Jackson Herrington Advances to U.S. Amateur Final with Dramatic Comeback

Teenager Jackson Herrington, an aspiring golfer from Tennessee, won a place in the final of the U.S. Amateur Championship. He earned this historic win by defeating Niall Shiels Donegan in a superb victory at The Olympic Club in San Francisco. The competition was met with some of the most extreme weather to ever grace this contest, including dense fog, persistent mist, and wind gusts exceeding 20 mph. Herrington proved remarkable resilience and skill in making up a two-hole deficit to capture the title.

The game started with electric atmosphere. Herrington and Donegan, a 20-year-old Scot raised in Mill Valley, CA, fought tooth and nail for each hole. The two players were even at the turn. That cushion, though, evaporated quickly in the face of Donegan’s charge — she took full advantage when Herrington made bogeys on the 11th and 14th holes to take a two-hole lead. Herrington’s grit prevailed as he powered back during the second half of the game.

In a thrilling conclusion, Herrington aced the par-4 18th hole with the perfect approach to birdie—making sure everyone could see it go in. He followed that up by calmly draining a 5-foot par putt to seal the victory. Donegan’s tee shot was a few feet from birdie on that same hole. That would’ve sent the contest to additional putts.

That victory sends Herrington, a sophomore from West University Place, Tex., into the 36-hole final against Mason Howell of Birmingham, Ala. The historic competition is now scheduled for a thrilling finish! The U.S. Amateur Championship is returning to The Olympic Club for the fourth time. Herrington’s exceptional debut for the Shoemakers is turning heads, as he evinces elite NFL prospect poise under pressure.

As the match comes to a close, golf fans and admirers alike look forward to seeing how Herrington will stack up with Howell in the match. After his remarkable victory from behind against Donegan this past week, the sky is the limit on this young Tennessean’s potential. He is currently on a quest to win the vaunted U.S. Amateur title.