Who Is Mason Howell, the Amateur Paired With Scottie Scheffler at the 2026 U.S. Open

Mason Howell is the 18-year-old reigning U.S. Amateur champion, and he will play the first two rounds of the 2026 U.S. Open alongside world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and defending champion J.J. Spaun. That marquee group tees off the first hole at Shinnecock Hills at 8:14 a.m. Eastern on Thursday June 18, putting one of the most accomplished young amateurs in the game next to the headline story of the week.

Who is Mason Howell?

Mason Howell is an 18-year-old amateur from Georgia who won the 2025 U.S. Amateur at The Olympic Club in San Francisco last August. He beat Tennessee teenager Jackson Herrington 7 and 6 in the 36-hole final, a dominant result that capped a breakout summer. Howell is committed to the University of Georgia and is set to begin there in the fall of 2026, so he arrives at Shinnecock as a true amateur rather than a tour pro.

His U.S. Amateur run rewrote a record. Howell became the third-youngest champion in the history of the event, overtaking Tiger Woods on that list and standing as the youngest winner since Byeong Hun An in 2009. The title is the engine behind his run of major starts this year, because the U.S. Amateur champion earns exemptions into the U.S. Open, the Masters, and The Open Championship as long as he stays an amateur.

Why is Mason Howell paired with Scottie Scheffler?

The USGA placed Howell in a featured group with Scheffler and Spaun, a pairing built around storylines rather than world ranking. Scheffler is chasing the career Grand Slam at Shinnecock, with the U.S. Open the only major he has not won, and Spaun returns to defend the title he claimed at Oakmont in 2025. Slotting the reigning U.S. Amateur champion between them gives the broadcast a past, present, and future angle inside one threesome.

The group goes off the first tee at 8:14 a.m. Eastern on Thursday in the morning wave, then flips to a later start for the second round. Both Scheffler and Spaun draw heavy television coverage, so Howell will get more camera time than a typical amateur, and his ball-striking will be on display against the best player in the world.

Mason Howell‘s major championship experience

This is not Howell’s first time on the biggest stage. He qualified for the 2025 U.S. Open as the youngest player in the field, then missed the cut in his debut. He bounced back at the 2026 Masters, where he earned his invitation through the U.S. Amateur win and made the cut at Augusta National, a strong result for a teenager in his first Masters. That mix of nerves-tested reps and a made cut at a major gives him a better baseline than most amateurs who reach a U.S. Open.

Shinnecock is a different test, an exposed, wind-swept layout with wide fairways and brutal fescue rough. The course punishes wayward driving and rewards patience, which is a demanding ask for any first-time-here amateur. Still, Howell has already shown he can handle major pressure, and a teenager with nothing to lose can be dangerous over 36 holes.

Mason Howell betting and DFS angle

For bettors, Howell is a long-shot outright at best, and the smarter way to use him is in the matchup and three-ball markets rather than the win pool. No amateur has won the U.S. Open in the modern era, so an outright ticket is a lottery play. The live edges are head-to-head props within his group and round-by-round matchups, where his form and a soft number can create value against a struggling veteran.

• Three-ball and matchup markets are the cleanest way to bet an amateur, since they price one player against one or two others rather than the full field.
• Made-cut and 36-hole props are worth a look given Howell already made the cut at the 2026 Masters and has U.S. Open reps from 2025.
• For DFS, Howell is a punt-priced flier, useful only as salary relief in a lineup anchored by elite ball-strikers who fit the wind and fescue test.

The bigger betting story inside this group remains Scheffler and his Grand Slam bid, which we broke down in our Scottie Scheffler career Grand Slam preview, and Spaun’s title defense, covered in our J.J. Spaun defending champion outlook.

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Frequently asked questions

How did Mason Howell qualify for the 2026 U.S. Open?

Howell earned an exemption by winning the 2025 U.S. Amateur. That title hands the champion automatic spots in the U.S. Open, the Masters, and The Open Championship, provided he keeps his amateur status, which is why he is teeing it up at Shinnecock without going through qualifying.

Does Mason Howell win prize money if he plays well at Shinnecock?

No. As an amateur, Howell cannot accept prize money from the U.S. Open. He can claim the low-amateur honors and the experience, but any check that would correspond to his finish stays out of his hands until he turns professional.

Has an amateur ever won the U.S. Open?

Yes, but not in a very long time. Johnny Goodman, in 1933, was the last amateur to win the U.S. Open, and no amateur has done it since. That history is why Howell is a viewing-and-matchup story this week rather than a realistic outright contender.

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