On Saturday, January 5, the Peggy Kirk Bell Girls’ Golf Tour completed the first round of the Tournament of Champions at Pinehurst No. 8 presented by Golf Pride Grips in Pinehurst, NC. The gusty winds made for challenging conditions, but the skies were blue and the air was clear as the champions of the PKBGT’s past calendar year took the course.

The field of 61 competitors earned their spot in the tournament through winning a tournament on the 2018 PKB Tour circuit, winning the 2018 Regional or National Order of Merit race in their respective division, finishing in the top of the field at 2018 PKBGT Championship Events or finishing runner up at PKBGT Classic events.

Players are split into two separate divisions of play: the Bell National Division and the Prep Preview Division. We take a look at where each division sits after the first round of play!

Bell National

Tied for the lead in the 34 player Bell National field after the first round of play is Anna Morgan (Spartanburg, SC 2019) and Melanie Green (Medina, NY 2020) who both finished with scores of 74 (+2).

Morgan is no stranger to the top of the leaderboard after taking home the trophy at the 2018 PKBGT Invitational at Bermuda Run Country Club in November. She finished the day with five birdies. Green had an eagle on Hole 3 to go along with three birdies on her back nine.

In a tie for third place is Amanda Sambach (Davidson, NC 2021) and Rebecca DiNunzio (Norfolk, VA 2019) after shooting first round scores of 76 (+4).

Sambach finished her round strong with two birdies on the back nine. DiNunzio remained even keel through the day, adding a birdie to her scorecard on Hole 16.

Rounding out the top five in a tie for fifth place is Emma Chen (Derwood, MD 2022) and Chloe Holder (Williamston, SC 2021). Both players finished the first round with scores of 77 (+5).  

Chen found success early on the front nine with a birdie on Hole 4. Holder sank three birdies on the day including a pair on the back nine to finish her round strong.

Prep Preview

After the first round of play Grace Holcomb (Wilmington, NC 2021) leads the 26 player Prep Preview field after shooting a score of 78 (+6) on Saturday. Holcomb went on a streak of birdies with three in a row to close out her front nine.

Autumn Carey (Manning, SC 2022) shot an 81 (+9) and is currently in second place.  Carey made birdie on Hole 4 on her front nine.

Sitting in a tie for third place after shooting first round scores of 82 (+10) is Amber Mackiewicz (Virginia Beach, VA 2023) and Abbey Franks (Roebuck, SC 2023). Franks had three birdies on the afternoon.

Macy Pate (Boone, NC 2024) closes out the Prep Preview top five after shooting a first round score of 83 (+11). Pate had a birdie on early in her round on Hole 7.

About Our Event Partner, Golf Pride Grips

Golf Pride Grips, the #1 Grip on Tour, joins the PKBGT for a second year as the presenting sponsor of the PKBGT Tournament of Champions. With more than 80% of Tour Professionals choosing Golf Pride grips, Golf Pride has laid claim to more major championship wins than any other grip companies. In addition, Golf Pride’s brand new headquarters are in the process of being built on the property of Pinehurst’s Centennial #8, the host of the 2018 PKBGT Tournament of Champions! All competitors will receive a full set of grips as a part of their player gift package. We are thrilled to have Golf Pride’s support of the tour and junior girls golf as we head into the championship next weekend

Looking Forward

After an exciting first round of play, we look forward to the second and final round of the Tournament of Champions on Saturday at Pinehurst No. 8! Players will tee off starting at 9 AM with the leaders going at 10:40 AM.

Live Scoring

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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 affordable, high-quality nationally ranked girls’ golf tournaments designed to prepare junior girls’ golfers for high school and collegiate golf. The PKBGT is the nation’s largest “girls’ only” junior tour with over 700 members in 2018 and 800+ girls having played, playing in or committed to playing 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.