The 2025 Christmas is undoubtedly one that Tennessee Vols golfer Jackson Herrington will never forget. Herington has got the opportunity of a lifetime, a dream that few ever get to experience.
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This week, it was announced that Herrington officially received an invitation to the 2026 Masters, the biggest golf tournament of the year. The 2026 Masters will be played April 9-12 at Augusta National Golf Club, like always, but there will be a new face walking the fairways in Herrington.
✉️Christmas came early for @Vol_Golf’s Jackson Herrington🎄
— Tennessee Golf Association (@TNgolf) December 23, 2025
The U.S. Amateur runner-up received his invitation today to The Masters Tournament in Augusta in 2026! We’re excited to watch our guy down in Georgia next year! Congrats Jackson! pic.twitter.com/iB2rudnVdG
Jackson Herrington will tee off in the 2026 Masters
Herington received this exemption for his runner-up finish in the 125th U.S. Amateur tournament earlier this year at the Olympic Club in San Francisco. He navigated the notoriously challenging course and tournament format tremendously. Unfortunately, Herrington lost 7&6 to Mason Howell in the final match, but he still put together a remarkable week.
The second-place finish at the U.S. Amateur is the highest in Tennessee school history, tied with Eric Rebmann in 1987 and Oliver Goss in 2013. More than that, simply reaching that stage places him in elite company. Past U.S. Amateur runners-up include future PGA Tour winners like Ben Crenshaw, Patrick Cantlay, Corey Conners, and Luke List. Herrington’s ceiling is very high, with others on this list moving on to do big things.
The stage Herrington is stepping onto won’t lack star power. Grand Slam winner Rory McIlroy will defend the 2026 Masters and will feature other perennial golf legends like Phil Mickelson, Fred Couples, and, potentially but probably not likely, Tiger Woods. Not to mention, young stars like Scottie Scheffler, Jon Rahm, and Bryson DeChambeau will all be playing.
Simply playing the weekend at Augusta would be a remarkable showing for Herrington. Making the cut is not easy, and it would be a more than successful tournament for Herrington. Plus, if he wins the Silver Cup, it would put him in legendary company. The Silver Cup, an award given to the low amateur of the tournament, has been won by Tiger Woods, Hideki Matsuyama, and Sergio Garcia, all future green jacket winners.
Herrington will now get to test his game on golf’s biggest stage, and maybe next spring he will add a green jacket to his wardrobe.