On Saturday-Sunday, April 6-7, the Peggy Kirk Bell Girls’ Golf Tour plays the 2019 PKBGT Masters presented by Aunt Ruby’s Peanuts at Greenville Country Club in Greenville, NC.
Turning the page on the calendar, the Peggy Kirk Bell Girls’ Golf Tour goes marching into April at Greenville Country Club. It may feel like deception but for the second weekend in a row, the tour competes in Greenville. This week, Greenville, NC is home to the 2019 PKBGT Masters.
The Masters marks the official halfway point in the 2019 National Series and the National Order of Merit race. The first half of the season included thrilling tiebreaker finishes, spectacular single day performances and constant movement along the Order of Merit rankings. If that is any indication of what is to come in the second half of the season, we are in for a fun ride.
At the home of the East Carolina University Women’s Golf team, Greenville Country Club will present another Division 1 collegiate challenge for the field of 85 competitors. Players will compete in one of three divisions: Bell National at 6,020 yards, Prep Preview at 5,800 yards and Futures National at 5,218 yards.
A special PKBGT Championship event, the Bell National division will complete 36 holes on Saturday while all other divisions will complete 18, and all divisions complete 18 holes on Sunday’s final round.
We take a close look at the field of each division in the 2019 PKBGT Masters presented by Aunt Ruby’s Peanuts.
Bell National
Headlining the 36 player Bell National field is the top-ranked player on the PKBGT Performance Index, Amanda Sambach (Davidson, NC 2021). Sambach is currently ranked 10th on the Bell National Order of Merit and looks to make a run to the top in the second half of the season. This is Sambach’s first appearance since the Tournament of Champions in January where she finished in third place.
Coming off the first win in her PKBGT career at the Cape Fear Classic, Kendall Turner (Chesapeake, VA) looks to keep the momentum going. She is ranked sixth on the Performance Index and is competing in the Lake Monticello Classic this weekend in Charlottesville, VA.
Danielle Suh (Herndon, VA 2020) tries to make a push in the rankings come the second half of the season. Her first half was highlighted by a T14 finish at the Tar Heel Classic in Chapel Hill. She is currently ranked fifth on the Performance Index and 41 on the Order of Merit rankings.
Looking to surge into the Top 3 of the Bell National Order of Merit rankings with a strong performance, Maria Atwood (Holly Springs, NC 2022) enters the Masters ranked fourth on the Order of Merit. She is ranked seventh on the Performance Index and her top finish of the season was T2 at the PKB Junior in December.
Sitting in 10 on the Performance Index and 11 on the Order of Merit Rankings, Alexia Siehl (Fort Mill, SC 2022) aims to boost forward in both rankings. Siehl’s season was off to a hot start with a T10 finish at the PKBGT Invitational in November. She followed that up with a T12 finish at the Tournament of Champions and continued success in Championship events will help her move in the rankings.
Prep Preview
While the Bell and Futures National divisions continue on in the second half of the season, the Masters is the final Prep Preview field of the 2019 season. Entering the tournament in first place on the Prep Preview Order of Merit, looking to solidify her position with a good finish in the field of 25, Grace Holcomb (Wilmington, NC 2021). Holcomb won the Tournament of Champions in January and has four Top 10 finishes on the season.
In second place on the Order of Merit is Macy Pate (Boone, NC 2024). Pate won the PKBGT Spring Invitational in Greenwood, SC and has two second-place finishes at the Tar Heel Classic and the Orange Whip Classic, at UNC-Chapel Hill and Clemson respectively.
Autumn Carey (Manning, SC 2022) has been right in the thick of things at several tournaments this season. Carey is currently ranked third on the Order of Merit. She has two T2 finishes as her top performances of the season at the Tournament of Champions and the RocketTour Players Championship.
In fourth place on the Order of Merit, coming off of a T3 finish at the PKBGT Spring Invitational is Abby Franks (Roebuck, SC 2023). Franks started her season off strong with a T4 finish at the Tournament of Champions in January. She added a third-place finish at the Orange Whip Classic to her season and a solid performance in Greenville will set in stone her position.
Fresh off of a T5 finish at the Tar Heel Classic in Chapel Hill, Amber Mackiewicz (Virginia Beach, VA 2023) currently sits in sixth place on the Order of Merit rankings. She set herself up for a position to compete with a T2 finih at the Tournament of Champions. The Top Five of the Order of Merit is well within reach, and Mackiewicz looks to jump after a weekend at East Carolina.
Futures National
In first place on the Futures National Order of Merit, Sophie Lauture (Raleigh, NC 2024) has been a regular at the top of the leaderboard in the first half of the season. She has seven Top 10 finishes in as many tries, and her best finish was a win at the RocketTour Players Championship in Athens.
Grace Ridenour (Cary, NC 2025) stormed back to the top of the Order of Merit rankings after a second place finish at the Tar Heel Classic and a T4 finish at the Cape Fear Classic. Ridenour is currently in second place and kicker her season off to a hot start with a win at the Palmetto Dunes Resort Classic in November.
With a win to her name this season, Abigail Cheney (Guyton, GA 2021) placed herself in a position to crack the Top 10 on the Order of Merit. Cheney’s win at the Orange Whip Classic was the best performance of her season, but she recently finished in third place at the PKBGT Spring Invitational. She is currently ranked 10 on the Order of Merit.
About Our Event Partner, Aunt Ruby’s Peanuts
Aunt Ruby’s Peanuts, the maker of North Carolina’s finest peanuts, partners with the PKBGT for yet another Masters event. Family owned and operated in historic Halifax County, Aunt Ruby’s has provided the best quality Virginia-style nuts to peanut lovers around North Carolina for over 50 years. The PKBGT is proud to have Aunt Ruby’s as the official partner of the 2019 PKBGT Masters.
Final Thoughts
We wish all of our competitors the best of luck in the 2019 PKBGT Masters at Greenville Country Club! Another Championship event promises to be action-packed with a weekend full of high-level golf. Players will enjoy a lunch in between the Bell National round and following the Prep Preview and Futures National rounds on Saturday afternoon. We look forward to a phenomenal event!
About the PKBGT
Founded in 2007 by the Triad Youth Golf Foundation, a non-profit 501(c)(3) charitable organization, as a local girls’ golf tour in the Triad region of North Carolina, the tour began as a simple concept: create more effective competitive playing opportunities for girls. By utilizing innovative yardage-based divisions instead of the traditional age-based format, the tour focused on developing tournament experience at the player’s pace. The 2019 season will feature over 90 tournaments in 9 states on the East Coast and with over 900 members, the PKBGT is the largest girl’s only tour in the country. Learn more about the PKBGT at http://www.pkbgt.org/.
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