Braden Stone
Senior Clark Mason swings his clubs in Snell Isle at the Vinoy Golf Club. Mason is committed to playing golf at Duke University in North Carolina.
The eight-time ACC champion Duke Universtiy men’s golf team is already off to a hot start in the 2025-26 season, winning the Rod Myers Invitational. Senior Clark Mason looks to make their future even brighter, or in this case, bluer.
Mason, a seven-year member and two-year captain of the Shorecrest varsity boys golf team, has committed to continuing his academic and athletic career at Duke University.
“Throughout the [college recruitment] process, I was talking to a lot of different schools … but ultimately, the reason why I held out for Duke was when I went and visited, they had the best blend of academics and golf,” he said.
While looking forward to his next four years at Duke, Mason looks to make the most of his final year at Shorecrest.
Mason has developed many relationships as a Charger, one of which is with senior and co-captain of the golf team Luke Lavoie.
“The best way to put it is [Clark] just really pushes you. Whether that’s in practice or in a match, he just always comes with such an intensity and such a love for the game that really just makes everybody around him want to play better,” Lavoie said.
Mason’s accomplishments stretch far beyond high school golf. For many years, he has competed in numerous amateur and junior golf tournaments, even winning the American Junior Golf Association Bay Hill Invitational over the summer. You’ll never catch Mason, though, bragging about his victories.
“I would say the thing about Clark is, you’ll never meet a more humble guy,” Lavoie said. “I remember we were at a dinner and we [had to pull] the fact that he committed out of him. He wouldn’t tell us. But, obviously, committing to Duke is incredible. And he gets to play the sport he loves. He should be bragging about it, but he’s very humble, which I think is a great quality in a leader.”
Another person who noticed Mason’s humility was Upper School History Teacher and head golf coach Daniel Asad, who has coached him for the past two years.
“He’s very committed to the team. He’s truly an example of somebody who plays at an extremely high level but has a humble attitude always towards everything he does,” he said.
Even though he has individual practices and matches outside of Shorecrest, Mason still makes it to every high school practice.
“Clark is first of all an outstanding golfer, and I think we all know that, but Clark is also one of the most positive and uplifting people I have met out there,” Asad said. “And what I find fascinating about him, as I’ve coached sports for 25 years … is that he never makes anyone on his team feel like they’re any less. On the contrary, he lifts them up. And he is always willing to help out and teach those who are younger than him, show them by example.”
Freshman Dov Schulman is on the varsity boys golf team for the first time. As a new member of the team, he was nervous, but he now looks up to the people around him, including Mason.
“I think he’s a great mentor, because he’s a very nice guy and very inspirational, obviously, because he’s a future D1 athlete. If I were someone who wanted to take a similar path, I’d look up to him and ask for help,” he said.
Although Mason will be missed by the team — helping them win a district championship and advance to the regional championship twice — he’s excited for the next chapter.
“My mom went to Duke, and I’ve been really after them for a while,” Mason said. “It has always been my dream. I think I was [in] like sixth or seventh grade, and I would tell people that I wanted to play golf for Duke.”