For the up-and-rising star in amateur golf, the mantra is pretty simple: “I’m just going to go and play my best, and have as much fun as possible and see where that takes me.” This attitude and his performance at the 2025 U.S. Amateur are definitely taking Mason Howell places… like, possibly, even the 2026 Masters. On that note, very few can claim to know the golfer well enough, and there’s plenty to know about this rising amateur star, starting with…

Mason Howell’s personal life

Mason Howell was born in Thomasville, Georgia, on June 28, 2007, to Robb and Lauren. His sister Megan (or Meg for short) is a rising junior at the University of Georgia. On the family front, his dad, Robb, played tennis at Valdosta State before graduating from UGA’s School of Law in 1994. Golf for Robb came much later, and only after he started playing with his law school buddies on the UGA Golf Course. Now, Robb is a medical malpractice trial lawyer. On the other hand, Howell’s mom, Lauren, graduated from Georgia’s Terry College of Business.

Howell has had a solid golf career in school. He played varsity golf as early as sixth grade at Maclay School in Tallahassee, Florida. Now at Brookwood School back in Thomasville, Georgia, he’s been on the varsity squad since eighth grade. As of 2025, he’s heading into his senior year and is on track to graduate in 2026. Unsurprisingly, though, his journey to falling in love with golf is just as interesting.

Howell’s love for golf started thanks to his parents

Howell grew up in a sports-friendly family where golf took center stage pretty early. His folks gave him his first clubs at age five – and the year before that, he’d rocked a Bobby Jones costume for Halloween. Back when Howell was two or three, he’d park himself on dad Robb’s lap watching PGA Tour golf on Sundays. “He was glued to the TV, he loved it,” Robb said of his son. Howell started swinging real clubs at three and was already playing tournaments by six.

Aside from that, the Moultrie native credits playing on Maclay School’s high school golf team in sixth grade with helping grow his game. “It really helped grow my golf game,” he said in June. He played golf, tennis, and baseball growing up, but ditched tennis and baseball at 12 to focus on golf. And he kept working on his game, even as a kid, and nothing proves that more than the numbers and stats he raked as a… kid.

The many records in Mason Howell’s hands

This 17-year-old high school junior from Georgia has racked up an incredible string of wins and achievements. At just 14, he set a course record of 59 at Glen Arven Country Club with a mind-blowing 13-under par. In 2023, Howell took home the Billy Horschel Junior Championships. He’s advanced to match play at the 2024 U.S. Junior Amateur and also played his fourth straight U.S. Junior Am this season. Aside from that, Howell won the GIAA Class AAA state golf title in May of this season, helping Brookwood grab its fourth title in five years.

On the other hand, Howell’s got serious golf chops – he won the 13-14 category at the Future Masters in 2022 with rounds of 67-67-65. He nailed the Georgia Independent Athletic Association’s individual state title in April 2025.

The highlight of Howell’s achievements was qualifying for the 2025 US Open through a stunning performance at the final qualifier at Piedmont Driving Club in Atlanta. He fired back-to-back 63s for an 18-under-par finish – all accomplished without a single bogey. With this, Mason Howell was the youngest to qualify for the U.S. Open via local and final qualifying since Cole Hammer in 2015 at age 15. That and his next achievement.

Mason Howell and the medalist honors

Aside from his qualification for the 2025 U.S. Open, Howell’s talent shone brightly at the Final Qualifying event at Piedmont Driving Club. There, he fired two remarkable rounds of 63, boasting an incredible 18 birdies and 18 pars, earning him co-medalist honors.

Now, he’s competing at the 2025 U.S. Junior Amateur alongside fellow teen phenom Jackson Herrington, facing him in a high-stakes 36-hole finale on August 17th. The stakes are huge, especially after he beat John Daly II in the quarterfinals. Now, both Howell and Herrington have secured exemptions to the 2026 U.S. Open and are in line to receive invitations to the 2026 Masters. The winner of this showdown will also claim a coveted spot on the U.S. Walker Cup team, a launching pad for future golf stars.

Mason Howell has a similar agency to Scottie Scheffler’s

Mason Howell has some top-notch sponsors backing him up – Ping, Holderness & Bourne, Footjoy, and Titleist. What’s really interesting is that Howell’s represented by Hambric Sports, the same powerhouse agency that manages the PGA Tour pro Scottie Scheffler. This partnership is definitely a standout.

Hambric Sports, based in Dallas, Texas, has been managing pro golfers since 1977. With almost 50 years of experience, they’ve built connections with golf companies and corporations, creating marketing and money-making opportunities for their clients. They handle stuff like tournament entries, travel, and bigger deals like endorsements, PR, and marketing.

So, yes, there are plenty of reasons to keep your eyes on this amateur star.