Mason Howell is the 2025 US Amateur champion after a dominant victory over Jackson Herrington at The Olympic Club.
He hit back to win the next hole, the first of three in a row, and by the time he walked off the green at the par-3 eighth he was 4-up.
Herrington hit back at the 10th with his first birdie of the day, but he couldn't build any momentum with Howell re-establishing his cushion at the 11th.
The 18-year-old, who would go on to surpass Tiger Woods as the third-youngest US Amateur champion, was 5-up after the 16th before being pegged back two holes later.
After the intermission, Herrington would have been determined to come out all guns blazing in the second half, but instead it was Howell who reclaimed his five-hole lead at the 19th and that became 6-up at at the par-3 21st after Herrington found thick rough from his tee shot.
In truth, Herrington struggled all afternoon off the tee, frequently missing fairways, although he clawed a hole back at the 24th of the day on one of the rare occasions his drive found its intended target while Howell's tee shot hit a tree.
In the end, Howell missed his par putt to hand his opponent a glimmer of hope.
It didn't last, with Howell once again bouncing back immediately to go 6-up after 25 holes. That became 7-up two holes later and Howell was on the verge of victory.
At that point, it seemed like a formality and so it proved, even though Herrington gamely hung in there for three more holes before he finally ran out of opportunities to claw back the deficit as Howell completed a hugely impressive 7&6 victory to lift the Havemeyer Trophy.
Howell won the match on the 30th hole of the day
Afterwards, Howell said: "My name next to these other names on this trophy is unbelievable. To be next to somebody named Tiger, that's an unreal feeling. It's been such a great week here. Props to the Olympic Club as a world class venue."
Following his defeat, Herrington was brutally honest in his assessment of his performance.
He said: "I just played terrible. Can't lie. I hit some good shots like this one that didn't even end up close. I thought I flagged it, and it flew 10 yards too far. I didn't even know what I was doing, and I couldn't figure it out."
However, he was determined to take the positives, adding: "I got through a lot of people this week, and it was tough. I proved to myself I could do it. He played good, and I didn't play great. It was unfortunate I was that way, but I learned a lot about myself. So it was good."
US AMATEUR FINAL SCORING
- Howell 7&6 Herrington
Hole | Jackson Herrington | Mason Howell |
|---|---|---|
19 | 5 | 4 |
20 | 5 | 5 |
21 | 4 | 3 |
22 | 4 | 4 |
23 | 5 | 5 |
24 | 4 | 5 |
25 | 5 | 3 |
26 | 3 | 3 |
27 | 5 | 4 |
28 | 4 | 4 |
29 | 4 | 4 |
30 | 4 | 4 |
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THE STORY SO FAR...
Herrington then reduced the deficit to four at the 17th and that's how it stayed as the pair headed back to the clubhouse for a breather before the second 18.
A FITTING VENUE
ASSURED RESUMPTION FROM THE LEADER
Howell's bang in the middle, and places his approach nicely onto the green to leave a birdie chance, before Herrington lays up to settle for just getting out of the rough.
HOWELL TAKES 5-UP LEAD
Herrington's putt for par misses right, leaving Howell two putts to win. The first comes up inches short and he completes the formalities to go 5-up.
Lots of golf left here yet, but that's not the start to the second half of proceedings Herrington was looking for.
Just like that, Mason Howell's lead is back to 5 up. He steps right in and makes a par on the first hole of the afternoon. pic.twitter.com/1PKgv5ZV3OAugust 17, 2025
HOWELL RETAINS BIG LEAD
Both players then miss the green with their approaches, and it's Howell feeling the heat as he's stuck in a greenside bunker.
His response is decent, finding the green to leave a par chance. Now, off the back of the green, it's Herrington, who chips it nicely, but it won't sit and rolls back off the green to the right. Herrington's fourth stops two or three feet left of the pin.
With his par putt, Howell's breaks a little far left and the bogey is conceded to him. Herrington has work to do. He holes it and it is halved.
HOWELL TURNS THE SCREW
Herrington's second is even worse, not even making the green. Howell then gets it close enough to take the par, before Herrington, needing to make it from the edge of the green, doesn't. Just like that, Howell is 6-up.
HOWELL IN CONTROL
Both find the green with their approaches, and Herrington is facing a 30-to 40-foot birdie putt. It's good, but not for the first time he leaves it short.
Howell can win it iwth his birdie putt from just inside 30 feet but it breaks right. Herrington then makes par and the hole is halved.
AS WE WERE
As a result, Herrington is next, whose third is misjudged, going right and beyond the pin. Nothing's going right for him.
Howell has 30 feet to win the hole with his putter from the edge of the green. It stops a few feet left.
Herrington has a long one for par. It's a beautiful left-to-right, but narrowly misses. With a considerably easier putt, Howell misses with the flag in, but he makes it coming back and the hole is tied.
HERRINGTON HITS BACK
Meanwhile, Herrington is quick to pick up his tee after a beautiful drive finds the fairway.
Howell's approach is OK, but doesn't find the green. This is Herrington's chance to arrest the slide. Will he take it?
His approach suggests he might, landing on the green before spinning back a touch.
From the first cut short of the green, Howell places his third beyond the pin. Herrington has a birdie chance to win the hole. It comes up a touch short, but Howell misses his par putt and the lead is reduced to five.
Fridge is on the board!A par on the 24th hole of the match is his first win of the afternoon session. pic.twitter.com/rBI6X4JumHAugust 18, 2025
TREE TROUBLE FOR JACKSON
Herrington finds his ball behind a tree, but he can go through a gap between the trunks. It's high-risk, so should he? With the current state of play, it seems plausible.
In the end he goes left of the tree and he's still not on the green.
MASON MOTORING ON
Herrington misses his par putt, and we're back to a 6-up lead for Mason Howell.
HERRINGTON STOPS THE ROT
Case in point: the tee shot at the par-3 26th. Howell finds the green, but Herrington misses left - a recurring problem as his off-day continues.
Herrington then recovers well with his second, leaving a decent par chance. He takes it after Howell makes par and the hole is tied.
HOWELL TURNING THE SCREW
Herrington's third is a chip that lands slightly off the back of the green. Almost nothing is going his way and you have to feel for him.
Howell's birdie shot misses right and the par is conceded to him. Now Herrington needs to hole his from off the green. It goes and goes, but then stops, and Howell has a 7-up lead with only nine to go.
HOWELL ON THE CUSP
FAIRWAY TROUBLE FOR JACKSON
Howell, meanwhile, finds the fairway - a more satisfying trend he's established throughout the afternoon.
HERRINGTON SHOWS GRIT TO STAY IN IT
With 159 yards to the hole, he finds the back of the green.
Back to Herrington and 137 yards from the hole, the club of choice is a gap wedge. He hooks it round the tree OK and straight onto the back of the green too.
Howell's third struggles out of the rough and barely onto the green before Herrington fares better to leave it a couple of feet from the hole. He's clawing some pride back if nothing else.
Howell then makes par meaning Herrington needs to make his to extend the match. And he does!
STATE OF PLAY
MASON HOWELL WINS US AMATEUR!
Herrington is on the fairway and has nothing to lose. His finds the back of the green.
Herrington really needs to chip this in to force the issue. The result isn't great, going right and beyond the pin to leave a difficult par putt.
Back with Howell, he has two putts to win the match.
He has 40 feet to go and the first gets hims to within one. That'll do it and Mason Howell is the US Amateur champion!
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