Linville Cup: Team Preview

The Peggy Kirk Bell Girls’ Golf Tour heads to the Mid Pines Inn and Golf Club from January 16-18, 2021, for the fourth annual Linville Cup Team Challenge and Leadership Retreat.

The Linville Cup is a weekend of team golf and leadership seminars designed to reward the top players of the 2020 PKBGT in each region. The retreat builds on our motto of “more than a golf tournament” by bringing together members who have excelled in the past year to Pinehurst, the home of American golf, and Pine Needles/Mid Pines GC, the home of our tour namesake.

Although the event has been altered due to COVID-19 safety precautions, great golf, new friends, and an unforgettable experience will be had by the sixty players and coaches in attendance.

Will NC West prevail for the third straight year, or will a region outside the Tarheel State finally hoist the Cup? We’ll soon find out! Here’s a look inside the six teams competing for the coveted Linville Cup.

Team NC West

Coaches-Allison Emrey, Charlene Johnson

The only team that retained the same coaches from 2020 are hungry to win two consecutive Linville Cup titles. Captaining NC West is LPGA Symetra Tour player and PKBGT Alumna Allison Emrey with mentor coach Charlene Johnson, a retired Commerical Banker with ties to Wachovia and First Tennessee Bank.

Wearing the NC West Colors in 2021:

Shyla Brown (Matthews, NC 2026)
Mckenzie Weddle (Floyd, VA 2023) *2020 Participant*
May McDonell (Charlotte, NC 2022)
Macy Johnson (Salem, VA 2023)
Ellie Acrey (Winston-Salem, NC 2026) *2020 Participant*
Mary-Paige King (Clemmons, NC 2023)
Kami Caraccia (Mooresville, NC 2027)
Hallie Wilson (Winston-Salem, NC 2027)

Team NC East

A veteran captain will hope to lead Team NC East back to the promised land along with a parent of a former PKBGT player. LPGA Tour player Katherine Perry Hamski and Gwen Smyth, a former executive in Wall Street, will lead this young but very talented squad.

Repping NC East at Mid Pines:

Emerson Dever (Durham, NC 2025) *2020 Participant*
Garland Gould (Raleigh, NC 2024)
Tyler Spriggs (Cary, NC 2023) -Prep NC Storie Order of Merit Champion-
Annalee Caveney (Raleigh, NC 2024)
Mackenzie Crossman (Pittsboro, NC 2024)
Madison Myers (Cary, NC 2025) -Futures NC Storie Order of Merit Champion-
Riley Grimm (Pinehurst, NC 2028) *2020 Participant*
Jenna Kim (Raleigh, NC 2027) -Discovery NC Storie Order of Merit Champion-

Team Middle Atlantic

A former PKBGT staff member and golf administrator with the Women’s Golf Association of Philadelphia will hoist the Team Middle Atlantic flag. Making her triumphant return to the PKB Girls’ Tour is Emily Brooks as the player captain for Team MA. Joining her for the first time at the helm is South Carolina native Taylor Hollander as a mentor captain.

Waving the Flag for Team Middle Atlantic:

Kayla Maletto (Sinking Springs, PA 2024) -Prep Delaware Valley Storie Order of Merit Champion-
Fannie Sukhumparnich (Bethesda, MD 2024) *2020 Participant*
Alice Zou (Potomac, MD 2022) *2020 Participant*
Erica Honadel (Bel Air, MD 2023)
Avery McCrery (Wilmington, DE 2025) -Futures Delaware Valley Stories Order of Merit Champion-
Olivia Cong (Germantown, MD 2024)
Bryn Krosse (York, PA 2030) -Discovery Delaware Valley Storie Order of Merit Champion-
Zoe Cusack (Potomac, MD 2026)

Team Southeast

Team Southeast is lead by a four-year playing captain and the co-founder of the PKBGT Regional Series presenting sponsor. Katie Kirk, a former standout collegiate golfer at ECU, takes the reigns in a new region for the 2021 Linville cup with Christina Francis, the co-founder of Storie Apparel and Fire Protection Engineer. Keep an eye on SE as they have five returning players to this team and three signed to compete at the next level.

Leading the charge for Team Southeast:

Raquel Fowler (Greer, SC 2021) ^College Golf Signee^
Hannah Lindeman (Charlotte, NC 2021)
Delia Parker (Greer, SC 2021) ^College Golf Signee^ *2020 Participant*
Olivia Pellerin (Greenville, SC 2024)
Caroline Hawkins (Columbia, SC 2026) *2020 Participant*
Madilyn Saxton (Guyton, GA 2025) -Futures SC Storie Order of Merit Champion- *2020 Participant*
Landry Hamm (Charlotte, NC 2027) *2020 Participant*
Karsyn Herron (Graniteville, SC 2027) –Discovery SC Storie Order of Merit Champion-

Team National

The skippers for Team National will manage a promising group of youngsters and returning players as they look to continue on last year’s successes. Making their debuts at the Linville Cup are playing captain Lizzie Hattrich and mentor coach Whitney Haworth. Lizzie, a three-time WGCA All-American at UNC Pembroke, and Whitney, a freelancer with the PGA Tour, hope to end the celebrations from team NC West.

Representing four states for Team National are:

Abigail Fernandez (Windermere, FL 2023) -Prep Central Florida Storie Order of Merit Champion- *2020 Participant*
Ava Bunker (Franklin, IN 2026)
Cailyn Rogers (Lexington, KY 2025)
Emerson Purcell (New Albany, OH 2024) -Prep Kentucky Storie Order of Merit Champion- *2020 Participant*
Lily Tribble (Union, KY 2025)
Reagan Chastain (Orlando, FL 2023)
Karolyna Adams (Saint Cloud, FL 2026) -Discovery Central Florida Storie Order of Merit Champion-
Emerson Bowling (Frankfort, KY 2028) -Discovery Kentucky Storie Order of Merit Champion-

Team Virginia

A veteran and a newcomer hope to propel Team Virginia to paydirt after a great Sunday afternoon run last year. Fresh off a spectacular season on the LPGA’s Symetra Tour, Anna Redding returns as the playing captain for Team Virginia. Anne Pierron, a former PKBGT staff member and current labor and delivery nurse at UNC REX Hospital, joins Redding as the mentor captain for Team Virginia.

Representing the Virginia Squad:

Cailyn Park (Fairfax, VA 2025) -Futures Middle Atlantic Storie Order of Merit Champion- *2020 Participant*
Katie Park (Fairfax, VA 2022)
Catherine Qiu (Great Falls, VA 2026) –Prep Middle Atlantic Storie Order of Merit Champion-
Kathryn Ha (Roanoke, VA 2025)
Elsie MacCleery (Crozet, VA 2025)
Madison Yom (Burke, VA 2024)
Sydney Neou (Leesburg, VA 2027) -Discovery Middle Atlantic Storie Order of Merit Champion- *2020 Participant*
Katherine Yun (Ashburn, VA 2028)

Team Rosters

Each team consists of 8 players who excelled on the PKBGT in 2020; and, therefore, have been chosen to represent their region in the second annual Linville Cup. Click Here to see the official Team Rosters for the 2021 Linville Cup.

Event Namesake

The Linville Cup is named for PKBGT Tour Founder Robert Linville. Robert is the owner/founder of Robert Linville’s Precision Golf School and co-founder of the PKBGT’s parent foundation, the Triad Youth Golf Foundation, now known as Girls Golf of America. A PGA member for over 30 years, Robert has a passion for developing players and has taught some of the top players to come out of North Carolina in the last 20 years, including current LPGA player and PKBGT Alumnus Katherine Perry. Robert’s passion and energy for developing equity for girls in golf is why the PKBGT has grown to where it is today.

About the Peggy Kirk Bell Girls Golf Tour

The Peggy Kirk Bell Girls’ Golf Tour is an initiative of the Girls Golf of America, 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.