COLUMBIA — Rising Missouri freshman Julia Bower lined up at the first hole at the Columbia Country Club golf course. She appeared to have a preswing ritual: checking her distance from the green by using a rangefinder, checking the wind direction by sprinkling grass into the air, choosing the right club for the hole and finally testing out her shot.
While waiting to tee off, she made conversation with other golfers, making jokes and discussing past matches.
Bower and most of the other golfers at the country club were participating in the 2017 Columbia City Championship, hosted by the Columbia Golf Foundation.