Mozingo Lake Golf Course put a bow on the first AJGA Maryville Junior Thursday afternoon crowning Betsy Mitchell and Aston Lim as the girls and boys champions, respectively.
Mitchell of Kansas City finished the the three-day tournament firing an eight-under-par 208 to win by two strokes, narrowly edging Adeline Swan of Lee's Summit with birdies on the final two holes.
Lim, a native of Union City, Calif., led wire-to-wire claiming the title with a 13-under-par 203.
Maryville's Alayna Pargas and Colin Hoffman competed in the 54-hole tournament on their home course against some of the top junior players from around the world and held their own.
Pargas finished 27th; Hoffman tied for 28th.
Fatigue began to play a role for the junior golfers as the tournament carried into days two and three playing the long course and battling high humidity.
"Around mid-round two I started to feel tired and everything, so I really had to push through that," Pargas said after finishing the tournament Thursday afternoon. "I rested last night and I showed up ready to play."
"This is a very long tournament compared to the ones that I've played in in the past. I think it will do a good job preparing me for the future."
Pargas graduated from Maryville High School in the spring and will begin a collegiate golf career at Bellevue University.
"It was such a great experience. I'm so grateful to have this opportunity, and I'm so glad that I got to compete one last time on my home course."
Discussions between the American Junior Golf Association and the City of Maryville on the possibility to bring the event back to Mozingo Lake Golf Course in 2027 have already begun.
