The 2019 PKBGT season came and went before our very eyes, closing out with the last remaining Regional Series finales. It was a year of substantial growth for the nation’s largest girls’-only junior golf tour. Along with the addition of several National events, the PKBGT expanded into two new regions: the Delaware Valley and Kentucky.
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.
Across the span of eight events between Georgia and South Carolina, the PKBGT’s Southeast Series provided a competitive environment for players in multiple states to take part in over the summer season. Kicking off at the University of Georgia Women’s Golf team’s home course, the Southeast Series culminated this past weekend at the two-day series finale in Easley, SC.
Along with the first-place finishers at the event, three players were crowned champion of the Southeast Series Order of Merit! Let’s take a look at who finished at the top of their division’s respective Storie Apparel Order of Merit race!
2019 Southeast Series Order of Merit, presented by Storie Apparel
Prep Division
Rock and rolling to a victory at the series finale this past weekend, Abby Franks (Roebuck, SC 2023) secured the Storie Apparel Southeast Prep Order of Merit championship! Franks’ first win of the season came in a timely fashion as she hopped into the top spot on the OOM rankings.
Franks made three appearances on the Southeast Series this season, each resulting with a top-four finish and a medal. Her best score was a 79 (+7) in her second-place finish at The Carolina Country Club. Franks competed with an average score of 81.50 in the 2019 season.
In earning the OOM title, Franks grabs her spot at the inaugural PKBGT Regional Invitational, to be held in late-October at Carolina National Golf Club. There, she will have the opportunity to compete for a spot in the PKBGT Invitational with a top finish. Additionally, Franks earns an exemption into the PKBGT Tournament of Champions in December and the 2020 PKBGT Linville Cup in January!
Other Prep Top Finishers
2) Sydney Bowes (Bluffton, SC 2021)
3) Makenzie Norwood (Kiawah, SC 2022)
4) Taylor Burch (Elgin, SC 2021)
5) Ashley Looper (Marietta, SC 2019)
Futures Division
Never relinquishing her commanding lead, Allison Lebo (North Augusta, SC 2022) took home the Storie Apparel Southeast Futures Order of Merit Championship this past weekend at Smithfields Country Club! Lebo, like Franks, capped off her season on a high note with a victory at the two-day series finale!
Lebo hit the ground running early, with a win at The Carolina Country Club. Two top-four finishes and another win later, Lebo claims the first OOM title of her career! Taking the title by more than 40 points, Lebo averaged a score of 87.75 in her seven events.
The OOM title grants Lebo a spot in the PKBGT Regional Invitational at Carolina National, where she will be honored at a special banquet ceremony! She will also be eligible to partake in the PKBGT Tournament of Champions at Pinehurst No. 8 and the third-annual PKBGT Linville Cup at Mid Pines!
Other Futures Top Finishers
2) Alexis Hodge (Lexington, SC 2022)
3) Delia Parker (Greer, SC 2021)
4) Madilyn Saxton (Guyton, GA 2025)
T5) Hannah Grace McCoy (Columbia, SC 2021)
T5) Alyssa Waddell (Greer, SC 2020)
Discovery Division
No, your eyes are not deceiving you! That’s right, Gracie Song (Waxhaw, NC 2026) claimed her second of two OOM championships, this time with the Storie Apparel Southeast Discovery Order of Merit Championship!
In her three events on the circuit, Song never finished worse than the runner-up. She claimed first-place honors at both the Blythewood Country Club and Country Club of Spartanburg. Though she won by a narrow margin of three points, Song’s scoring average was a spectacular 72.00.
As with her North Carolina OOM title, Song earns her spot in the PKBGT Discovery Invitational at Palmetto Dunes Oceanfront Resort in November! She will also have the opportunity to compete in the 2020 PKBGT Linville Cup in January at Mid Pines!
Other Discovery Top Finishers
2) Addisyn Newman (Knoxville, TN 2028)
3) Landry Hamm (Charlotte, NC 2027)
4) Caroline Hawkins (Columbia, SC 2026)
5) Kellyn Arnold (Charlotte, NC 2025)
Closing Remarks
We would like to thank all of our competitors who took part in the 2019 PKBGT Southeast Series season! We would also like to extend our sincere gratitude to each course who opened its doors to the PKBGT, allowing the series to take place!
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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