On Sunday, September 8, the Peggy Kirk Girls’ Golf Tour plays the 2019 PKBGT Delaware Valley Series Finale at Raven’s Claw Golf Club in Pottstown, PA.
While it isn’t the cold season quite yet, Labor Day weekend serves as an annual checkpoint in the northeast: the beginning of the end, and a rapid descent toward the bitter chill of winter. Before packing away the skirts and polos for jackets and ski caps, the Peggy Kirk Bell Girls’ Golf Tour’s northernmost regional series will grasp the last remaining shards of summer this weekend in Pottstown, PA.
School’s back in session, but the field of 23 set to compete in the Delaware Valley Regional Series refuse to release the reins of summer – for one more weekend, at least. Before going all-in on the impending high school golf season (for those who are eligible), the girls will take one last swing at a PKBGT championship trophy at Raven’s Claw Golf Club on Sunday.
Transitioning between Spring and Summer back in late May, Raven’s Claw played host to the LPGA Symetra Tour for the Valley Forge Invitational! Now, the PKBGT will travel to Pottstown for the bridge between Summer and Autumn.
Spreading our wings
In the PKBGT’s 13th season, the nation’s largest all-girls golf tour expanded into several regions previously unaccommodated. With the inception of the Delaware Valley Regional Series, the tour opened doors of opportunity for those in northern areas of the eastern seaboard to participate in one-day tournaments.
These PKBGT regional events offer innovative yardage-based divisions to girls aged 9-17. The PKBGT Series Progression allows players to progress towards playing collegiate golf by playing yardage/skill appropriate tournaments as they develop their game.
The inaugural PKBGT Delaware Valley Regional Series is presented by Women’s Golfers Give Back. The 2019 season featured five prior one-day events concluding with this Sunday’s series finale.
Race to the top
Winding down to the finale at Raven’s Claw, competitors have battled it out each event to improve their ranking on the Delaware Valley Order of Merit. The champions of the Delaware Valley Order of Merit, presented by Storie Apparel, will earn a spot in PKBGT invitation-only events this fall.
Both the Prep and Futures champions will not only earn their spot in the coveted 2019 PKBGT Tournament of Champions at the home of American Golf – Pinehurst, NC – but will be invited to compete in the inaugural PKBGT Prep and Futures Invitational in October.
Along with recognition at the Regional Invitational banquet for all season long champions, Prep division players will have the opportunity to compete for a spot in the 11th annual PKBGT Invitational in November.
With so much at stake, the focus and determination promise to be stiff this Sunday in Pottstown. Let’s take a look at how the OOM standings look entering the event and highlight the players to watch the Delaware Valley Regional Series Finale.
Prep Division
Dominating the Delaware Valley Series Prep Division throughout its inaugural campaign, Kyleen McCance (Hanover Township, PA 2022) looks to continue her strong play in Pottstown. McCance leads the Prep Division OOM and has won three events thus far! The only event she failed to win resulted in her season-best score of 78 (+7) in a runner-up finish. With her consistent play, McCance broke into the Top 200 of the PKBGT Performance Index.
Taking the championship trophy in her lone Delaware Valley Series event, Riley Quartermain (Bryn Mawr, PA 2021) holds second place in the OOM standings. Quartermain came to play in her victory at Morgan Hill Golf Course and sports a top ten finish on the PKBGT National Series. She is currently ranked 106 on the Performance Index.
Megan Ruffing (West Lawn, PA 2020) sits in third place on the OOM entering the final round of play. Ruffing’s top performance was a second-place finish at Manor Golf Club, though she won’t be competing in the Delaware Valley Series Finale.
National members enter the competition
Several players who competed in the 2019 PKBGT National Series will make their first Delaware Valley Series appearance of the year in Pottstown. Three players inside the top 100 of the Performance Index will take the course: Kierra Bartholomew (Westampton, NJ 2023) who is ranked 41st, Megan Meng (Pennington, NJ 2024) ranked 59th and Victoria Kim (West Chester, PA 2022) ranked 86th.
Elizabeth Beek (Blue Bell, PA 2023) and Lauren Jones (Newtown Square, PA 2021) have both played on the National Series and are ranked on the provisional Performance Index, though they haven’t completed the required amount sanctioned rounds to earn a spot on the Performance Index.
Futures Division
Joining McCance on the victory train, Kayla Maletto (Sinking Springs, PA 2024) earned her fair share of wins this season on the way to earning the top spot on the Futures Division OOM. Maletto’s top performance was a one-over-par 71 in her hometown and she took home a second victory at Green Pond Country Club.
Currently, in second place on the OOM, Hayley Ekert (Lansdale, PA 2023) has one victory this season at Morgan Hill Golf Course. Along with her win, she has a runner-up finish at Manor Club and two other top-four finishes.
Sister, sister! Back-to-back in third and fourth place, respectively, Chloe Barton (Newton, NJ 2023) and Lucy Barton (Newton, NJ 2023) hold down the family fort on the OOM consecutively. Of the two, Chloe holds the lone victory of the season though they will not be competing in this weekend’s Series Finale.
Rounding out the top five of the OOM, Sydney Vaillancourt (Fredericksburg, VA 2020) is in fifth place in the rankings. She will not be competing in this weekend’s Series Finale.
Discovery Division
Winning both of the events she competed in so far, Rachel Joyce (Quakertown, PA 2026) owns the top spot on the Discovery OOM rankings. Joyce prevailed victorious at both the Series Kickoff event and Green Pond Country Club. She hopes to earn one final victory this Sunday to hold on to her position in the rankings.
Kayla John (Newtown, PA 2025) found the top of the leaderboard in her win at Manor Golf Club and is currently in second place on the OOM. John has a fourth-place finish at the Series Kickoff to go alongside her victory in Sinking Spring.
With a win at Morgan Hill Golf Course and a runner-up performance at Green Pond Country Club, Alaina Carson (Broomall, PA 2028) holds on to third place in the Discovery OOM. Savannah Laverty (Moorestown, NJ 2027) is just behind in fourth place with a second-place finish at the Series Kickoff event.
Both players will be competing in this weekend’s event. Alyssa Schubel (King of Prussia, PA 2025) will not be present in Pottstown on Sunday, though she currently sits in fifth place on the OOM.
Charlotte Reid (Cream Ridge, NJ 2027) and Kyla Quimby (West Lawn, PA 2026) sit one and two points behind Schubel for fifth place, respectively. Both players will also be competing in the Series Finale at Raven’s Claw.
Final Thoughts
We would like to wish all of our competitors the best of luck in this weekend’s Series Finale. One final opportunity to make a splash and move up in the standings will bring fierce competition and electric performances to Pottstown, PA on Sunday!
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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