Golf’s national championship will have a 17-year-old in the field next week.
Mason Howell, a 17-year-old high school junior from Thomasville, Ga., tied for medalist honors Monday at a qualifier in Atlanta, shooting a pair of 63s to punch his ticket to the 125th U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club.
“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous,” Howell said on Golf Channel. “Hugging my mom and my dad walking off 18 green, just a feeling I don’t know I’ll feel again, but that was one of the greatest moments of my life.”
A total of 47 spots were up for grabs Monday across seven U.S. Open Final Qualifying sites in the U.S. and one in Canada, with players competing for 36 holes. Many players first had to advance from local qualifiers, and a record 10,202 entries for the tournament were accepted by the United States Golf Association.
Howell was one of several amateurs advancing. In Walla Walla, Wash., Matt Vogt, an amateur and full-time dentist from Indianapolis, won his qualifier.
UNREAL shot by dentist Matt Vogt from way off the fairway at Wine Valley Golf Club. 🔥🤯
— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) June 3, 2025
📺 Golf Channel pic.twitter.com/sANHUACrvb
Rickie Fowler played his way into the British Open on Sunday at the Memorial Tournament, then Monday fell just shy of doing the same for the U.S. Open.
Cameron Young won a 5-for-1 playoff in Columbus, Ohio, defeating Fowler as well as Max Homa. Erik van Rooyen was the medalist there by six shots, with Bud Cauley, Lanto Griffin, Justin Lower and Harrison Ott also advancing to Oakmont.
“It’s a long day,” van Rooyen told Golf Channel. “Just an absolute will to play the U.S. Open. I’ve never played Oakmont.”
More than a dozen LIV Golf players were at a qualifier in Rockville, Md., with the league playing a tournament later this week in Gainesville, Va. Marc Leishman was the lone LIV player to advance, surviving a 3-for-2 playoff where fellow LIV golfer Sebastian Munoz was the odd man out.
For full results, visit the U.S. Open’s Final Qualifying results page.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as High School Junior Mason Howell, Age 17, Qualifies for U.S. Open at Oakmont.
