While some of golf’s biggest stars will be out for the 2025 U.S. Open, one young golfer will be embarking on a historic journey to the major.
Mason Howell, a high school golfer who’s currently committed to the University of Georgia, will be among the participants in this year’s U.S. Open.
He recently punched his ticket to the tournament, where he’ll become one of the youngest competitors in its history.
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Here’s what to know about Howell, his age, and how he reached the 2025 U.S. Open.
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Who is Mason Howell?
Howell is a junior in high school from Thomasville, Ga., who has become one of the fastest rising stars in golf. He attends Brookwood High School, where he’ll graduate from in 2026, and he’s currently committed to play golf at the University of Georgia.
Earlier in 2025, Howell was a member of the boy’s golf team that won Georgia’s state championship for the fourth time in five years, and he also won an individual state championship. Howell is currently the No. 8-ranked boys golfer by the American Junior Golf Association rankings and the No. 484-ranked amateur. In his golf career so far, Howell has won the 2023 Billy Horschel Junior Championship and the 2023 Future Masters Tournament, and he’s accumulated 11 top-10 finishes.
Per the Tallahassee Democrat, Howell first picked up a golf club at age 3, and he’s been competing in tournaments since he was just 6.
“Tournament golf has been a big part of my life,” Howell told the Tallahassee Democrat in 2022. “I would encourage kids to start playing golf and get into it because it’s one of the greatest sports you can play.”
Now, the 2025 U.S. Open is set to be the first major for Howell.
MORE: Golfers with the most U.S. Open wins all-time
How old is Mason Howell?
Howell is 17, making him one of the youngest U.S. Open participants in history. He’s set to graduate high school in 2026.
How did Mason Howell qualify for the U.S. Open?
Earlier in June, Howell qualified for the U.S. Open by recording a pair of 63s at Piedmont Driving Club in Atlanta, sharing medalist honors with 2024 U.S. Amateur semifinalist Jackson Buchanan. After terrific play in the qualifiers, dubbed “Golf’s Longest Day” with two full rounds in a single day, he punched his ticket to the major with a score of -18.
One of the better performances you’ll ever see on Golf’s Longest Day… and it was from a high schooler!
17-year-old Mason Howell is heading to Oakmont. pic.twitter.com/S0PSKOsMIN
— U.S. Open (@usopengolf) June 2, 2025
Howell didn’t have a single bogey in the final day of qualifiers. With the top-five finishers at the Atlanta event moving on to the U.S. Open, Howell’s performance was more than enough to send him to the tournament.
“That was one of the greatest moments of my life,” Howell said after qualifying for the U.S. Open.
“That was one of the greatest moments of my life.”
Nobody better than mom and dad to celebrate a trip to the U.S. Open! pic.twitter.com/RbkGqPD93Q
— U.S. Open (@usopengolf) June 2, 2025
Howell also described his performance at Piedmont Driving Club as “absolutely crazy” to the Athens Banner-Herald, saying he’s “really excited for the opportunity I have in front of me.”
MORE U.S. OPEN NEWS:
Youngest players ever in U.S. Open
Howell won’t quite be the youngest golfer to participate in the U.S. Open, but he will rank high on the list.
The title of youngest U.S. Open golfer goes to Andy Zhang, who at 14 years and 183 days old when he played in the 2012 tournament in San Francisco. Now a professional golfer, Zhang wound up missing the cut in the 2012 U.S. Open, but he made history as the youngest-ever participant.
According to AmateurGolf.com, a few more of the youngest golfers at the U.S. Open include Tadd Fujikawa (15 years, five months) in 2006, Ty Tryon (16 years, nine months) in 2000, Beau Hossler (17 years, three months) in 2012, and Joseph Bramlett (17 years, 10 months) in 2002.
Youngest U.S. Open winners
| Golfer | Age | Year |
| John McDermott | 19 | 1911 |
| Francis Ouimet | 20 | 1913 |
| Gene Sarazen | 20 | 1922 |
| John McDermott | 20 | 1912 |
| Horace Rawlins | 21 | 1895 |
| Bobby Jones | 21 | 1923 |
| Walter Hagen | 21 | 1914 |
| Willie Anderson | 21 | 1901 |
| Jordan Spieth | 21 | 2015 |
The youngest U.S. Open winner came back in 1911 when John McDermott won the event at 19. However, with almost all of the young victors coming before the turn of the century, there’s been just one winner 21-or-under since 2000: Jordan Spieth.
