On Saturday and Sunday, October 12-13, the Peggy Kirk Girls’ Golf Tour plays the 2019 Kentucky Series Finale at the University Club at Kentucky in Lexington, KY.
They say all good things must come to an end, and that couldn’t be more true for the 2019 PKBGT Kentucky regional series! Working in partnership with the Kentucky PGA Junior Tour to promote competitive opportunities for junior girls in the region, the inaugural series began in June and featured five, one-day events finishing off with this weekend’s finale event.
With 45 unique participants over the course of the series, six players earned championship honors and their ticket into the coveted PKBGT Tournament of Champions, played at Pinehurst no. 8 this December.
Offering innovative yardage-based divisions to girls aged 9-18, the PKBGT Series Progression allows players to progress towards playing collegiate golf by playing yardage/skill appropriate tournaments as they develop their game.
Race to the top
Winding down to the finale at the University Club, competitors have battled it out each event to improve their ranking on the Storie Apparel Kentucky Order of Merit. The champions of the the three divisions recognized on the Order of Merit will earn a spot in PKBGT invitation-only events this fall.
Both the Prep and Futures champions will not only earn their spot in the coveted 2019 PKBGT Tournament of Champions at the home of American Golf – Pinehurst, NC – but will be invited to compete in the inaugural PKBGT Prep and Futures Invitational at the end of the month.
Along with recognition at the Regional Invitational banquet for all season-long champions, Prep division players will have the opportunity to compete for a three different spots in the 11th annual PKBGT Invitational in November.
With so much at stake, the focus and determination promise to be stiff this weekend in Lexington. Let’s take a look at how the OOM standings look entering the event and highlight the players to watch at the Kentucky Regional Series Finale.
Prep Division
With an absent Prep field at this week’s finale, Reagan Clark (Richmond, KY 2020) takes home the inaugural PKBGT Kentucky Prep Series Order of Merit title. Clark, a high school senior, teed it up at Gibson Bay this past July where she posted an 81 to take the title.
As the series’ Prep Order of Merit Champion, Clark has earned a spot in both the Prep Invitational, Tournament of Champions and a spot to compete at the 2020 Linville Cup Team Challenge and Leadership Retreat next January at Mid Pines Inn and Golf Club, the home of tour matriarch Peggy Kirk Bell.
Futures Division
Leading the Futures Division Order of Merit is Madison Borders (Bardstown, KY 2023) after securing four victories over the course of the series. Borders, who holds a 80.4 scoring average over the course of the five events played, will also be participating in this weekend’s finale event at the University Club. With a significant 43 point lead, Borders is projected to take home the Order of Merit title and secure her spot in the 2020 Linville Cup!
Other players to watch this weekend include Kasey Cameron (Richmond, KY 2024), Mary Claire Harris (Nicholasville, KY 2023) and Cailyn Rogers (Lexington, KY 2025) who currently sit fourth, eleventh and thirteenth on the Order of Merit, respectively.
A field of familiar and new faces, four players- Isabella Anderson, Angelina Gong, Miller Luhan and Molly Matthews – make their debut appearance at a PKBGT event.
Discovery Division
Holding a significant, 25 point lead entering this weekend’s finale, Keira Yun (Elizabethtown, KY 2027) is the projected winner of the Discovery Kentucky Order of Merit. Yun, who will not be competing this weekend, participated in all five one-day events and has taken home the champion’s trophy in all but one.
With her Kentucky Order of Merit title, Yun will earn a spot to compete in the 2020 Linville Cup this coming January!
Also in the field at this weekend’s event is Grace Wang (Lexington, KY 2025) who sits third on the Discovery Order of Merit with a scoring average of 42. She will be competing against PKBGT newcomer Carol Ann Mendenhall (Lexington, KY 2025) in the Discovery division finale.
Final Thoughts
We would like to wish all of our competitors the best of luck in this weekend’s Series Finale. One final opportunity to make a splash and move up in the standings will bring fierce competition and electric performances to Lexington, KY this weekend!
CLICK HERE TO VIEW 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 2020 season will feature nearly 100 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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