasn’t even on my radar,” Howell said. “Honestly, I was more focused on junior tournaments and things like that.”
But over the summer an unlikely series of events transpired, falling like dominos to propel the 18-year-old from Thomasville, Ga., on to the grandest stage in amateur golf.
It began when Howell shot a pair of 63s at Piedmont Driving Club at U.S. Open Final Qualifying in early June to earn a spot into the field at Oakmont. That automatically qualified him for the U.S. Amateur at The Olympic Club in August. Before arriving in San Francisco, he also earned medalist honors at the U.S. Junior Amateur only to be upset in the first round.
At Olympic Club, Howell looked like he might be going home early after shooting a 73 in the second round of stroke play on the Lake Course. As fate would have it, he wound up in a 20-for-17 spot playoff and overcame a bogey on the second extra hole to still grab the 63rd seed. Then, suddenly, he became unbeatable—literally—en route to becoming the third youngest golfer to ever win the U.S. Amateur title after defeating Jackson Herrington, 7 and 6, in the finals. (The first two players he knocked out were soon-to-be Walker Cup teammates Tommy Morrison and Ben James.)
By claiming the Havemeyer Trophy, Howell locked up his unexpected spot on the 10-man American roster heading to the Monterey Peninsula, becoming the third youngest golfer to play for the U.S. in the team competition behind Akshay Bhatia (2019) and Jordan Spieth (2011). “I didn’t even know the winner of the U.S. Am made the Walker Cup until about my quarterfinal match,” said Howell, acknowledged in another honest moment.
Howell’s U.S. Amateur victory earned him a spot on the U.S. Walker Cup team, where at 18 years, two months and 10 days, he’s the third youngest to ever play for Team USA.
Thien-An Truong
The craziness hasn’t stopped since then, as Howell has tried to juggle the start of his senior year in high school while becoming comfortable with his new station in the golf world. After returning home, he took some time off outside of handling some media obligations. He played a little golf with his buddies and started his senior year of high school. But then he had to begin his preparation for Cypress Point.
While he might have been busy, his game has remained sharp. On Aug. 28, he shot a 59 on his home course, Glen Arven Country Club. Interestingly, it only matched the club’s course record. Even more interesting, Howell is the one who held it before, having shot a 59 the first time in 2022 at age 14.
“I’ve been thrown in a whirlwind, and it’s been a lot, but I think I’ve done a great job managing it all,” said Howell, who intends to play college golf at Georgia next fall. “Just well-rested this week, and it’s going to be a fun weekend.”
This week at Cypress Point he pulled off another impressive feat during Friday’s practice round, making a 2 on the par-5 second hole after holing his approach shot with a (gulp) 6-iron from 237 yards.
🚨 MASON HOWELL JUST MADE ALBATROSS ON #2 AT CYPRESS POINT 🚨
Team USA 🇺🇸 out playing foursomes (tensomes?) with the whole team in one group @WalkerCup @SmylieKaufman10 | @charliehulme | @SportsGridTV pic.twitter.com/mDENSL9Iz8
— The Smylie Show (@thesmylieshow) September 5, 2025
As the potential for Howell to make this year’s team became greater over the course of the summer, U.S. captain Nathan Smith started paying closer attention to the golf. He’s also become well aware of his positive attitude and youthful exuberance.
“I think it’s refreshing, but I think he knows a lot more than you think he does,” Smith said. “For me it’s just as simple as it’s been a joy to watch him play this summer and this week. … To be at that age and make a Walker Cup is really special, and I think it’s going to be special to watch him in future years.”
Howell celebrates with Stewart Hagestad after making an albatross on the par-5 second hole at Cypress Point during Friday’s Walker Cup practice round.
David Cannon
Howell understands this week will be about stay in the present and managing expectations. Interestingly, recent U.S. Amateur champions have struggled to play well in the Walker Cup after coming off their big wins. According to the USGA, since David Gossett’s win at nearby Pebble Beach Golf Links in 1999, the U.S. Amateur champion has posted a 10-18-6 overall match-play record in the Walker Cup. You have to go back to Bryson DeChambeau in 2015 to find a champion who also had a winning Walker Cup record that year.
The good news is he knows he’s got teammates to lean on, most notably five-time Walker Cupper Stewart Hagestad.
“These guys have so much experience,” Howell said. “I’ve bombarded Stew with some questions this week on kind of what to expect. … We all can just feed off of each other this week.”
Will the weekend live up to the previous three months? Howell is excited to find out.
This article was originally published on golfdigest.com
