Herrington’s U.S. Amateur Championship Bid Falls Short In Finals

In an SEC showdown featuring the youngest pair of finalists to compete for the U.S. Amateur crown, 18-year-old Mason Howell of Thomasville, Ga. played near-flawless golf on Sunday to defeat Dickson’s Jackson Herrington, 7 and 6, at The Olympic Club’s Lake Course in San Francisco.

Howell, who is entering his senior year of high school and a Georgia commit, made few mistakes in completing a spectacular summer that began with competing in the U.S. Open at Oakmont and will conclude with participating on the U.S. Walker Cup team at Cypress Point.

Things started well for the 19-year-old Herrington, who was hoping to join Phil Mickelson as the only left-handed golfers to win the coveted Havemeyer Trophy. The rising sophomore at Tennessee took a 1 up advantage over Howell on the second hole with a par. But it would take another eight holes for Herrington to pick up his next win.

In the meantime, Howell reeled off five wins in a six-hole stretch, punctuated by an eagle after driving the 309-yard par-4 seventh. He increased his lead to 4 up with a par at No. 8 as Herrington carded five bogeys to that point.

After Herrington won with a birdie on the tenth hole to reduce his deficit to 3 down, Howell stretched his advantage to 5 up with a par at eleven and a birdie at sixteen. A par to close the opening 18 holes while Howell bogeyed allowed Herrington to trim the gap to 4 down at the midway point.

After a break for lunch, Herrington knew he needed to hone his game to put pressure on Howell. But Herrington pulled his opening drive behind a tree, forcing him to pitch back to the fairway that led to another bogey to go 5 down.

Herrington was in prime position to chip away at the deficit on the 20^th hole with Howell short of the green on his approach. However, his wedge flew the green into the thick rough, eventually halving the hole with a bogey.

Howell’s lead grew to 6-up with a par on the 21^st hole, and Herrington’s comeback chances grew even dimmer after play to a draw on the next two holes.

Herrington did manage a win on the 24^th hole with par, but Howell responded by winning two of the next three holes to build an insurmountable 7 up lead with nine to play. Three more pars tied each of those holes for Howell, securing the win at the 30^th hole to join University of Tennessee at Chattanooga’s Steven Fox in 2012 as only the second 63^rd seed to claim the title in the tournament’s 125-year history.

“I showed a lot of resilience,” Herrington said. “I stuck it out, didn't give up, and never quit trying. I just never did anything go my way. I learned a lot about myself this week, so it was good to see.”

Herrington became just the seventh Tennessean to make it to the finals of the U.S. Amateur. Hillman Robbins (1957), David Gossett (1999) and Steven Fox (2012) walked away with victories, while Danny Green (1989), Luke List (2004) and Casey Whittenburg (2003) finished as runner-up.

In reflecting back on his odyssey that saw him earn the 37^th seed from two days of stroke play, emerge unscathed through five match play battles before falling in 30 holes on Sunday, Herrington was proud of his accomplishments.

“I’m extremely grateful,” Herrington said. “It was awesome. I'm looking forward to coming back next year. It was a special week, no matter what. I mean, I came in second, but I had a blast. Me and Collins (Banks, his caddie) were down the whole day, but we didn't stop having a good time. So, it was a good week no matter what.”

By making it to the championship match, Herrington earned an exemption to next year’s U.S. Open Championship at Shinnecock Hills and a likely invitation to the Masters Tournament.

Herrington is hopeful to use this week as a springboard as he returns to Knoxville.

“I’ve got a lot of confidence now, I know that,” Herrington said. “I'm gonna just keep doing what I've been doing this week, just gonna keep grinding, trying to get better. Hopefully we'll see a couple wins this year, and our team will get a ‘natty’ this year.”

Paul Payne can be emailed at paulpayne6249@gmail.com