On Friday-Saturday, July 19-20, the Peggy Kirk Bell Girls’ Golf Tour plays the 2019 PKBGT Precision Girls’ Championship at Bryan Park Golf Course (Champions) in Greensboro, NC.
The Peggy Kirk Bell Girls’ Golf Tour’s National Series traveled far and wide across the east coast this season. From the frigid first dates in North and South Carolina to sun-filled skies in Georgia. Northern treks to Virginia, Maryland and Delaware, experience on Division I caliber and former LPGA Championship host courses.
Next weekend, the tour returns home to PKBGT headquarters in Greensboro, North Carolina. The 2019 PKBGT Precision Girls Championship, presented by Precision Golf School (PGS). Held at Bryan Park’s Champions Course, the home of PGS, girls will compete on the host course of the Bryan Collegiate – a Division I College Golf tournament.
Several PGS students and many North Carolina locals will enjoy a weekend in the comfort of their home on a familiar course. Others traveling from Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey, Tennessee, Georgia and South Carolina look to spoil the homecoming for their local competitors.
The field of 57 will compete in one of two divisions: Bell National at 6,065 yards and Futures National at 5,395 yards. With the national schedule winding down, the 2019 PKBGT Precision Girls’ Championship presents an opportunity for a final push to improve Order of Merit rankings. Let’s take a look at the players to watch at Bryan Park next weekend!
Bell National
Heading the Bell National field of 33 is Maria Atwood (Holly Springs, NC 2022), entering the tournament ranked 15th on the PKBGT Performance Index and fourth on the Bell National Order of Merit. Atwood has two top-ten finishes on the tour this season: T9 at the PKBGT Tar Heel Classic and T2 at the PKB Junior in December.
Fresh off her first win of the season, Vynie Chen (Centreville, VA 2020) storms south to Carolina hungry to repeat. Chen is ranked 16th on the Performance Index and jumped into second place on the Order of Merit after her victory at the PKBGT Southeast Classic last weekend. Chen also has three top-ten finishes in 2019.
Joining Chen in the Virginia crew, Melanie Walker (Burke, VA 2022) enters the PKBGT Precision Girls’ Championship with three top-ten finishes and a victory on the season. Walker started off hot, bringing home the top trophy in Hilton Head at the Palmetto Dunes Resort Classic. She enters next weekend’s contest ranked 44th on the Performance Index and 16th on the Order of Merit.
In what appears to be the Virginia takeover, Jessica Rathbone (Montpelier, VA 2020) hops in on the fun, ranked inside the Performance Index Top 100. Rathbone’s best national finish was T11 at the PKBGT Carolina’s Classic and she took home first place at the Middle Atlantic Series at Pendleton GC.
Macy Pate (Boone, NC 2024) rounds out the Bell National watch list, ranked inside the Performance Index Top 100 as well. Pate took home the Prep Preview Order of Merit Championship earlier in the season and she won the PKBGT Spring Invitational. Her top Bell National finish was T3 at the PKBGT Irish Creek Girls Classic.
Futures National
In a star-studded cast, Sophie Lauture enters the tournament as the top-ranked player on the Futures National Order of Merit. Lauture is amidst a spectacular season, with two championship victories including the PKBGT RocketTour Players Championship and the PKBGT Masters. Along with her wins, Lauture’s earned seven top-five finishes.
Neck and neck with Lauture all season, Grace Ridenour (Cary, NC 2025) hopes to jump past her counterpart with a strong finish on the season. Ridenour is currently in second place on the Order of Merit and has two wins on her resume: the Palmetto Dunes Resort Classic and the Palmetto Classic at Furman University. She looks to pick up her first non-Palmetto victory at Bryan Park.
Speaking of victory, Ellen Yu (High Point, NC 2026) has experienced that thrill a lot this season. Four times, to be exact. At the PKBGT Spring Invitational, the Carolina’s Classic, the PKBGT Open Championship and last weekend’s Southeast Classic, Yu took home champions honors. She hopes to add another at the PKBGT Precision Girls’ Championship.
Kinsley Smith (Raleigh, NC 2024) sits just behind the trio on the Order of Merit, ranked seventh. Smith has two fourth place finishes as the cap of her season: one at the Palmetto Dunes Resort Classic and one at the Carolina’s Classic.
Closing out our players to watch in Greensboro next weekend, Kathryn Ha (Roanoke, VA 2025) enters the tournament ranked 18th on the Order of Merit. Ha earned her first victory at Hidden Valley Country Club several weeks ago!
Final Thoughts
We would like to wish the competitors in the PKBGT Precision Girls’ Championship the best of luck in Greensboro next weekend! We can’t wait to bring the nation’s largest girls-only tour to its home course for a weekend alongside the scenic lake! To stay up to date on where the leaderboard stands, be sure to follow live scoring!
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/.
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