On Saturday, March 30, the Peggy Kirk Bell Girls’ Golf Tour played the first round of the 2019 Commonwealth Classic at Lake Monticello Golf Course in Palmyra, VA.

The breeze flowing off of Lake Monticello, through the trees and to the course on Saturday morning set a soothing vibe to calm any nerves surrounding the stakes of the 2019 Commonwealth Classic. The glowing rays of the sun shining down from the crystal clear blue skies reassurance that it was going to be a good day.

Starting times for the 2019 Commonwealth Classic were set to begin at 10 a.m. on the first tee. Each of the 32 Bell National players entered the day with a chance to win a spot in the LPGA Pure Silk Girls’ Junior Championship Qualifier. The 21 Futures National players had their eyes set on the coveted glass trophy of a PKBGT Classic Championship.

The Tour was welcomed to Lake Monticello Golf Course with open arms, the utmost of hospitality. The girls felt at home as they took to the tee to begin their afternoon. Upon the first rounds completion, here is how the leaderboard stands!

Bell National

Leading the Bell National field by two strokes following the first day of play is Sue Lee (Lorton, VA 2022). Lee fired a first-round 73 (+1) to give herself a bit of room to breath entering Sunday’s final round. She sprinkled three birdies into her round and had two birdies in three holes from the fifth to the seventh.

Finishing in a two-way tie for second place following the first round is Katie Park (Fairfax, VA 2022) and Kendall Turner (Chesapeake, VA 2019). Both players shot scores of 75 (+3) on the afternoon. Turner had a birdie on the fifth hole while Park had two birdies on the day including her first hole of the afternoon.

Rounding out the Bell National top five, in a three-way tie for fourth place is Melissa Meng (Blacksburg, VA 2020), Lydia Swan (North East, PA 2022), and Jennifer Cleary (Wilmington, DE 2020). All three players shot 76 (+4) on the afternoon.

Meng carded two birdies on the afternoon, one on the eighth hole and one on the 16th.  Swan birdied her second hole of the day and Cleary birdied the fifth hole.

Futures National

Elizabeth Tucci (New Market, MD 2022) jumped out to an early lead on Saturday and sits in first place on the Futures National Leaderboard. Tucci finished the first round with a score of 76 (+4). She started the day off strong with two pars and a birdie, setting the tone for the entire afternoon.

In second place, just one shot behind Tucci is Sarah Lydic (Ocean View DE 2024). Lydic finished the day with a score of 77 (+5) and started her back nine off strong with a birdie on the 11th hole. She looks to keep pace with Tucci in Sunday’s final round.

Nobody was willing to give in and relinquish third place in the Futures National division. After the first round, there was a four-way tie to round out the top finishers. Kanchana Duangsuam (Haymarket, VA 2026), Anna Swan (North East, PA 2024), Madison Yom (Burke, VA 2024), and Amelia Cho (Ashburn, VA 2024) all finished the afternoon with scores of 82 (+10).

Looking Forward

With everything on the line, Sunday afternoon promises for an exciting finish in Virginia. Players in both divisions look for a rally to the top of the leaderboard. A spot in the LPGA Pure Silk Girls’ Junior Championship Qualifier and additional PKBGT hardware is at stake, so stay tuned to the live scoring link below to follow the action. Tee times for the final round begin at 10 a.m.

Live Scoring

View Event Photos

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/.