Courtesy photo Tyrone native Jimmy Gillam (left) coaches U.S. Open qualifier Mason Howell (right) at Brookwood High School in Thomasville, Georgia.

Mason Howell, a 17-year-old high school junior from Thomasville in Georgia, made national news by qualifying for Thursday’s 125th annual U.S. Open golf tournament at Oakmont Country Club by carding back-to-back rounds of 63 and finishing 18-under par at final qualifying at the Piedmont Driving Club in Atlanta last Monday.

On Tuesday, he selected his high school golf coach — Tyrone Area High School graduate Jimmy Gillam — to be his caddy for the event.

“I’m really excited,” Gillam said. “I think it’s going to be a really special week, and I have total belief that he’s going to be able to hold his own. I’m basically a jockey on a racehorse — a thoroughbred — and I’m really looking forward to it.”

Gillam, a 2006 TAHS graduate, has coached Howell for years at Brookwood High School after he moved to Thomasville in July of 2021.

Shortly after moving there, Gillam joined Glen Arven Country Club. During an interview to become a member, he spoke with the director of golf who asked if he would be interested in working there as a teaching professional.

“I jumped on it, because I love the game, and I think I have a lot of wisdom that I can pass along to especially really good junior players and any golfer in general,” Gillam said.

Gillam has helped Brookwood win back-to-back GIAA Class 3A state titles after they fell one stroke short of a title three years ago against a team with five Division I players.

“It’s a lot of fun,” Howell said. “We have a really good group of guys, and I was happy to send this year’s seniors out with a state championship. Jimmy is an awesome coach whether it’s coaching the middle schoolers or the varsity team. He gives everybody the same amount of attention. He’s not playing favorites. He’s coaching everyone, and you know you can trust him. He knows what he’s talking about, and he’s a really good leader.”

It’s that leadership that made Howell want to choose Gillam to be his caddy during the biggest tournament he’s played in his life to date.

“We play together all the time,” Howell said. “I really needed an adult to kind of calm me down, because I know it’s going to get crazy. It’s going to be insane out there. The fact he has course knowledge is just a bonus. He would have been one of the first people I would have picked anyway to caddy here.”

Gillam is familiar with Oakmont from his time as one of the top amateur players in Pennsylvania growing up.

Not too long ago, Gillam was in a position similar to Howell after he won a local qualifier for the U.S. Open in North Carolina in 2021 before he fell out of contention to play in the PGA Tour major on his final nine holes (of 36) at his final qualifying event.

“I had a back injury in 2019, and that derailed my playing career,” Gillam said. “I was healthy in 2020, but with COVID, everything was shut down. I played a couple mini-tour events leading up to that U.S. Open qualifier and peaked at the right time. I was one shot out of the last qualifying position going into my final nine holes and really got cold with the putter. That’s when I knew the nerves weren’t there for me anymore and it was time to move on.”

Gillam still feels he has a lot to offer in the world of golf, and Howell agrees.

“I know I can trust his word, because he’s had prior experience through this whole process,” Howell said. “He also has a lot of connections and has seen some of his buddies go through the whole process. It’s a big trust thing, and I have all my trust in him.”

While most of the world was surprised to see a 17-year-old dominate a final qualifier, Gillam wasn’t one of them.

“I knew he was fully capable of qualifying,” Gillam said. “I was not surprised at all. He’s a world-class talent. I’m extremely proud of him, but this is honestly the first of many for him.”

Howell did not make a bogey over his 36 holes.

“It was a crazy day on Monday,” Howell said. “It kind of flipped my world on its head. It’s been a lot of fun and a really good experience for me. I’ll be able to lean on this experience down the road, but I’m going to enjoy this as much as possible this week. If I try and have fun, the golf will take care of itself.”

Gillam’s father, Jim, was the professional at Sinking Valley Country Club and also coached the Tyrone Area High School golf team for many years.

“It’s pretty funny how things come full circle,” Gillam said. “I know he had a great impact on a lot of junior golfers in Blair County. It is very rewarding to kind of carry that torch that he had. He was so generous with his time, and I try to emulate the way he treated people. For me, it’s a real blessing to be in a hotbed of talent as well. We have Mason and J.D. Culbreth, who are both committed to Georgia and another kid that just finished his sophomore year at Georgia Southern in Brycen Jones that I worked with in the past, and he just transferred to Alabama two weeks ago.”

Culbreth and fellow senior Shep Davis just graduated from Brookwood, and while Culbreth and Howell will eventually both play at Georgia, Davis is headed to Cornell to play golf.

But Gillam won’t be following them to coach at a higher level.

“I have no interest in coaching at the college level,” Gillam said. “I like where I’m at with Glen Arven Country Club. We have a really good thing going there and a really good membership. We have three really good instructors. Bill Connally is our director of golf. He has an unbelievable resume and deserves a lot of the credit.”

Gillam also credits Howell’s parents, Robb and Lauren, and Howell’s sister Meg as big influences on Mason’s success.

That support system has allowed Howell to go into the U.S. Open with plenty of confidence.

“I think taking in the experience and enjoying it — if I do that, it will help me reach my goals,” Howell said. “My first goal is to make the cut, and my second goal is to win. I think I can go out there, and if I play good golf, I know I’m good enough.”