The 2019 season brought substantial growth for the largest girls-only junior golf tour in the nation. Along with a handful of new National Series events, the tour introduced two new Regional Series: the Delaware Valley and Kentucky Series.
Each of the PKBGT’s six Regional Series provides junior girl golfers with a comfortable environment to compete and be recognized on the junior golf circuit while gaining experience in a tournament atmosphere. In the first phase of the PKBGT Series Progression, the series allows players to progress towards collegiate golf by playing yardage/skill appropriate tournaments as they develop their game.
Little do many may know, what we know and love as the PKBGT today grew out of a small, six-event regional series in 2007 in the Tarheel state. Now, 12 years later, the North Carolina series serves as one of the PKBGT’s largest pipelines for the state’s upcoming stars. 2019, the series’ biggest year yet, featured 280 participants, 15 events and THREE NEW ORDER OF MERIT CHAMPIONS!
Let’s take a look at who finished at the top of their division’s respective Storie Apparel Order of Merit race!
2019 North Carolina Series Order of Merit, presented by Storie Apparel
Prep Division
Posting a T3 finish at the North Carolina series finale on Sunday, Halynn Lee (Cary, NC 2021) solidified her 50 point lead to take home the Storie Apparel North Carolina Prep Order of Merit, her first order of merit title on the PKBGT!
Lee took four top-five finishes in the 2019 season, including her season-best performance: a 76 (+4) and victory at Foxfire Resort in July! She creeps up the PKBGT Performance Index, into the Top 40, and sported an average score of just over 75 in the six events she competed in.
Along with the OOM championship, Lee earns her exemption into the inaugural PKBGT Regional Invitational in October where she will be recognized at the event’s banquet! Additionally, she grabs her spot in the PKBGT Tournament of Champions at Pinehurst No. 8 as well as the 2020 PKBGT Linville Cup at Mid Pines.
Other Prep Top Finishers
2) Anna Howerton (Kernersville, NC 2023)
3) Sophie Lauture (Charlotte, NC 2024)
4) Grace Ridenour (Cary, NC 2025)
5) McKenzie Daffin (Fayetteville, NC 2021)
Futures Division
Charging up three spots after her fifth-place finish at the North Carolina series finale this past weekend, Leah Edwards (Greensboro, NC 2025) brings the Storie Apparel North Carolina Futures Order of Merit title back home to Greensboro!
Edwards medaled on five separate occasions this season, including her season-best T2 finish at Monroe Country Club. Competing in ten events, Edwards took the crown by just over 14 points thanks to a scoring average of 82.83!
Along with Lee, Edwards earns her ticket to the PKBGT Regional Invitational at Carolina National Golf Club in October. She claims her second straight invitation to the PKBGT Linville Cup and her first trip to Pinehurst No. 8 for the PKBGT Tournament of Champions!
Other Futures Top Finishers
2) Katelyn Griggs (Lexington, NC 2022)
3) Mckenzie Weddle (Floyd, VA 2023)
4) Madison Bresinger (Waxhaw, NC 2021)
5) Emerson Dever (Durham, NC 2025)
Discovery Division
Singing the tune of sweet victory twice, Gracie Song (Waxhaw, NC 2026) claims the top spot on the Storie Apparel North Carolina Discovery Order of Merit! It was quite a weekend for Song, who earned identical honors as the champion of the Southeast Discovery Order of Merit!
Song didn’t need to compete in the North Carolina series finale to win the OOM title after posting five wins on the season. She carded an unprecedented six rounds under par in seven attempts. Her best performance was a two-round 68 (-9) at the Gate City Classic in May and she finishes the year with an average score of 67.33.
Song will earn an invitation to the 2020 Linville Cup at Mid Pines for the second year in a row. Additionally, she earns her spot in the second-annual PKBGT Discovery Invitational at Palmetto Dunes Oceanfront Resort in November!
Other Discovery Top Finishers
2) Ellie Acrey (Winston-Salem, NC 2026)
3) Riley Grimm (Pinehurst, NC 2028)
4) Elle Crichton (Cary, NC 2026)
5) Honorine Nobuta Ferry (Pinehurst, NC 2028)
Closing Remarks
We would like to thank all of our members who participated in events throughout the North Carolina Regional Series. Additionally, we would like to extend our greatest thanks to all fifteen of our host courses for welcoming the PKBGT throughout the Tar-heel state!
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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