The conclusion of Round 2 of stroke play at a USGA amateur championship is always bittersweet.
For 64 golfers, it’s a time to celebrate advancing to the match-play stage. But for a bevy of others, it’s about the disappointment of your championship week coming to a conclusion.
Two hundred players in the 77th U.S. Junior Amateur being contested at Trinity Forest Golf Club and stroke-play co-host Brook Hollow Golf Club, found themselves checking out of their hotels – or AirBnBs – on Tuesday night/Wednesday morning, and rearranging flights back home or to the next tournament on the calendar. Those within driving distance were in their vehicles headed out of the north Texas heat.
Mason Howell was not one of them. The 18-year-old from Thomasville, Ga., who qualified for last month’s U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club, continued his strong play by carding a 4-under-par 67 on Tuesday at Trinity Forest. Coupled with his 3-under 67 at Brook Hollow on Monday, the 2026 University of Georgia commit earned medalist honors with a 36-hole total of 7-under 134.
That was one stroke ahead of Ben Bolton, of England. Bolton, an 18-year-old competing in his first USGA championship, backed up Monday’s 67 at Trinity Forest with a 2-under 68 at Brook Hollow, which statistically played the toughest of the two venues. Trinity Forest’s stroke average was 73.93 compared to 75.96.
Tyler Watts, the 2024 U.S. Junior Amateur runner-up from Huntsville, Ala., who is a member of the U.S. National Junior Team; Sage Bradshaw, of Bluffton, S.C.; and Stuart Boulware, of Fairway, Kan., each finished at 5-under 136.
The cut for match play came at 3-over 144 (matching lowest in championship history) with exactly 64 competitors finishing on the line or better. Jackson Ormond, of Webster, N.Y., birdied his 17th hole of the day at Brook Hollow to finish at 144, knock the 15 players at +4 out of the championship and avoid a Wednesday morning playoff. The last time a playoff wasn’t necessary to determine the last match-play spots was 2008 at Shoal Creek.
Once again, temperatures climbed to the mid- to high-90s with a Heat Index reaching triple digits, with winds gusting into the upper teens.
Howell, accustomed to the heat and humidity of Georgia in the summer, registered six birdies against two bogeys. Sitting tied for the lead going into the 503-yard, par-4 18th, he executed a perfect pitching-wedge approach from 177 yards to 9 feet, and then confidently converted the birdie putt. Even without leader boards on the course, the four-time U.S. Junior Amateur competitor sensed he was among those vying for the top position.
“It’s just the first step complete,” said Howell, who in June carded a pair of 63s at Piedmont Driving Club, in Atlanta, Ga., to share medalist honors at his U.S. Open final qualifier. “Looking forward to the rest of the week and seeing if I can take it deep into match play, and hopefully win this sucker. I played really well today, and I really like this golf course.”
Bolton never was concerned about his position. His goal the past two days was simple: post a score good enough to be among the 64 qualifiers for match play, something he failed to do last month when he competed in The Amateur Championship conducted by The R&A at Royal St. George’s. Four birdies and two bogeys were enough to earn him a Wednesday tee time.
“A lot of people are saying putting on the greens was really different here [at Brook Hollow],” said Bolton when asked if he approached the co-host venue differently. “I thought approach shots and hitting wedges [were more challenging] because they just kept spinning back.
“Today was one of the days where you just go out there and stay present.”
Few juniors have enjoyed as much success this summer as Watts. He won the prestigious Sunnehanna Amateur in June, then finished sixth at the Northeast Amateur and lost in the title match of the North & South Amateur at Pinehurst. He also has a sour taste from last year’s disappointing championship-match defeat to Trevor Gutschewski. The lefty, who is No. 45 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking®/WAGR®, will get another chance this week after posting a second consecutive 68, this one at Brook Hollow.
Bradshaw, another first-time USGA competitor, arrived in Texas off a strong summer campaign that saw the 2026 College of Charleston commit win the Beth Daniel Junior Azalea at the Country Club of Charleston, tie for third in the Southern Junior and finish fourth in the South Carolina Junior. Four consecutive birdies from No. 14 at Trinity Forest carried him to a 67 and a top-5 seed for match play.
At Brook Hollow, U.S. Junior Amateur rookie Boulware had a USGA-type round with 17 pars and a birdie, which came on the 351-yard, par-4 2nd hole, his 11th of the round. He opened the championship with a 67 at Trinity Forest.
WHAT'S NEXT
The Round-of-64 matches will commence on Wednesday morning at Trinity Forest at 8 a.m. CDT and continue in 10-minute intervals. Match play continues through Saturday’s 36-hole final. Peacock will have live streaming of Friday’s semifinals from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. EDT, while Golf Channel will broadcast the afternoon portion of the final on Saturday from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.Admission is free, and spectators are encouraged to attend.
NOTABLE
Players, caddies and USGA officials have been wearing green ribbons this week to honor the victims of the flooding in Kerrville, Texas, and surrounding areas over July 4 weekend that killed at least 135 people.
Ayden Fynaut, of Fresno, Calif., had the round of the week, shooting a 64 at the statistically tougher Brook Hollow to move into solo sixth at 4-under 137. It was a nine-stroke improvement from his 73 at Trinity Forest. It matched the third-lowest 18-hole score in championship history.
Nguyen Anh Minh, of Vietnam, a quarterfinalist in 2024 at Oakland Hills, had an eight-stroke turnaround, carding a 5-under 66 at Trinity Forest. Chase Bauer, of Gotha, Fla., also went eight strokes better at Trinity Forest, posting a 67 to make the cut.
Defending champion Trevor Gutschewski made the cut, finishing at 1-over 142, along with fellow U.S. National Junior Team members Tyler Mawhinney, Tyler Watts, Henry Guan, Michael Riebe, Ronin Banerjee, Luke Colton and alum Miles Russell (2024), a quarterfinalist at Oakland Hills. Also making the cut was Cameron Kuchar, the son of 9-time PGA Tour winner and 1999 USA Walker Cupper Matt Kuchar.
Notable players to miss the cut for match play included Charlie Woods, the 16-year-old son of nine-time USGA champion Tiger Woods, who was in attendance this week, Jackson Byrd, the son of 5-time PGA Tour winner and 1999 USA Walker Cupper Jonathan Byrd, and U.S. National Junior Team members Phillip Dunham and Will Hartman, who captured the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball title in May with partner and fellow USNJT member Mawhinney. Woods went seven strokes better on Tuesday, carding a 74 at Trinity Forest.
Also failing to advance was 2024 U.S. Junior Amateur semifinalist Xihuan Chang.
QUOTABLE
“That was an incredible week and one that I will remember forever. But I am still the same person. Just trying to get better every day and really looking forward to going to play at Georgia [in 2026]…Comparing my game to those pros was definitely good for my confidence. It’s not every day that a 17-year-old gets to compare their game to the No. 1 golfer in the world. It was such a fun week. Going to try and win this week so I can get back next year.” – Mason Howell on playing in the 2025 U.S. Open
“I love the heat. Back home [in England], you're used to getting a couple days of rain a week where it drops the temperature.” – Ben Bolton comparing Dallas’ sizzling summer heat to what it is currently like in the United Kingdom
“I went all the way [to the championship match] last year and unfortunately wasn’t able to win. I know that I can make it that far and hopefully I can get back there and have a different outcome” – Tyler Watts
“Comfortable is a stretch because conditions out here change as you play. The greens are great all the way through. That’s the tricky part about it, having to maintain that same speed as well as with all the wind.” – Sage Bradshaw on his comfort level with Trinity Forest after a 4-under 67 on Tuesday
“It's been great. This is by far the best tournament I’ve ever played in. I mean we have [Titleist] Pro V1s on the range, that's just a nice little touch and I love that. The courses are also just insane. You normally don't play very nice golf courses in most tournaments.” – Stuart Boulware on playing in his first USGA championship
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