High school golfer qualifies for 125th US Open

High school golfer Mason Howell will be a David in the field of Goliaths as he qualifies for the 125^th US Open. The junior from Brookwood High School will participate in one of the four major golf tournaments after surviving what is described as “Golf’s Longest Day.”

On June 2, Howell completed consecutive rounds of 63 at Atlanta’s Piedmont Driving Club. Despite the nerves that he was admittedly dealing with throughout the competition, he had better scores than 2013 PGA Championship winner Jason Dufner, 2004 Masters third-place finisher K.J. Choi, and 2015 US Open champion Zach Johnson.

To qualify for the US Open, made nine birdies in the early round and replicated it in the afternoon round. Howell didn’t suffer a bogey to claim one of the five qualifying spots after tying with Jackson Buchanan for the top spot at 18-under.

Have a morning, Mason Howell!

The @UGAGolf commit went LOW early at Piedmont Driving Club, carding a 9-under 63 to lead by 3.

Live Scores: https://t.co/aBT2BOhAxj pic.twitter.com/yl4zMJsrEd

— U.S. Open (@usopengolf) June 2, 2025

The three remaining spots went to Will Chandler, Jackson Koivun, and Tyler Weaver, all tied at 11-under. Meanwhile, Hayden Buckley and Steven Fisk are the two alternates after completing the two rounds at 10-under. After high school, Mason Howell will continue his golfing career at the University of Georgia.

In addition to tying for medalist honors, Howell is one of 47 golfers to qualify for the upcoming US Open. It’s another achievement for the high school golfer who helped his school win another Georgia Class AAA championship. He shot a 67, leading to his team’s winning score of 275.

The 125^th US Open will be from June 12-15 at Oakmont Country Club in Texas. The United States Golf Association will have the final say on the 156-strong competitors’ field. However, alerady qualified are US Open champions from the past ten years and other golfing major champions, among others.