Inside the Field: 2021 PKBGT National Tournament of Champions

We are three days away from the culmination of the last 12 months on the PKBGT with the playing of the 8th PKBGT National Tournament of Champions.  Contested as part of the 2021-22 PKBGT National Series, the National Tournament of Champions participants earned their way to this invitation only event through their outstanding play this past year.  In all, 71 girls will tee it up in the 36-hole championship event played on South Course at Forest Creek Golf Club in Pinehurst, North Carolina!

 

Strongest TOC Field to Date Comes to Pinehurst

Another year, another record field for the National Tournament of Champions.  The strength of field for the 2021 playing on the TOC will be the strongest yet, including 15 players inside the national Top 500 in the Bell National Series.  The overall field will be the 4th strongest of the season and a Top 75 national event!  The 2020 PKBGT National Tournament of Champions, the 47th ranked tournament in the country in past year as ranked by Golfweek Junior Golf Rankings, the average player in the field ranked 693.  This depth of field guarantees the most ranking value for our PKBGT champions.

But the strong field does not end there, with the Prep Preview field featuring 15 top 2,000 players amongst its 29 competitors.   With this depth of players, this field will provide a strength of field number as strong as any other field in the region!

 

Take Me To Your Champions… Past champions some of the best and brightest

7 players have claimed the National Tournament of Champions crown.   The event began in Hilton Head Island back in 2013 with Virginia Tech alum Jessica Spicer taking the crown.  Following a move to Pinehurst in 2015 to Pinehurst No. 8, some of the top players in the country have claimed the crown. Current LPGA Symetra Tour professional Brynn Walker won in 2015 followed by University of Virginia alum Haeley Wotnosky in 2016.  NCAA powerhouse, Wake Forest University’s Rachel Kuehn won in 2017 with UAB star Melanie Green in 2018 and College of Charleston signee Adrian Anderson in 2019.  The 2020 event saw the tournament move to the Forest Creek Golf Club where recent Michigan University commit Sydney Yermish took the crown with a 2 shot victory over James Madison University signee Maria Atwood.

 

About our Host: Forest Creek Golf Club

Forest Creek Golf Club – South Course |  Pinehurst NC

Tom Fazio’s graceful South Course weaves through pleasantly rolling terrain, giving it an unforced, natural feel that fits right in with the broad swaths of pines. He didn’t move much dirt – there was no need. The result is one of the finest routings in the Pinehurst area since Donald Ross walked these same sandy soils.

Opened in 1996,Tom Fazio’s South Course drew inspiration from Augusta National’s rolling, parkland style layout. The South Course has an understated appeal, flowing gracefully across the land for an unforced, natural appearance.

Upon opening, the South Course was selected by Golf Digest as the third-best new residential course in the country. Pinehurst Magazine named it the second-best golf experience in the Pinehurst area based on votes of area head golf professionals – second only to the famed Pinehurst No. 2.

 

Highest Ranked Players

In the Bell National field, 7 players in the field are currently ranked inside the top 200 players in the country by the Junior Golf Scoreboard.  They are:

  • Sydney Yermish (Wynnewood, PA 2023) — 76
  • Maria Atwood (Holly Springs, NC 2022) — 107
  • Elizabeth Rudisill (Charlotte, NC 2025) — 114
  • Morgan Ketchum (Winston-Salem, NC 2022) — 115
  • Ellen Yu (Greensboro, NC 2026) — 121
  • Kiera Bartholomew (Wake Forest, NC 2023) — 132
  • Hailey Han (Duluth, GA 2025) — 173

In the Prep Preview field, 7 players in the field are currently ranked inside the top 1,500 players in the country by the Junior Golf Scoreboard.  They are:

  • Riley Grimm (Pinehurst, NC 2028) — 1010
  • Ashnoor Kaur (Roanoke, VA 2027) — 1184
  • Hallie Wilson (Winston Salem, NC 2027) — 1327
  • Maria Isabella Errichetto (Southern Pines, NC 2027) — 1410
  • Annalee Caveney (Raleigh, NC 2024) — 1433
  • Hannah Lowery (Chesapeake , VA 2025) — 1454
  • Lily Kate Watson (Raleigh, NC 2023) — 1481

 

Verballed, Sealed, Delivered

15 of the 60 player Invitational field have verbally committed to play collegiate golf:

  • Maria Atwood — James Madison University
  • Kiera Bartholomew — University of Virginia
  • Averi Cline — Western Kentucky University
  • Abby Franks — North Georgia University
  • Morgan Ketchum — Virginia Tech University
  • Amber Mackiewicz — James Madison University
  • Sydney Yermish — University of Michigan

 

Follow the Action…

The first round of the 8th PKBGT National Tournament of Champions, begins Saturday, December 11th, on South Course at Forest Creek Golf Club. We look forward to a great event!


Posted

in

by

Tags:

Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *