RINGGOLD, Ga. -- Conner Howe has been impressed with the scenery of the Scenic City and its surrounding areas.
That's quite a compliment coming from a junior golfer who lives in Ogden, Utah.
"I like all of the trees," he said Wednesday, "but we've got bigger mountains."
Howe is one of the few participants in the Evitt Foundation RTC Junior All-Star who flew in for this American Junior Golf Association tournament.
"I like seeing the world," Howe said. "Not many kids get the opportunity to travel. With AJGA, you meet a lot of really nice people."
The tournament at WindStone Golf Club -- now in its 13th year, which makes it No. 6 on the list of longest-running tournaments on the AJGA circuit -- has provided golfers, parents and volunteers an unidentifiable number of opportunities to meet people from different regions of the South, the country and even the globe.
Alex Hu, a native of China and resident of Florida, leads the boys' competition at 8-under-par 134 after two rounds. C.J. Easley of Oxford, Miss., is one stroke back heading into today's final round.
In the girls' tournament, Lawrenceville's Jenny Bae posted a 136 and leads by one over Katherine Muzi of Walnut, Calif.
A boy from Azerbaijan was among the tournament's past participants, and the list of countries whose junior golfers have played here includes Australia, Canada, Colombia, Japan, Mexico, South Korea and Venezuela.
But golfers (and their parents) from Ringgold, Chattanooga, Dalton, Chatsworth and Cleveland -- places much closer to the course -- have also benefited from the international experience.
"This is how they build lifelong friends," said Margue Rostowsky, a resident of Kennesaw, Ga., whose son is participating this week. "It's cool to meet new friends and bump into other parents who are doing the same thing."
Parker Gray, who will be a sophomore at Walker Valley next school year, introduced himself to Howe after Wednesday's round. They became friends.
"I've never been skiing, but it's something that I'd like to do," said Gray, whose new friend enjoys the slopes of Utah. "I've made friends with my playing partners, too."
New connections -- for players or parents -- are part of the joy of AJGA tournaments.
"I like being around people and getting to know how their lives are different compared to how I live," said Howe, whose regulary scenery includes the Rocky Mountains. "Some Asian accents can be hard to understand.
"I like Southern accents."
Contact David Uchiyama at duchiyama@timesfreepress.com or at 423-757-6484. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/UchiyamCTFP.