We were promised an exciting finish to the Tournament of Champions today and our players did not disappoint us! At the end of 36 holes of tournament play, the top-three leaders from the Bell Series found themselves in a three-way tie for first place at six-over par (150). Those 
players were Aneka Seumanutafa (Fredrick, MD 2019), Brynn Walker (St. Davids, PA 2016) and Sarina Sonoda (Florence, SC 2016). The playoff began on the monstrous 18th hole of Pinehurst No. 8, an uphill 395 yard par-four that played much longer than the written yardage all weekend. Seumanutafa and Sonoda both hit their approach shots to inside 10 feet of the hole while Walker’s shot ended up short of the green. Both players made two-putt pars and Walker was able to get up-and-down to force the playoff back to the 18th tee. Again, under pressure, all three players parred the difficult 18th hole to extend the playoff to a third hole, which would move on to the par-three 15th. Sonoda even drained a five-footer for par on the second playoff hole to extend the match. There was no shortage of good golf to be had by all three competitors! However on the third playoff hole, Sarina hit her approach shot left of the pin and could not get up-and-down, which resulted in a bogey. She would place third in the Bell Series. That would leave Seumanutafa and Walker still in the game as the playoff approached its fourth and final hole, which was played again on the par-three 15th. Both players hit the green but there would be no denying Walker this time! She stuck her approach shot to two feet and easily made birdie, while Seumanutafa two-putted for her par, missing the tying putt by inches. Congratulations to Aneka Seumanutafa (Fredrick, MD 2019) for finishing second and Brynn Walker (St. Davids, PA 2016) for her stunning victory!
In the Prep Series today, scores were lower overall than they had been after round one. Anna Morgan (Spartanburg, SC 2019) shot the tournament’s lowest 18 hole round of 75 today, a 13 shot improvement from round one. Morgan shot an even par 36 on the back nine with two birdies. Nicole Adam (Pinehurst, NC 2020) would finish in second place with a 162 total. It was Amanda Sambach (Davidson, NC 2021) who would be crowned the Prep Series champion after two solid rounds of 80-76 (156). Consistency was the key to Sambach’s round, she made 11 pars on the day. Congratulations to our top-three Prep Series finishers!
The start of December brings together 39 champions from the previous year on the Peggy Kirk Bell Girls’ Golf Tour. Each player has earned their position in the PKBGT Tournament of Champions field thanks to their top finishes over the past 12 months. This year’s Tournament of Champions is being contested at one of the top courses in the country, Pinehurst No. 8, in Pinehurst, North Carolina. Players from nine different states including North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Texas and the District of Columbia will tee it up to claim the PKBGT Tournament of Champions title!
Thank you to Pinehurst No. 8 for hosting such a great event! The PKBGT returns to action after Christmas with the PKB Junior at Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club on December 28th and 29th.
The Peggy Kirk Bell Girls’ Golf Tour is an initiative of the Triad Youth Golf Foundation, a 501(c)3 non-profit foundation aimed at increasing learning and playing opportunities for youth golfers. Based out of Greensboro, North Carolina, the PKBGT offers low cost, nationally ranked girls’ golf tournaments designed to prepare junior girls’ golfers for high school and collegiate golf. Learn more about the tour at pkbgt.org or by contacting Tour Director Mike Parker at mparker@pkbgt.org or 336-347-8537.
Leave a Reply