Rory McIlroy, teenager Mason Howell share 'awesome' moments at Masters
Rory McIlroy, teenager Mason Howell share 'awesome' moments at Masters
Blake Toppmeyer, USA TODAYThu, April 9, 2026 at 9:39 PM UTC
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Rory McIlroy, teenager Mason Howell share 'awesome' moments at Masters
AUGUSTA, GA – First thing’s first. What's up with Mason Howell’s hat?
When the 18-year-old amateur teed off on No. 1 for his first career shot at the Masters, he swung so hard his blue Ping hat flew off his head.
“I was going to swing out of my shoes to see if I could cover that right bunker,” Howell said after his first round at the Masters. “It was pretty funny.”
He wasn’t the only one who found humor in the situation. Playing partner Rory McIlroy helped keep the mood light after Howell’s tee shot went nowhere near the right bunker and instead went left. Way left.
“I didn't hit a good shot," Howell said, "but walking off that tee laughing with Rory, that was pretty funny."
No need to sweat one errant drive. Look at it this way: Howell got to miss high school classes Thursday and play Augusta National with the defending Masters champion.
Not a bad way to spend a day, even if Howell carded a 5-over 77 in his Masters debut after qualifying as the 2025 U.S. Amateur champion.
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On Wednesday at Augusta National, the Par 3 Contest replaces routine with play, as kids wander onto the greens and smiles outnumber swings before the Masters gets underway.These images capture the lighthearted moments that define the Par 3 Contest each year, when players share the course with their children and the focus shifts from preparation to pure joy.Above, Jordan Spieth and his wife, Annie Verret, crouch down on the ninth green as their son, Sully, crawls across during the Par 3 Contest at the Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club. Spieth’s oldest child, Sammy, clings to his back.
Rory McIlroy has a blast playing with teenager Mason Howell
As McIlroy and Howell walked up the No. 2 fairway, they were talking and laughing as if they were old friends. They had such camaraderie, you would’ve never known this was their first round together.
Howell, who’s quick with a quip, got a laugh out of McIlroy by asking him: How do you hit the ball so far?
He didn’t really expect an answer. Just a joke.
“Rory was awesome” to play with, Howell said. “We had a great walk today.”
You’d expect nothing less from McIlroy. He’s pure class, and it showed in his friendly interactions with Howell.
These two do go back a ways, in fact. When Howell attended the 2016 TOUR Championship at 9 years old, McIlroy flipped him a golf ball during the Sunday round. Just a coincidence. They didn’t know each other then. The Nike ball says “Rors” on the side. Howell’s kept it ever since, and he joked before the tournament about playing McIlroy’s ball at the Masters.
“That would be a power move,” Howell said before the tournament.
He was only kidding. That ball is a treasured keepsake, although he did bring the ball with him this week.
Why Rory McIlroy played Masters with Mason Howell
Tradition here says amateur qualifiers get paired with a Masters champion.
That’s how a senior from Thomasville High School in Georgia played the first round alongside a 36-year-old Masters champion. They’ll play together again in Round 2, before Howell (possibly) misses the cut.
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No matter Howell’s final score, he’ll come away with stories to tell.
Like, how his hat flew off multiple times during the round. Or, how he stuck his chip onto the green on the first hole, despite being unable to see the flagstick after his tee shot.
“I had a big magnolia right in my way,” Howell said.
Good scenery, anyway.
Howell scrapped his way to a par on the first hole, and he received a hearty cheer from the big gallery McIlroy attracted.
On No. 2, McIlroy and Howell chummed it up as they strolled up the fairway to find their tee shots. Once Howell arrived at his, he saw his ball resting about 6 inches from a tree trunk. The patrons moved back a smidge to give him room. He powered a low iron shot between two trees and saved par again.
Howell's round wobbled on the par-3 fourth, when he four-putted from 28 feet for double bogey.
Howell’s scorecard wound up with more green ink — used here for scores over-par — than red ink. He’ll need a heroic encore to stick around for the weekend, but he gave himself a chance by going birdie-birdie on Nos. 15 and 16.
Howell “got the driver cooking” after his first two drives missed the fairway. He striped a beauty on the par-5 No. 8 and took birdie.
He couldn’t match McIlroy for birdies.
Howell had a front-row view of McIlroy carding a 67. McIlroy finished his round tied atop the leaderboard.
“He just made a lot of putts and never really got himself in any trouble,” said Howell, who soon will head to the University of Georgia as part of the premier recruiting class that signed with the Bulldogs. “I guess that’s what it takes to be the first-round leader.”
What’ll it take for Howell to improve his score in Round 2?
“Just hit a little bit more greens,” Howell said.
Oh, and maybe make a minor adjustment with his hat, too.
“We might just tighten it up one button,” he said.
Blake Toppmeyer is a columnist for the USA TODAY Network. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on X @btoppmeyer.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Rory McIlroy, amateur Mason Howell share magical moments at Augusta
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