A nine-year-old boy got a golf ball from his favorite player, who happened to be Rory McIlroy. He kept it in his room for many years. Now, on Thursday morning, he is playing with that same player at Augusta National.

And that former fan is Mason Howell, who hails from Thomasville, Georgia, and this is his first Master's. The 18-year-old is the current U.S. Amateur champion.

Back in 2016 at the Tour Championship, Rory McIlroy threw a ball into the crowd, and Howell caught it. He took it home and kept it on a shelf, and now, years later, he is at Augusta with that same ball. "I've got his ball in my bag right now," Howell said. "It says 'Rors' on the side."

He's even got a plan for the first tee, and He's going to tell McIlroy he'll play the opening hole with a Nike ball, knowing full well he won't.

"That would be a power move," Howell laughed. "Hopefully it doesn't get back to him before Thursday."

McIlroy sat with this for a moment. When asked about it, he was once on the other side of this exact moment, a kid from Northern Ireland watching Tiger Woods at the 1997 Masters, jaw on the floor, wanting nothing more than to be that guy someday.

"I've been lucky that the people I looked up to took me under their wing when I was starting off," McIlroy said. "That's the incredible thing about golf that not a lot of other sports have."

Every year, the defending champion plays the first two rounds with the U.S. Amateur winner, and Rory McIlroy, Cameron Young, and Howell go off the first tee on Thursday at 10:31 a.m.

Rory McIlroy and Mason Howell Have the Same Target but Different Visions Behind It

McIlroy comes into the Masters trying to make history. If he wins again, he will be the first player since Tiger Woods to win back-to-back Masters titles.

Howell has his own goal, too. He is one of only six amateurs playing this week, and very few amateurs do well here. Only Bryson DeChambeau made the cut at Augusta as an amateur in this century.

"He's got the game for it," said Harris English, who played multiple practice rounds alongside Howell. "Making the cut out here would be big for him, and I think he can definitely finish low amateur."

So while one is trying to make history, and the other is chasing a dream he has had since he was 9-years-old, which started with receiving his idol's signed ball.

However, McIlroy has already started showing why he is one of the best in the world. At the end of March 9, McIlroy sat firm at the T1 position, while Howell stayed far behind at T65.

So, while he will certainly cherish the fact that he is competing with his idol, do you think the 18-year-old can pull off an upset by winning the tournament, leaving McIlroy and all others behind?

Follow Club Golf for more

Written by

Sneha Abraham

Edited by

Souvik Roy