PKBGT Invitational Field Preview

The culmination of a year’s worth of tournaments has brought us to the Peggy Kirk Bell Girls Golf Tour’s most prestigious event of the year, the 2017 PKBGT Invitational at Grandover Resort in Greensboro, NC.  The Grandover Resort East course will be played at 6,200 yards and is expected to serve as a challenging test for PKBGT girls.

The field for this year’s event will feature 72 players from 14 different states making it one of the most diverse and top ranked fields in PKBGT history. Players have earned their spot to the Invitational by finishing at the top of the PKBGT Orders of Merit, winning their state championship, playing in Invitational qualifiers, or earning an at-large bid.  A final 3 spots will be awarded at the Last Chance Qualifier on Sunday, October 29th at Colonial Country Club.

Field Summary

• 72 Players from 14 Different States: North Carolina (34), Virginia (11), South Carolina (5), Georgia (4), Maryland & Pennsylvania (3), New York & Tennessee (2), Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Washington & West Virginia (1)
  • 7 PKBGT Major Champions
  • 4 Association State Champions (Illinois, New York, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia)
  • 15 of the top 20 players– PKBGT Performance Index
  • 8 inside top 250 players– Junior Golf Scoreboard
  • 12 inside top 250 players– Golfweek Junior Rankings
• Reigning Bell Order of Merit Champion – Amanda Sambach (Davidson, NC 2021) is currently ranked 1^st in the Bell National Order of Merit. Sambach had 3 wins in the 2017 PKB tour season, including: Tour Championship at Salem Glen GC, Precision Jr. Girls’ Championship at Bryan Park, and PKBGT Masters presented by Aunt Ruby’s Peanuts at Greenville CC. She also finished runner-up at last year’s PKBGT Tournament of Champions at Pinehurst No. 8, and finished T3 at the 2016 PKBGT Invitational at Grandover Resort.
• Highest Ranked Player – Rachel Kuehn (Asheville, NC 2019) is the highest nationally ranked player in the field at 36. Kuehn is currently ranked 28^th in the PKB Bell National Order of Merit. She also finished top-5 at the 2016 PKBGT Invitational and top-7 at last year’s PKBGT Tournament of Champions at Pinehurst No. 8.
• Players from Coast to Coast – Therese Warner (Kennewick, WA 2019) will be traveling the 2,650 miles from Washington State to compete in the 2017 PKBGT Invitational.
• Youngest Competitor – Bailey Shoemaker (West Edmeston, NY 2023) is only 12 years, 9 months old and will be competing against seniors in high school. Shoemaker qualified for the Invitational by winning the New York State Girls’ Junior Amateur Championship by 7 strokes, carding an even par, 71-73-144, at Seven Oaks Golf Club in Hamilton, N.Y.

The competitive field also includes 21 players who have committed to playing collegiate golf at some of the top colleges and universities in the country.

• Nicole Adam (2020) Pinehurst, NC                       UNC Chapel Hill
• Mackenzie Battle (2018) Aberdeen, NC               The Citadel
• Lena Capoccia (2018) Bethesda, MD                   U. of Maryland
• Rebecca DiNunzio (2019) Norfolk, VA                  Virginia Tech
• Lauren Freyvogel (2019) Gibsonia, PA                  U. of Virginia
• Emily Hawkins (2018) Lexington, NC                  Campbell
• Madison Isaacson (2018) Greensboro, NC          James Madison
• Olivia John (2018) Summerfield, NC                 Western Carolina
• Hailey Joy (2018) Reidsville, NC                      UNC Greensboro
• Rachel Kuehn (2019) Asheville, NC                  Wake Forest
• Kaitlyn Lees (2018) Bryn Mawr, PA                   Dartmouth
• Carly Lyvers (2018) Greenville, SC                    James Madison
• Holly McCann (2019) Raleigh, NC                      U. of Maryland
• Anna Morgan (2019) Spartanburg, SC               Furman
• Kate Owens (2018) Suwanee, GA                     James Madison
• Leila Raines (2020) Galena, OH                         Michigan State
• Amanda Sambach (2021) Davidson, NC             U. of Virginia
• Skylar Sload (2018) Ashburn, VA                        U. of Virginia
• Riley Smyth (2018) Cary, NC                               U. of Virginia
• Muskan Uppal (2019) Cornelius, NC                   Richmond
• Haeley Wotnosky (2018) Wake Forest, NC         U. of Virginia

The 2017 PKBGT Invitational will begin on Friday, November 10^th with practice rounds during the day and the annual Inspire. Dream. Achieve. Banquet in the evening to celebrate and recognize our top players of the 2017 tour season. The banquet will also include special guest speakers, all of whom are PKBGT Alumni competing on the professional tours: LPGA Tour rookie, Katherine Perry and LPGA Symetra Tour professionals, Allison Emrey and Lori Beth Adams and Laura Wearn. Round one of tournament play will begin on Saturday, November 11^th. After round two on Sunday the field will be reduced to the top 50% and ties. The third and final round will begin on Monday, November 13^th concluding with the awards ceremony following the round. Awards will be presented to the top-6 finishers. We look forward to a great event!

The Peggy Kirk Bell Girls’ Golf Tour is an initiative of the Triad Youth Golf Foundation, a 501(c)3 non-profit foundation aimed at increasing learning and playing opportunities for youth golfers. Based out of Greensboro, North Carolina, the PKBGT offers affordable, high-quality nationally ranked girls’ golf tournaments designed to prepare junior girls’ golfers for high school and collegiate golf. The PKBGT is the nation’s largest “girls’ only” junior tour with over 450 members in 2015 and 450 girls playing in or committed to collegiate golf. Learn more about the tour at pkbgt.org or by contacting Tour Director Mike Parker at mparker@pkbgt.org or 336-347-8537.