In elementary school, Jackson Herrington drew a picture of himself wearing a green jacket with the word “Masters” written near the bottom. He knew how much the prestigious event meant in the golfing world.
The University of Tennessee sophomore has earned a chance to make his debut in Augusta, Georgia.
Herrington finished runner-up at the 125th U.S. Amateur Championship at The Olympic Club in San Francisco, California last weekend, tying for the best finish by a UT golfer in the event. By reaching the final match, Herrington earned a spot in the 2026 Masters Tournament and the 2026 U.S. Open.
“I got through a lot of people this week and it was tough,” says Herrington, a Dickson native. “I proved to myself I could do it.”
Herrington, 19, lost to Georgia commit Mason Howell 7 and 6 in the 36-hole championship match. Howell, 18, became the third-youngest U.S. Amateur champion ever.
Howell built a sizable lead over Herrington on the opening 18 holes. Herrington bogeyed the first three holes after the lunch break to trail by six and could never make up ground down the stretch.
“He played good and I didn’t play great,” Herrington says. “It was unfortunate I was that way, but I learned a lot about myself.”
Nicknamed “The Fridge,” Herrington was making his second straight U.S. Amateur appearance. At the 2024 event, he advanced to the Round of 32.
The seven-day event featured 18 holes of stroke play through the first two days before moving into match play for the remainder of the event.
Herrington qualified for match play after recording a 2-over 36-hole total in stroke play to earn the No. 37 seed. Herrington beat Vanderbilt’s Chase Nevins in the Round of 64, Pepperdine’s Brady Siravo in the Round of 32, Michigan State’s Caleb Bond in the Round of 16, and Jimmy Abdo of Gustavus Adolphus College in the quarterfinals.
In the semifinals, Herrington defeated University of North Carolina’s Niall Shiels Donegan 1 up. He made a 5-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole to secure his spot in the final.
“One of the best feelings as a coach is to see one of your players achieve their dreams,” UT head coach Brennan Webb says. “I will never forget the moment Jackson made that putt on the 18th green to get to the finals and secure a spot in The Masters and U.S. Open next year. It will forever be one of the highlights of my career.”
With the exemption into the Masters and U.S. Open, Herrington joins teammate Lance Simpson as UT golfers to play in a major championship under Webb.
Herrington was the third UT golfer to advance to the U.S. Amateur final, alongside Oliver Goss (2013) and Eric Rebmann (1987). Each Vol golfer finished runner-up.
Herrington was the first left-handed golfer to compete in the final since Phil Mickelson won the title in 1990 at Cherry Hills.
Herrington and the Vols will tee off the 2025-26 season Sept. 5-7 at the Visit Knoxville Collegiate at Tennessee National Golf Course