U.S. Amateur winner Mason Howell has Masters on his mind at Houston Open

HOUSTON — Mason Howell has the Masters on his mind.

And Augusta National on his belt.

The 18-year-old amateur — who in 2025 took the world by storm after becoming the third-youngest U.S. Amateur champion and playing on the U.S. Walker Cup team a month later — will make his first start in the Masters in two weeks time. But first, he’s making his third PGA Tour start at the 2026 Texas Children’s Houston Open, his final preparation before heading down Magnolia Lane.

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“I’ve been trying to recreate shots around my home course and playing golf courses like Sage (Valley) and then playing this week in Houston, really just trying to prep for two weeks at Augusta,” Howell said Tuesday at Memorial Park Golf Course, where he’s playing on a sponsor exemption as the youngest player in the field. “It’s hard to. You can’t replicate that place.

“I’ve just been kind of gearing my game to some shots that I’ll need out there and but at the same time just working hard on every little part, and knowing that putting is going to be important, knowing your your numbers coming into the greens are gonna be important.”

Howell’s latest start came in the Junior Invitational at Sage Valley, where he finished third behind top-ranked junior Miles Russell and Tyler Watts. At the Houston Open, Howell will look to make his first cut on the PGA Tour after missing the weekend at the U.S. Open last summer and the RSM Classic in the fall.

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Howell’s rise was like a rocket blasting into space. He qualified for the U.S. Open, carding consecutive rounds of 63 to win medalist honors at his final qualifier. He won medalist honors again, this time at the U.S. Junior Amateur before bowing out early in match play. Then he was in a playoff to get into match play at the U.S. Amateur, eventually winning the Havemeyer Trophy at Olympic Club last August before going 2-1 in the Walker Cup the following month at Cypress Point. After that was a trip to Singapore on the U.S. team for the World Amateur Team Championship.

All of this happening while he was still in high school. He signed with Georgia last year and will begin his collegiate career with the Bulldogs this fall.

But first, a trip to Augusta National awaits.

“I’ve taken two trips and played it four times, so going one final time next week,” Howell said. “It’s super special every time. Every time I step foot on that first tee, I think I can’t believe I’m gonna be here surrounded by a bunch of people playing in the tournament. Really can’t wait for that week to be here, but I know when it comes, it’s gonna go by super fast, so I’m gonna try to soak it all in and keep a smile on my face.”

Howell’s final junior tournament came two weeks ago at Sage Valley. This summer, he’s going to play a mix of professional and amateur events before defending his U.S. Amateur title at Merion and beginning his college career.

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On Tuesday, Howell was donning an Augusta National Golf Club belt while playing the front nine at Memorial Park with Keith Mitchell, a Georgia alum, and J.T. Poston. Mitchell is just one of a few former Bulldogs who have given advice to Howell, and he’s doing his best to be a sponge and soak it all up.

“They all said it’s a blast,” Howell said. “They they want those four years back, so that just just makes me really want to get up to Athens and get going. I got a lot of stuff to look forward to the rest of this year before college starts.”

As for his final start before the Masters, Howell knows this is a week where there’s an opportunity to learn from his previous professional starts. But he also acknowledges azaleas are blooming in his thoughts.

“This week should be a lot of fun.”

This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Amateur Mason Howell has Masters on his mind at Houston Open 2026