DALLAS – Mason Howell is having what most young golfers would consider to be an unbelievable summer. 

About a month removed from competing in the U.S. Open and a week from helping the East team win the Wyndham Cup, the Brookwood senior is back on the course for the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship.

Yesterday, at the Brook Hollow course, Howell finished the first round at -3, putting him tied for third on the leaderboard. 

“I hit it well all day.” Howell said. “I got off to a little bit of a funky start, had a lot of lip outs and hit a flag on a hole. I just stayed patient and steady. It got super windy out there so I knew par was a good score.

Howell also mentioned how he gained momentum on the back nine, and was overall happy with his performance.

“I might have hit almost every single green on the back nine,” Howell said. “Those were the three best birdie looks I had and I made a good birdie on the par 5 fifth hole. After that my swing kind of freed up and I started attacking flags and it started working out. 

Today, Howell will tee off at Trinity Forest where he hasn’t played yet but he is ready for the challenge. 

“I played Brook Hollow back-to-back days, and I haven’t played Trinity since.” Howell said. “It will be a good test since it is a completely different golf course, honestly. I know it’s going to be windy over there and I will have to adjust to the greens. You have to be a little bit more accurate out here (Brook Hollow). I’m going to see if I can match today’s score or post a lower one.

Howell will tee off this afternoon at 2:03pm.