Rory McIlroy To Play With Old Fan During Next Masters

Meeting their favorite sports star is something every kid wants to do.  Doesn’t matter which sport, and if they get some memorabilia out of it, that moment is all the more special.  Whether it’s a ball, jersey, or bat, that kid will treat it like treasure.  Now, being able to play in that sport with that star is something else entirely.  That is the opportunity that Mason Howell gets to have with Rory McIlroy next spring.

Mason Howell Growing Up

Mason Howell has been a lifelong fan of golf.  At the age of nine, he had the opportunity to spectate the Tour Championship where Rory McIlroy was playing, and won.  During the tournament, McIlroy gave Howell a golf ball, something that he has to this day.  Howell spoke about it on the Subpar Podcast:

“I have one of his golf balls sitting in my room right now from the 2016 Tour championship up in Atlanta,” Morrow told Subpar hosts. “I went to watch, and he gave me his golf ball on like the 4th hole, and I’ve kept it ever since.  So it’ll be kind of a full-circle moment. He was like my favorite player growing up.”

Howell went on to talk about all the stars that his friends looked up to.  Players like Tiger Woods, but for Howell, that was McIlroy.  According to him, “he was the best golfer for me growing up.”

McIlroy And Howell At The Masters

Mason Howell is the current champion of the US Amateur.  That comes with a few perks, most notably, it opens up opportunities on the PGA Tour, as well as the Masters Tournament.  When he goes to the Masters Tournament, he will be paired with the current reigning champion for the first two rounds.  That champion just so happens to be Rory McIlroy.  It’s not hard to imagine that Howell will be like Luke Clanton, a rookie who is still trying to get used to the idea of being a pro.  

McIlroy’s Child Fan Becoming A Competitor

Meeting an idol is one thing, but being able to compete with them is something else entirely.  Mason Howell has been given the opportunity of a lifetime.  Although he kept himself calm and collected on the podcast, he has a lot of excitement for the tournament.  The opportunities this opens for him go beyond just playing with his childhood hero.  This can also put him on track to become a pro golfer.  Howell is still committed to going to college, though, and has only just become a high school senior, but the doors are opening.  Howell may join the rookie lineup in the near future and earn his own Tour Card.  For now, though, the Amateur Champion is on his way to the Augusta National Golf Course.  To think that this started when a little boy received a golf ball from Rory McIlroy.