Lexington, N.C. — Sophie Weber (Burlington, Canada 2026), Makenzie Aaron (Browns Summit, NC 2029) and Annabelle Scott (Lillington, NC 2028) all raised the first play trophies in their respective divisions at the Peggy Kirk Bell Girls Golf Tour‘s Tarheel Girls Classic at Sapona Golf Club.
The PKBGT kicked-off the 2024-2025 National Series season this past weekend with the Tarheel Girls Classic at Sapona Golf Club! 50 players tee’d it up across three divisions to get the season underway!
In the Bell National division, Sophie Weber entered the final round at Sapona Golf Club holding a two stroke lead following her opening round 73 (+1). Her first round included five birdies and six bogeys, she played much more steady in her second round. She rattled off eight straight pars before making birdie on the ninth hole to go out in one-under par. Weber would play her back nine in even par to fire a closing round of 71 (-1) on her way to a stress-free seven shot victory!
2024 Tarheel Girls Classic Bell National Medalists
Her closest challenger, Emma Marshall (Bremen, GA 2025), shot rounds of 75 & 76 over the weekend to finish in solo second place. It is Marshall’s fifth top-10 finish on the PKBGT in 2024. Malerie Lague (Huntersville, NC 2025) and Caitlyn Baxter (Amherst, VA 2027) finished in a tie for third with a score of 156 (+12) over the 36 holes, each making three birdies.
The Tarheel Girls Classic also served as a qualifier for the 16th PKBGT Invitational, the most prestigious event on the PKBGT. Weber and Lague earned a spot to compete at the Invitational with their excellent play over the weekend.
The Prep Preview division had an exciting finish all the way to the 36th hole and beyond! With two holes to play, there were four players within a shot of the lead. Once 36 holes were complete, there stood a three-way tie atop the Prep Preview leaderboard! Makenzie Aaron, Alexis Blanchette (Davidson, NC 2026), & Kaylee Nguyen (Charlotte, NC 2026) all tied at 160 (+16) would enter a sudden death playoff to determine the champion.
All three players showed great poise over the first three playoff holes. Each player started the playoff by making three consecutive pars leading them to the par-four fourth where the champion was decided. After hitting the green in regulation and her competitors failing to save par after missing the green, Makenzie Aaron was able to two-putt her way to victory!
2024 Tarheel Girls Classic Prep Preview Medalists
In the Futures National division, Annabelle Scott entered Sunday holding a three-shot lead. Much like the Prep Preview division, it came down to the final few holes. Addie Lupton (Tega Cay, SC 2031), playing in her first National Series event, put pressure on Scott’s lead playing with her second round 79 (+7) and tied her for the lead thru 16 holes. Scott would regain the lead on the 17th hole and a par on the 18th hole was enough to claim the Futures National title!
2024 Tarheel Girls Classic Futures National Medalists
Lupton would finish in solo second place, an impressive debut in the National Series! Also impressing over the weekend was Natalie Hennessey (Charlotte, NC 2030). Hennessey finished in solo third place at Sapona Golf Club, which was her best finish in the Futures National division! Finishing in fourth place, Samantha Nguyen (Springfield, VA 2026) bounced back from a tough first round by bettering her opening score by 12 shots! She made an eagle and three birdies on Sunday helping to shoot 77 (+5) and vault up the leaderboard!
Congratulations to the champions of the Tarheel Girls Classic and all of our medalists from this past weekend. We would also like to thank the staff at Sapona Golf Course for hosting us this weekend and their great hospitality!
This weekend, the PKBGT will head to Hidden Creek Country Club for the Middle Atlantic Girls Classic! 69 players across all three divisions will be playing in the 36-hole event. Good luck and safe travels to all the players competing this weekend!
Bell National Leaderboard
1. Sophie Weber (Burlington, Canada 2026) / 73-71—144 (E)
2. Emma Marshall (Bremen, GA 2025) / 75-76—151 (+7)
T3. Caitlyn Baxter (Amherst, VA 2027) / 75-81—156 (+12)
T3. Malerie Lague (Huntersville, NC 2025) / 77-79—156 (+12)
T5. Julianna Ishii (Cockeysville, MD 2027) / 81-76—157 (+13)
T5. Emma Mae Stover (Hendersonville, NC 2026) / 83-74—157 (+13)
T5. Lorna Zhang (Plain City, OH 2026) / 78-79—157 (+13)
Click Here to View Full Bell National Leaderboard
Prep Preview Leaderboard
1. Makenzie Aaron (Browns Summit, NC 2029) / 78-82—160 (+16)
T2. Alexis Blanchette (Davidson, NC 2026) / 80-80—160 (+16)
T2. Kaylee Nguyen (Charlotte, NC 2026) / 84-76—160 (+16)
4. Violet Northcott (Mills River, NC 2026) / 83-79—162 (+18)
T5. Caitlyn Navaleza (Baltimore, MD 2026) / 84-80—164 (+20)
T5. Madison Pruden (Belmont, NC 2026) / 86-78—164 (+20)
Click Here to View Full Prep Preview Leaderboard
Futures National Leaderboard
1. Annabelle Scott (Lillington, NC 2028) / 78-81—159 (+15)
2. Addie Lupton (Tega Cay, SC 2031) / 82-79—161 (+17)
3. Natalie Hennessey (Charlotte, NC 2030) / 81-83—164 (+20)
4. Samantha Nguyen (Springfield, VA 2026) / 89-77—166 (+22)
5. Amelia Iqbal (Charlotte, NC 2030) / 92-79—171 (+27)
Click Here to View Full Futures National Leaderboard
About the PKBGT
Founded in 2007 by Girls Golf of America, a non-profit 501(c)(3) charitable organization, 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 2023-2024 season will feature over 110 tournaments in 9 states on the East Coast, 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/.
For complete coverage of the Peggy Kirk Bell Girls’ Golf Tour, follow the PKBGT on social media @PKBGirlsTour (Twitter), facebook.com/girlsgolftour (Facebook), @pkbgirlstour (Instagram), or visit our website at www.pkbgt.org.