Local golfer brings Missouri Amateur championship to CoMo

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Columbia native Hunter Parrish wins his first state amateur title.

The Missouri Amateur championships took place at the end of June, where former Columbia College Cougar Hunter Parrish won the crown after five days of play.

Parrish had made it to this competition before, once right out of high school, and then again in 2016, where he placed second.

"That's kind of been my goal since 2016 when I lost in the finals," said Parrish. "I just kind of wanted to get back there and get another shot at it."

In the 2026 competition, he took down 6 different head-to-head opponents, including needing two playoff holes in the final before he could lift the trophy.

"I didn't really know what to expect going into it.I felt kind of lucky to make match play," said Parrish. "I birdied my 17th hole the second day to make it in the cup by one, and yeah, just kind of found a way to get through each match."

Having finally reached his goal of returning to the finals, Parrish did not let the moment go to waste, finally avenging his 2016 loss on the 38th hole of the match. While he says either player could have won that day, his experience is what made him more successful in this edition of the competition, compared to a decade ago.

"I've grown up a lot. In 2016 I just graduated college, and it's kind of the first one where I really had any success in. So, I've grown up and matured a lot."

By winning the state championship, Parrish punched himself a ticket to compete in the U.S. Amateur in Ardmore, Pa. That tournament will get underway, starting on Aug. 10.