Linville Cup 2021: Coaches Spotlight

A graduate of Wake Forest University, Charlene retired after 36 years commercial banking with Wachovia and First Tennessee banks. Charlene volunteers for the Carolina’s Golf Association as a rules official and is the Finance Chair of the Appalachian State University Foundation Board.

A 3-time PKBGT Champion, Emrey attended Wake Forest University and played college golf for the Demon Deacons from 2011-2015. Allison currently competes on the LPGA and LPGA Symetra Tours, her best performance being a T5th place finish at the 2019 Symetra Tour’s SKYiGOLF Championship. Emrey also serves as an Ambassador for the PKBGT and hails from Charlotte, NC.

Gwen graduated from Villanova University with a Bachelor of Science and a Bachelor of Arts, then moved on to the University of Chicago for her MBA. Smyth worked in New York City at Merrill Lynch in Investment Banking before staying home to raise her four children. Gwen became an avid golfer once she moved to Cary, NC, about six years ago. With her daughter, Riley being a PKB Alumni, the Peggy Kirk Bell Girls’ Golf Tour has meant quite a bit to their family. She also has a great passion for fitness as she was a personal trainer and group exercise instructor.

A 9-time PKBGT Champion, Perry attended UNC-Chapel Hill and played collegiately for the Tar Heels from 2010-2014. After an All-America career in Chapel Hill, she competed for 2 years on the LPGA Symetra Tour.  Following LPGA Q-School in 2016, Perry gained LPGA status and will be entering her 5th season on the LPGA Tour. Perry serves as an ambassador of the Peggy Kirk Bell Girls’ Golf Tour and will host the Katherine Perry Hamski Girls Tradition in March at UNC Finley Golf Club. Katherine and her husband welcomed their first child, John, in September of 2020.

Whitney has worked in the sports industry since 2012. This past fall, she freelanced with the PGA TOUR providing on-air talent for the PGA TOUR’s digital and social platforms during 13 tournaments included THE NORTHERN TRUST, BMW Championship, and the U.S. Open. Haworth has also served as a sideline reporter and contributor for ESPN and the SEC Network. Haworth has written and produced features and highlights broadcast by the SEC Network and Golf Channel. Haworth is a graduate of the University of Tennessee with a B.S. in Communication and a concentration in Journalism and Electronic Media, Sports Journalism.

Originally from Redding, CA, Lawrence graduated from The University of Tulsa in 2014, majoring in Psychology. After her time in Tulsa, Kayla became the graduate assistant coach for the Women’s golf team at The University of Texas at El Paso from 2014-2016. She also obtained her Master’s degree in Business Administration. Kayla currently plays on the LPGA Symetra Tour and other mini-tours. Kayla also represents the PKBGT as a Regional Tournament Director for the Central Gulf Coast Series.

Christina is the co-founder of Storie Apparel, a girl’s junior golf apparel company. Founded in 2015, Storie Apparel develops serious performance golf wear for junior girls through a clean, youthful clothing line. Storie Apparel has been the presenting sponsor of the PKBGT Regional Series and the PKBGT Linville Cup since 2017.

A 3-time PKBGT Champion, Kirk attended East Carolina University and played collegiately for the Pirates from 2011-2015. During her time at ECU, Kirk was selected by the LPGA Foundation as the 2015 Dinah Shore Trophy recipient. In addition, Kirk held the PKBGT Invitational scoring record from her win in 2011 with a 2 day total of 5-under (66-71) until this year. She is currently working in analytics as a Decision Sciences Team Lead for Truist Financial Corporation, which is the merged bank of BB&T and SunTrust and continuing to play amateur golf.

Originally from Baltimore, MD, Anne attended Trinity University, where she was a 4-year starter on the Tigers Women’s Golf team and Captain her senior year. Anne was a former Tournament Director for the PKB Girls’ Golf Tour before going back to school to study Nursing at Duke University.  She has been a labor and delivery nurse at UNC REX Hospital in Raleigh, NC, for the past 4 years. In addition to being a nurse, Anne is a member of the North Carolina Golf Panel, where she ranks golf courses for playability across the state.

Anna started playing golf at age 10.  She was a multi-sport athlete until solely focusing on her golf career in high school. A PKBGT Alumna, Anna was the 2014 Bell National Order of Merit champion.  Anna graduated from the University of Virginia in 2019, where she was a member of the 2016 ACC Championship team. Anna just finished her first season on the Symetra Tour finishing in the top-five three times. Redding finished tenth in the 2019-2020 Volvik Race for the Card Money List and has full status on the Symetra Tour for 2021. Also, Anna was the first woman to ever hit a competitive shot at Augusta National in the inaugural Augusta National Women’s Amateur in 2019.

Hollander graduated from the University of South Carolina, where she majored in broadcast journalism and marketing. During her time there, Hollander worked on a daily news television program and shadowed at sports radio station 94.1. She also handled social media efforts during the 2013 RBC Heritage. Since 2017, Taylor has worked as the Player Development Coordinator for the Golf Association of Philadelphia, where she focuses on fostering relationships with local youth organizations. Hollander is a two-time club champion at her home club.

Kelly attended UNC-Chapel Hill and played collegiately for the Tar Heels from 2015-2018. She graduated with a degree in exercise sports science with a minor in neuroscience. Whaley is currently competing on the LPGA Symetra Tour. Kelly is a three-time Connecticut Women’s Amateur Champion.