Winning the American amateur is supplied with many benefits: the Havemeyer -Trophy, a gold medal and your name etched in history alongside greats such as Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Phil Mickelson, Arnold Palmer and Bobby Jones.
But perhaps the biggest advantage of all is an exemption from three of the most important championships of the following year: the US Open, the Open Championship and the Masters – as long as the player maintains his amateur status.
And for newly crowned US am Champ Mason Howell, making the trip to Augusta in April is already great. The American amateur champion is traditionally linked to the defensive Masters champion for the first two rounds of the Masters. That means that Howell can expect that he can show up in Augusta National on Thursday and Friday. In this week’s episode, Howell explained how that chance will have an extra meaning for him.
“I now have one of his golf balls in my room of the [2016] Tour championship in Atlanta, “Morrow told Subpar Hosts Colt Knost and Drew Stoltz. “I went to look and he gave me his golf ball as the 4th hole, and I’ve saved it since then, so it will be a kind of complete circle moment. He was like my favorite player who grew up.”
Howell is of course not far away from his childhood. The 18-year-old will enter his last year of high school this fall and is verbally dedicated to play collegial at the University of Georgia.
“Some people say, like, who are they looking at? Like Tiger and people,” said Howell. “Rory was my husband because he was the best golfer to grow up for me.”
As far as the round itself is concerned, there is only one thing where Howell says he thinks when it comes to playing next to the world No. 2: “I just hope that his drives will not take too many aerial photos of me while he flies by,” he said with a smile.
View the full episode below for more information from Howell, including an indoor report of his experience in the American amateur.
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