MAYETTA, Kan. (July 2, 2025) – Team Missouri claimed its second consecutive Junior Girls’ Four-State Championship title today, edging out Kansas by just half a point in a dramatic final-day finish at Firekeeper Golf Course.
With the final singles match of the event deciding the team title, Missouri’s Betsy Mitchell (Kansas City) delivered under pressure, tying her match on the 18th hole to secure the 2025 championship for the Show-Me State.
Missouri earned 7.5 total points across the three match-play formats, narrowly holding off Kansas (7), followed by Iowa (6.5) and Nebraska (3).
Avery McLaughlin (Town and Country) was the first Missouri player to post a win in singles, dominating her match against Nebraska’s Tasha Kolbas, 8 and 6. McLaughlin won nine of the 12 holes played, dropping just one along the way
Page Bowman (Springfield) followed with another commanding performance. Bowman defeated Savannah Cagle of Nebraska, 6 and 4, highlighted by a hole-out eagle with a 7-iron on the opening hole. She won seven holes, while Cagle captured only one.
Morgan Withington (St. Louis) added another full point for Missouri in a back-and-forth match with Iowa’s Chloe Bolte. After trailing by one at the turn, Withington came back to win holes 17 and 18, securing a 1-up victory and completing a clutch final three-hole stretch.
Losses by Kate Ryan (Columbia) and KC Lenox (St. Peters) meant the team result would hinge on the final match, where Mitchell faced Kansas’ Hadley Neese.
Neese jumped out to an early lead, winning the first three holes. Mitchell clawed back with wins on holes 6, 10 and 11, but Neese responded with back-to-back wins on 12 and 13 to regain a 3-up advantage. Mitchell birdied 14 to cut the deficit, then stepped up when it mattered most—birdieing the par-4 17th and sinking a par putt on 18 in front of a gallery to tie the match.
The halved match awarded Missouri the half-point it needed to surpass Kansas and clinch the team title.
With the win, Missouri successfully defended its Four State title after also taking home the championship in 2024.
For more information about the Junior Girls’ Four State Team Championship or junior golf opportunities in Missouri, visit www.mogolf.org.
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MAYETTA, Kan. (July 2, 2025) – Team Missouri sits atop the leaderboard after Day One of the 2025 Junior Girls’ Four-State Team Championship at Firekeeper Golf Course, earning a total of four points across the four-ball and alternate shot match formats.
The Junior Girls’ Four-State, founded in 2008, features top junior players from Missouri, Kansas, Iowa and Nebraska. Six-player teams compete annually in a round-robin format that includes four-ball, alternate shot and singles matches. Team selections are based on a combination of season-long point standings, major championship results and captain’s picks.
Missouri opened the morning with strong back-nine play during four-ball matches. After a slow start, Morgan Withington (St. Louis) and Betsy Mitchell (Kansas City) rallied from 2 down to defeat Nebraska’s KayLynn Jorgensen and Ansley Giesselmann, 2 and 1. Withington drained a 30-foot birdie putt on hole 6 to swing the momentum, and both players birdied the par-3 17th to close out the match.
Kate Ryan (Columbia) and Page Bowman (Springfield) also secured a win in their match against Iowa’s Rylee Brockhouse and Ava Lohrbach. After Iowa went 1 up with a chip-in on the first hole, Missouri’s pair responded with birdies on holes 4, 6 and 10 to regain the lead. The match ended on 17 with Missouri winning 2 and 1.
KC Lenox (St. Peters) and Avery McLaughlin (Town and Country) came up just short in their match against Kansas’ Maddie Myers and Naomi Koontz, falling 1 down. Despite holding a 1-up lead after four holes, a series of bogeys gave Kansas the advantage. The match reached 18, where Missouri conceded the hole after missing their par attempts.
After the morning session, Missouri, Kansas and Iowa each tallied two points.
In the afternoon alternate shot matches, Withington and Ryan posted their second wins of the day in a back-and-forth battle with Kansas’ Jenny Sun and Addison Douglass. Missouri gained the final edge on hole 15 and held on to win 1 up.
Bowman and Lenox were defeated 2 and 1 by Nebraska’s Chloe DiPrima and Eden Larson. The Missouri duo held an early lead but struggled mid-round, losing holes 8, 9 and 10 to fall behind. Despite a brief rally, the match ended on 17.
McLaughlin and Mitchell dominated their alternate shot match against Iowa, winning 3 and 2. The pair went 3 up through three holes and maintained control throughout, with Iowa winning just one hole.
By day’s end, Missouri had collected two points in each session for a total of four points. Kansas sits just behind with 3.5 points, followed by Iowa with 2.5 and Nebraska with 2.
The championship concludes tomorrow with singles matches, where all six players from each team will compete head-to-head.
For more information on the Junior Girls’ Four-State Team Championship or junior golf in Missouri, visit www.mogolf.org.
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ABOUT MGA: The Missouri Golf Association is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the best interests and true spirit of golf throughout the state of Missouri.
Founded in 1905 in St. Louis, the MGA was established to conduct the Missouri Amateur Championship, originally hosted by four founding clubs—St. Louis Country Club, Algonquin Golf Club, Glen Echo Country Club, and Normandie Golf Club. In 1909, the invite-only championship expanded to Kansas City’s Evanston Club, and by 1911, the MGA became formally organized under Bonner Miller, its first Secretary and Executive Director. Since then, the MGA has grown to provide a variety of competitive tournaments, junior programs, and resources that support golfers of all ages and skill levels, continuing its mission to grow and enhance the game across Missouri.
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