Greensboro, NC – On Wednesday, December 19th, the Peggy Kirk Bell Girls’ Golf Tour played the final round of the 14th Peggy Kirk Bell Jr. at Pine Needles and Southern Pines Golf Club in Southern Pines, NC.
Following an excellent first round, players were ready to take on the course, with many in striking distance. The final round would be a shot-gun start and players arrived at the practice facilities eager to get the round started and potentially take first place.
At the end of the day, three girls stood atop the leaderboards, each the champion of their division at the 14th Peggy Kirk Bell Junior.
Bell National
Anna Howerton (Winston Salem, NC 2023) entered Sunday two shots off the lead but rose to the occasion to come from behind and win the Bell National division. Howerton made four birdies over the round and would finish at 1-under for the day and win by 5. Elsie MacCleery (Crozet, VA 2025) played well on Sunday but wasn’t able to keep up with Howerton. MacCleery made three birdies of her own and claimed solo second. Tied for third was Emerson Dever (Durham, NC 2025) and Alisa Pressley (Hoschton, GA 2025) who matched scores over the two days with a 76 on Saturday and 77 on Sunday. Abigail Avallone (Bethesda, MD 2026) bettered her opening round by 13 strokes on Sunday! She shot an even par 72 to close and finish in fifth.
1. Anna Howerton (Winston Salem, NC 2023) / 75, 71 = 146 (+2) 2. Elsie MacCleery (Crozet, VA 2025) / 73, 78 = 151 (+7)
T3. Emerson Dever (Durham, NC 2025) / 76, 77 = 153 (+9)
T3. Alisa Pressley (Hoschton, GA 2025) / 76, 77 = 153 (+9)
5. Abigail Avallone (Bethesda, MD 2026) / 85, 72 = 157 (+13)
Prep Preview
Overnight leader Reagan Garnsey (Camden-Wyoming, DE 2025) kept up her great play on Sunday shooting a closing 78 to hold onto the Prep Preview Division! Sophie Cao (McLean, VA 2027) matched Garnsey’s 78 and would move into solo second place. Isabelle LeBlanc (Bethesda, MD 2026) and Mackenzie Cline (Cary, NC 2025) both played another steady round and both shot 81 to finish in third and fourth respectively. Kate Roberts (Phoenixville, PA 2024) made a move on Sunday and moved into medalist position with a 79.
1. Reagan Garnsey (Camden-Wyoming, DE 2025) / 75, 78 = 153 (+9)
2. Sophie Cao (McLean, VA 2027) / 81, 78 = 159 (+15)
3. Isabelle LeBlanc (Bethesda, MD 2026) / 79, 81 = 160 (+16)
4. Mackenzie Cline (Cary, NC 2025) / 80, 81 = 161 (+17)
5. Kate Roberts (Phoenixville, PA 2024) / 83, 79 = 162 (+18)
Futures National
A playoff was needed to determine a champion in the Futures National division between Audrey Liu(Weddington, NC 2027) and Ella Ott (High Point, NC 2023). Liu came out on top in the playoff and was able to come from behind to secure the championship. Malaya Johnson (Bowie, MD 2028) impressed on Sunday with a closing 78, the only Futures round in the 70’s over the tournament. Hailey Moffett (Watkinsville, GA 2026) and Salloni Gill (Baltimore, MD 2025) both played solid over the two day event and would finish in fourth and fifth, respectively.
1. Audrey Liu (Weddington, NC 2027) / 81, 83 = 164 (+20) 2. Ella Ott (High Point, NC 2023) / 83, 81 = 164 (+20)
3. Malaya Johnson (Bowie, MD 2028) / 87, 78 = 165 (+21)
4. Hailey Moffett (Watkinsville, GA 2026) / 81, 85 = 166 (+22)
5. Salloni Gill (Baltimore, MD 2025) / 80, 87 = 167 (+23)
Closing Remarks
We would like to extend our greatest thanks to the entire staff at both Pine Needles and Southern Pines Golf Club for their incredible hospitality. This weekend provided a challenge for all of our competitors and we would like to congratulate all of our medalists at the 14th Peggy Kirk Bell Junior!
Final Scoreboard
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 2022 season will feature over 138 tournaments in 12+ states and with over 1,000 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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