Local Qualifying: Shot 64 at Hawkstone Country Club, in Gainesville, Fla., on May 8
Final Qualifying: Shot 63-63--126 at Piedmont Driving Club, in Atlanta, Ga., on June 2
The 17-year-old rising high school senior qualified for his first U.S. Open in grand style, carding a pair of 63s at Piedmont Driving Club to share medalist honors with 2024 U.S. Amateur semifinalist and recent University of Illinois graduate Jackson Buchanan. He also was the co-medalist in his local qualifier in Gainesville, Fla., on May 8, shooting 64. Howell, one of the top juniors in the country, has already committed to play for the University of Georgia in 2026. In May, he helped Brookwood High in Thomasville, Ga., to its fourth state title in the last five years. He also was the individual state champion after surviving a playoff. In 2023, he won the American Junior Golf Association's Billy Horschel Junior Championships presented by Zurich. He also advanced to match play in the 2024 U.S. Junior Amateur at Oakland Hills Country Club. He currently sits just inside the top 475 of the World Amateur Golf Ranking. Howell was named a part of the U.S. National Development Program's Georgia State Junior Team based on his outstanding performance in 2024. The USNDP was created by the USGA to identify, train and develop the nation’s most talented golfers.
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