The Peggy Kirk Bell Girls’ Golf Tour continued our southern kick, with the National Series traveling down to Georgia for the 2019 RocketTour Players Championship!
2019 RocketTour Players Championship
The scenic University of Georgia Golf Course played host to the 2019 RocketTour Players Championship in Athens, GA. The tree-lined course was an admirable setting for the third Championship event of the 2019 season, with several strikingly eloquent yet undoubtedly challenging holes stationed around scenic bodies of water.
The event, presented by RocketTour Golf, was a whirlwind of weather conditions. Saturday’s first round was accompanied by clear blue skies, temperatures upward of 70 degrees, and a breeze just crisp enough to leave the long sleeves on but not enough to affect the flight of the golf ball, truly ideal conditions. Sunday, not so much. Though heavy rain held off until the completion of the tournament, the 20-degree drop in temperature along with spotty showers and significantly stronger winds tested even the most iron-willed players.
Despite the elements added on top of the strenuous design at the home course of the Division 1 powerhouse University of Georgia Women’s Golf Team, the field of 68 girls remained poised throughout the weekend and put on a show for all in attendance.
Madeline Ananthasane (Auburn, GA 2020) took the coveted glass bowl, awarded to the champion of the RocketTour Players Championship, in the Bell National division. Ananthasane finished Round 1 at the top of the leaderboard and never relinquished that position, finishing the weekend with the first win of her PKBGT career.
Sarah Hsu (Buford, GA 2019) followed Anathasane’s pathway to victory, holding the lead in the Prep Preview division after the first round of play and never letting go. Hsu’s finish was an improvement from a fourth-place finish in last year’s event and her first PKBGT win.
Sophie Lauture (Raleigh, NC 2024) won the championship in the Futures National division at the hands of a strong final round performance. Lauture followed up a strong second place finish in last weekend’s Orange Whip Classic with this weekend’s victory. In the midst of a strong first season on the Tour’s National circuit. Lauture closed out a weekend of all first-time PKBGT champions!
Learn about how it all went down in the full 2019 RocketTour Players Championship event recap!
Movement Monday
Bell National Order of Merit
The Bell National Order of Merit looks a bit different Monday morning following an eventful 2019 RocketTour Players Championship. The weekend’s champion, Madeline Ananthasane, takes home this week’s #MoverOfTheWeek honors after jumping 43 spots and breaking into the top 25. Sara Im (Duluth, GA 2023) moved nine spots into second place after a runner-up finish in the event.
Other Notable Movement in the Bell National Top 25:
- Paris Fieldings (Suffolk, VA 2023): moved up 9 spots
- Kimberly Shen (Johns Creek, GA 2022): moved up 16 spots
- Ainsley Cowart (Winston, GA 2019): moved up 15 spots
- Rachel Rich (Mt. Pleasant, SC 2020): moved up 16 spots
- Kate Song (Johns Creek, GA 2021): moved up 23 spots
- Averi Cline (Suwanee, GA 2022): moved up 13 spots
- Karlee Vardas (Lexington, SC 2021): moved up 19 spots
Prep Preview Order of Merit
Autumn Carey (Manning, SC 2022) jumped two spots into second place on the Prep Preview Order of Merit after this weekend’s RocketTour Players Championship. Anna Claire Bridge (Raleigh, NC 2021) and Gabriella Cruz (High Point, NC 2021) each moved up nine spots in the rankings, Bridge now in sixth place and Cruz in eighth. Kelli Scheck (Greensboro, GA 2022) moved up 13 spots into 10th place.
Futures National Order of Merit
Sophie Lauture’s win in Athens this weekend boosted her into first place on the Futures National Order of Merit, moving up one spot from second place. Katerina Klein (Charleston, SC 2020) also moved up one spot in the rankings to second place. Braelyn Pippin (Waxhaw, NC 2020) jumped three spots into fourth place after her second-place finish this past weekend.
Around the Tour
The National Series heads back to North Carolina next weekend for the inaugural 2019 River Run Girls Classic! The Bell National exclusive event takes place in Davidson, NC at River Run Country Club, host course of the LPGA Symetra Tour Classic. Meanwhile, the Central Florida Series returns to action on Saturday at River Hills Country Club in Valrico, FL.
Registration for the event at River Hills and the Central Florida Series Alaqua Classic, which will be held March 2-3, closes TONIGHT at 12 a.m. Register for each event at the following link:
Central Florida Series at River Hills Country Club
Central Florida Series Alaqua Classic at Alaqua Country Club
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/.
Leave a Reply