On Saturday-Sunday, July 6-7, the Peggy Kirk Bell Girls Golf Tour plays the 2019 PKBGT Southeast Classic at Country Club of South Carolina in Florence, SC.
Dropping in for another stop down south, the PKBGT National Series returns to the Palmetto State! Moving inland to Florence, Country Club of South Carolina plays host to the 2019 PKBGT Southeast Classic.
The 2019 national schedule winds down in the coming months and next weekend’s Southeast Classic marks the final trip to South Carolina. As the season slowly concludes, competitors in the southeast region will have their final opportunity to make a move on the Order of Merit rankings in the comfort of their home.
With just six events remaining on the schedule, the race for the top spot in both the Bell National Order of Merit and the Future National Order of Merit is tight! The Country Club of South Carolina presents a strong challenge to the field of 29 gracing the fairways come next weekend. The course has played host to several PGA-sanctioned events in the past, serving as the gateway to several PGA tour professional careers.
The PKBGT’s southeastern members will compete in one of two divisions: Bell National at 5,900 yards and Futures National at 5,291 yards. As the clock ticks toward midnight on the tour’s national circuit, we take a look at the players to watch at next weekend’s 2019 PKBGT Southeast Classic!
Bell National
Headlining the 13 player Bell National field, Vynie Chen (Centreville, VA 2020) vies for the top spot on the Order of Merit. Currently in second place, Chen hopes to kickstart one final push for first place and close out her season on a high note. She enters the Southeast Classic as the highest ranked player on the PKBGT Performance Index in the field, sitting inside the Top 25 at 24th. The Centreville native boasts four top ten finishes this year including a season-best T3 at the 2019 PKBGT Open Championship.
Entering the tournament ranked inside the Top 100 of the Performance Index, Victoria Cook (Reidsville, NC 2020) looks to jump into a top ten finish for the first time this season. Cook is currently ranked 37th on the Order of Merit, with her top performance a T11 finish at the Carolina’s Classic. She has been in the hunt several times this season, so watch for her name to sit at the upper end of the leaderboard in Florence.
Hanging out in her home state, Lexi Bennett (Santee, SC 2021) would enjoy the local love of a top finish at Country Club of South Carolina. Bennett enters the tournament just outside of the Performance Index Top 100, currently at 115. She is T69 on the Order of Merit and has two top ten finishes this season. She’s enjoyed the coast with a T6 finish at the Cape Fear Classic in Wilmington and a 5th place finish at the Coastal Carolina Classic.
Futures National
The Futures National field of 16 features several of the top-ranked players on the Order of Merit. Sophie Lauture (Raliegh, NC 2024) heads to South Carolina in first place on the Order of Merit rankings. Lauture is riding a hot streak, having won two events this year. She won the RocketTours Players Championship in February and the PKBGT Masters in April. Along with the victories, Lauture has claimed five other top ten finishes.
Just behind in third place on the Order of Merit, Ellen Yu (High Point, NC 2026) will try to jump two spots and overtake Lauture atop the rankings. Yu pieced together her own impressive resume this season with three victories. She took home the champions trophy at the PKBGT Spring Invitational, the Carolina’s Classic and the PKBGT Open Championship. She also has six top ten finishes to compliment her wins.
Rounding out the players to watch in Florence is McKenzie Daffin (Fayetteville, NC 2021). Daffin struck gold last time she competed in the Palmetto State, winning the Coastal Carolina Classic with plenty of breathing room. Along with her win in Myrtle Beach, Daffin has six top ten finishes and is ranked ninth on the Order of Merit.
Final Thoughts
We would like to wish all of our competitors traveling to Florence the best of luck in the South Carolina send-off event! To stay up to date on where the leaderboard stands, be sure to follow live scoring at this link!
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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