The Peggy Kirk Bell Girls’ Golf Tour sprawled across the eastern coast of the country, splitting up for three events in a jam-packed weekend of action! The National Series weathered the storm in traveling up Interstate 95 in a two-day test of mental strength in Wilmington, Delaware. Three hours south on Saturday, the Middle Atlantic Regional Series swarmed Stafford, Virginia for the first event of the 2019 schedule. Meanwhile, the Southeast Regional Series spent Saturday in Columbia, South Carolina for their event in the Palmetto State. Settle in a for a celebratory Mother’s Day edition of The PKBGT Weekend Review!

2019 PKBGT DuPont Girls Classic at DuPont Country Club

Gathering just a hop, skip and a jump away from the City of Brotherly Love – on the weekend in celebration of Motherly Love – PKBGT members in the northeast sector of the tour made the voyage to Wilmington for the northernmost stop in the national schedule.

A stark contrast from the shacks and sandcastles of North Carolina’s beach town, Delaware’s rendition of Wilmington consists of a bustling city settled on the riverfront of – you guessed it – the Delaware River. With scenic Riverview overlooks and a plethora of restaurants and pubs, the largest city in the state of Delaware serves as a bridge between the tranquility of Carolina’s shores and the monstrosity of the sixth largest city in America several miles down I-95.

Nestled in the suburban nooks and crannies of a heavily urban region, DuPont Country Club’s championship-caliber DuPont course – in healthy full bloom – played host to the 2019 PKBGT DuPont Girls Classic. The event brought together 44 of the tour’s northeastern-based members. From Delaware and it’s surrounding counterparts: New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania, to those traveling greater distances – as far west as Ohio, east as Connecticut and south as Virginia – there was a wide range of representation by members who are not able to participate in the bulk of events hosted in the Carolinas.

The less-than-promising Mother’s Day forecast prompted a decision to play 27 holes on Saturday in the Bell National division to get a head start on finishing the round come Sunday. Saturday’s first round-and-a-half was completed without a hiccup, the Bell national division completing their 27-hole round and the Futures National division finishing their first 18 holes.

Sunday’s narrative served as the antithesis. Players were welcomed bright and early to a 6 a.m. shower as they shuttled to the driving range in preparation for a 7 a.m. start time. The Futures National division was set to tee off first, in hopes of completing their final round before the rain picked up to unplayable conditions. Bell National competitors looked to get their final nine holes in before the impending storms.

With all the groups off the first tee and the first several groups having made the turn, Mother Nature reared her head back – unleashing a combination of gusty winds and heavy downpours. As the final Futures National group completed their front nine, the course was deemed unplayable, bringing the 2019 DuPont Girls Classic to an end after 27 holes of competition.

Brinker’s hometown showcase in the Bell National division

Phoebe Brinker (Wilmington, DE 2020) is no stranger to the area surrounding DuPont Country Club. The Wilmington native entered the DuPont Girls Classic as the hometown favorite – the highest ranked player in the field of 30 at the Bell National level.

Brinker wasted no time jumping out to a lead in Saturday’s first round, making the turn at one-under-par after posting a front-nine score of 35. Sailing into the back nine, Brinker made back-to-back birdies – two of three on her first-round back nine –  and ended her first round as the Bell National leader with a score of 70 (-2).

After a brief moment to catch her breath, Brinker headed back to the first tee for what would turn out to be the final nine holes of her tournament. The hometown hero left nothing out on the course, giving forth her best effort with an even-par 36 on final nine and taking home the 2019 PKBGT DuPont Girls Classic championship trophy. She finished the weekend with a total score of 70, 36 = 106 (-2).

Yeung sets the pace in the Futures National division

The 14 player Futures National field made it through 18 holes on Saturday afternoon and at the end of the first round, Helen Yeung (Clarksville, MD 2024) held a five-stroke lead over the next closest competitor.

Yeung’s first-round 74 (+2) came with two birdies and an even-par back nine. Comforted by a significant cushion, Yeung and the last pairing in Sunday’s early block of tee times strutted out across the first fairway with the Futures National final round underway.

Fighting the onset of heavy rains and sloppy course conditions, Yeung was able to make a birdie in her Sunday final-round front nine. As Yueng and company headed towards the turn, the course was deemed unplayable and the tournament was shortened to 27 holes.

Yeung headed to the scoring area for final confirmation, where she signed off on a scorecard with a weekend two-day total of 74, 41 = 115 (+7) – sitting alone atop the leaderboard as the champion of the 2019 PKBGT DuPont Girls Classic

Want the full lowdown on the weekend in Wilmington? Read the full event recap HERE!

PKBGT Middle Atlantic Series at Augustine Golf Club

On Saturday afternoon, while the National Series squeezed in 27 holes in Delaware, the PKBGT’s Middle Atlantic Regional Series kicked off the 2019 season with their event at Augustine Golf Club. The field of 33 traveled to Stafford, VA for the one-day event – split between the Prep, Futures and Discovery divisions.

Kicking off her 2019 Regional schedule in a similar fashion to her National season, Melanie Walker (Burke, VA 2022) brought home the trophy in the Prep division at Augustine. Walker won the 2019 PKBGT Palmetto Dunes Resort Classic in her first national event of the year and added another piece of hardware to her trophy case with a first-place score of 77 (+5) on Saturday.

Amanda Deener (Frederick, MD 2020) earned first-place honors in the Futures division. Deener posted a score of 83 (+11) in a round that featured two birdies. She took first place honors by one-stroke over Alina Ho (Great Falls, VA 2024) who finished runner-up.

Rounding out the Middle Atlantic Regional champions, Abigail Avallone (Adamstown, MD 2026) earned her first career win on Saturday in Stafford. Avallone posted a 39 (+3) on the road to her first Top Five finish on the PKBGT.

Get the complete rundown on the Middle Atlantic Regional Series season-opener HERE!

PKBGT Southeast Series at the Members Club at Wildewood

Last, but certainly not least in a weekend of golf on the PKBGT, the Southeast Regional Series completed their event at the Members Club at Wildewood. Following the National Series’ stop in Blythewood last weekend, the Southeast Regional Series took over the state’s capital on Saturday in Columbia.

Taylor Burch (Elgin, SC 2021) earned her second win on the PKBGT in as many weeks. After earning the 2019 PKBGT Imperial Girls’ Classic title in Blythewood on the regional circuit last weekend, Burch posted a score of 77 (+5) to earn first-place honors in the Prep division in Columbia.

Starting off her Saturday afternoon round on a strong note with a birdie, Kylie Bowes (Blufton, SC 2022) never looked back in topping the Futures division leaderboard. Bowes finished the afternoon with a score of 79 (+7) and walked out of the Members Club with the first-place trophy in her first win of the season.

Posting an impressive two-under-par 34 in her nine-hole round on Saturday, Caroline Hawkins (Columbia, SC 2026) closed out the tour’s weekend champions in winning the Discovery division at Wildewood. Hawkins made four birdies in her afternoon at home in Columbia, finishing atop the leaderboard in the Discovery division.

Check out the complete coverage from Columbia at the event recap HERE!

Movement Monday

With the first Middle Atlantic Regional Series event in the books and the Southeast Regional Series completing their second event of the season, we take a look at where the Regional Order of Merit rankings, presented by Storie Apparel, stand in each region!

MIDDLE ATLANTIC REGIONAL SERIES ORDER OF MERIT (presented by Storie Apparel)

Prep Middle Atlantic Division

1. Melanie Walker (Burke, VA 2022)

2. Esther Choi (Midlothian, VA 2021)

3. Nichole Trombetta (Poquoson, VA 2019)

T4. Josephine Nguyen (Springfield, VA 2024)

T4. Akshitha Vemuru (Herndon, VA 2021)

Futures Middle Atlantic Division

1. Amanda Deener (Frederick, MD 2020)

2. Alina Ho (Great Falls, VA 2024)

3. Claire Kim (Lorton, VA 2021)

4. Jaffa Yeager (Chesapeake, VA 2026)

5. Kanchana Duangsam (Haymarket, VA 2026)

Discovery Middle Atlantic Division

1. Abigail Avallone (Adamstown, MD 2026)

T2. Tia Macdonald (Midlothian, VA 2027)

T2. Samantha Nguyen (Springfield, VA 2026)

4. Anvitha Vemuru (Herndon, VA 2025)

T5. Sydney Dinh (Fairfax, VA 2028)

T5. Isabel Vizgaitis (Alexandria, VA 2028)

SOUTHEAST REGIONAL SERIES ORDER OF MERIT (presented by Storie Apparel)

Prep Southeast Division

1. Ashley Looper (Marietta, SC 2019)

2. Taylor Burch (Elgin, SC 2021)

3. Hailey Han (Duluth, GA 2025)

4. Meredith Bennett (Athens, GA 2021)

T5. Madi Chappell (Bogart, GA 2021)

T5. Reagan Folk (Madison, GA 2024)

Futures Southeast Division

1. Kylie Bowes (Bluffton, SC 2022)

T2. Jennifer Rials (Florence, SC 2022)

T2. Elizabeth Rudisill (Charlotte, NC 2025)

4. Brenna Miller (Dillon, SC 2022)

5. Allison Lebo (North Augusta, SC 2022)

Discovery Southeast Division

1. Caroline Hawkins (Columbia, SC 2026)

2. Gracie Song (Waxhaw, NC 2026)

3. Landry Hamm (Charlotte, NC 2027)

4. Brooke Busby (Salisbury, NC 2028)

Around the Tour

The Week Ahead

The National Series takes the weekend off and will return to action for the 2019 PKBGT Open Championships at Country Club of Salisbury in Salisbury, NC on May 25-27!

The Central Florida Regional Series returns to action this weekend at Orange Tree Country Club in Orlando, FL on Saturday, May 18. The deadline to register for the event is TONIGHT at 12 a.m.

The Delaware Valley Regional Series will play its inaugural event at Linfield National Golf Club in Linfield, PA on Saturday, May 18! Registration for that even closes TONIGHT at 12 a.m.

Upcoming Registration Deadlines

PKBGT Central Florida Series at Orange Tree Country Club (Monday, May 13; 12 a.m.)

PKBGT Delaware Valley Series at Linfield National Golf Club (Monday, May 13; 12 a.m.)

PKBGT Central Florida Series Girls Classic at LPGA International (Jones) (Monday, May 20; 12 a.m.)

2019 PKBGT Coastal Carolina Classic at Hackler Golf Course (Monday, May 20; 12 a.m.)

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/.