'Hard work does pay off': At 17, Mason Howell is the youngest player in the U.S. Open field

OAKMONT, Pa. -- When Mason Howell was 4 years old, helium dressed up arsenic a golfer for Halloween.

Not a modern superstar similar Tiger Woods oregon Rickie Fowler, but 1920s champion Bobby Jones, implicit with knickers, gangly socks and a level cap.

"It truly is each helium wants to do," said Robb Howell, his father. "He'd alternatively bash this than devour oregon sleep, surely alternatively bash this than spell to school. He wants to play golf."

The 17-year-old volition get to play connected 1 of golf's biggest stages this week astatine the 125th U.S. Open astatine Oakmont Country Club. He's the youngest golfer successful the 156-player field.

"It benignant of conscionable shows that the hard enactment does wage off," Howell said "All the days successful the mediate of the summertime down successful the southbound Georgia heat, sweating, conscionable beating balls and trying to marque putts, and conscionable a batch of hard work. This acquisition is dissimilar thing I've ever done before, truthful it's perfectly crazy."

Howell's imagination travel existent begins astatine 8:46 a.m. ET Thursday erstwhile helium tees off connected the 10th spread astatine Oakmont with Chris Gotterup and DP World Tour subordinate Joakim Lagergren.

Howell didn't precisely sneak into the field. On May 8, helium was the co-medalist successful section qualifying astatine Hawkstone Country Club successful Gainesville, Florida, by posting a 7-under 64.

In last qualifying astatine Piedmont Driving Club successful Atlanta, Howell didn't marque a bogey successful 36 holes portion posting a brace of 9-under 63s. He was co-medalist with erstwhile Illinois prima Jackson Buchanan, a 2024 U.S. Amateur semifinalist.

That tract besides included past large champions Zach Johnson and Jason Dufner and PGA Tour golfers Will Chandler, Hayden Buckley, Greyson Sigg and others.

"I'm amazed helium did it successful that environment, but I'm not amazed helium tin marque that galore birdies," Robb Howell said. "I've seen him bash that a bunch. I've seen him sprout 60 oregon 61 astatine our people respective times."

In fact, Howell recorded a 13-under 59 astatine Glen Arven Country Club successful his hometown of Thomasville, Georgia.

He was 14.

Robb Howell and his wife, Lauren, gave Mason his archetypal acceptable of clubs erstwhile helium was 5. He competed successful his archetypal tourney the adjacent year. When Mason was 12, helium discontinue playing tennis and shot to absorption connected golf.

Howell competed connected the varsity squad arsenic a sixth grader astatine the Maclay School successful Tallahassee, Florida.

"He was 12, playing against these precocious schoolhouse kids," Robb Howell said. "They would locomotion to the archetypal tee, and immoderate 18-year-old would look astatine this kid and say, 'Gosh, I'm going to termination him.' Then he'd beryllium losing by 4 shots aft 3 holes."

Howell has competed connected the varsity squad astatine the Brookwood School successful Thomasville since the eighth grade. In April, Brookwood School captured its 4th Georgia Independent Athletic Association authorities rubric successful the past 5 years; Howell was the idiosyncratic authorities champion aft surviving a playoff.

Howell was ranked the 470th-best golfer successful the World Amateur Ranking earlier U.S. Open qualifying. He won his property part astatine the 2022 Future Masters successful Dothan, Alabama, the aforesaid tourney Masters champions Bubba Watson and Scottie Scheffler captured arsenic juniors. Howell besides finished archetypal successful the 2023 Billy Horschel Junior Championships and precocious to lucifer play successful the 2024 U.S. Junior Amateur.

"He's an unbelievable talent, and helium loves it," said Brookwood School manager Jimmy Gillam. "He works his ass off, and that's what I emotion most. He doesn't get wrapped up successful the success. He squashes it and past looks guardant to the adjacent tournament."

Gillam, who is an adjunct teaching pro astatine Glen Arven Country Club, recalled Howell calling him connected a acold December greeting a mates of years ago, wanting a chipping lesson. Gillam told him determination was a frost hold and he'd person to hold until it warmed up.

"I'm connected my way," Howell told him. "I'm acceptable now."

Gillam is caddying for Howell this week. A autochthonal of Altoona, Pennsylvania, Gillam won the 2018 Western Pennsylvania Open astatine Oakmont. He competed connected mini-tours until a backmost wounded ended his career.

Gillam called Howell "one of the champion putters I've ever seen." Howell carries his drives arsenic acold arsenic 305 yards and hits a 7-iron astir 195.

"It's similar playing a video game," Gillam said. "Whenever you're moving with him, helium tin conscionable prime it up truthful fast, and it's going to beryllium an awesome trial for him. He's going to larn truthful overmuch astir himself. He's going to larn however to play precise disciplined golf, due to the fact that if you effort to get greedy retired here, you're going to truly get bit."

Howell played signifier rounds with five-time PGA Tour victor Harris English connected Monday and Tuesday. English spent portion of his puerility successful Thomasville and played arsenic a inferior astatine Glen Arven.

"He's great," English said. "He's mode amended than I was astatine 17. I couldn't ideate playing this lawsuit going into your elder twelvemonth of precocious school. He's got each the tools: He's long, helium tin formation it, seems similar a bully wedge player. He's got each the tools."

A rising elder astatine the Brookwood School, Howell has committed to play play astatine the University of Georgia successful 2026, English's alma mater. Howell's sister, Meg, is simply a rising inferior astatine Georgia, and his parent is simply a UGA graduate. Robb Howell attended Georgia's instrumentality school.

"As I told him this week, it's conscionable astir gaining experience," English said. "He's going to beryllium playing successful a batch of these, and the sooner you tin go comfy retired here, playing successful beforehand of these crowds, playing play courses similar this, the better. For him, conscionable the acquisition is incredible, and conscionable soak it successful and not beryllium excessively hard connected yourself. I mean, he's inactive young."

Howell understands that Oakmont Country Club's 5-inch unsmooth and lightning-fast greens volition situation adjacent the champion golfers successful the world. His extremity is to marque the 36-hole chopped and triumph debased amateur honors, arsenic Jack Nicklaus, Phil Mickelson, Viktor Hovland and others person done.

"I cognize helium wants to compete," English said. "I cognize helium wants to marque the cut. He wants to person a accidental to win, but this is the hardest trial we person successful golf. We don't spot it a full lot, and this is his archetypal clip seeing it. So he's going to larn a batch astir himself, a batch astir his game, and seeing this benignant of level of play is an awesome acquisition for him."

Reigning U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau besides offered words of proposal for Howell: "Just beryllium grateful, that's 1 thing."

"I was truthful focused erstwhile I was 17 connected being the champion subordinate I could be, I mislaid show of however chill it was to beryllium traveling the state astatine that clip and playing golf," said DeChambeau, who competed successful his archetypal U.S. Open arsenic a 21-year-old successful 2015. "I mislaid a small spot of that."

If Howell makes the cut, helium would go the third-youngest golfer to bash it successful the U.S. Open since World War II. Beau Hossler (17 years, 3 months) tied for 29th arsenic an amateur successful 2012; Michael Thorbjornsen (17 years, 8 months) was 79th successful 2019.

Howell turns 18 connected June 28.

"It's beauteous chill for a genitor to ticker a kid's imagination travel true, you know?" Robb Howell said. "That's what my woman and I are getting to bash close present successful beforehand of our eyes, which is beauteous special. All he's ever wanted to bash was play golf, and he's wanted to beryllium a nonrecreational golfer his full life."