Chapel Hill, NC-On March 7-8, 2020, Peggy Kirk Bell Girls’ Golf Tour concluded play at the Tarheel Classic at UNC Finley Golf Course. Bitter and windy conditions were the headlines of the first round. After a brief frost delay on Sunday morning, the weather was quite pleasant for the final round, which turned into quite an outing of championship golf on the golf course that hosts the annual Ruth’s Chris Tarheel Invitational. A highlight of the final round occurred on the par-four second where Cailyn Park (Fairfax, VA 2025) holed out for eagle!
Bell National
Finishing in first place in the Bell National division was Sydney Hackett (Ashburn, VA 2022) after posting a two day total of (+6) [75+75=160] and outlasting Mackenzie Gallagher (Hilton Head Island, SC 2021) and Macy Pate (Boone, NC 2024) in a three-hole playoff. The Ashburn, VA native began the final round three strokes back of the overnight leader Macy Pate and carded four birdies on Sunday, including a crucial three on the par-four 18th.
Hackett needed to birdie the final hole to tie the early clubhouse leader Gallagher who had already finished with a solid round (72) and put pressure on Macy Pate, who was playing in the penultimate pairing. Pate ended with a par to make it a three-way tie at the top. Mackenzie Gallagher was eliminated on the first playoff hole with a bogey. Pate and Hackett’s both had excellent birdie chances and nearly made both of them. On the second playoff hole, both Pate and Hackett missed the green and bogeyed. On the third playoff hole, Pate’s par putt slid by the hole to give Sydney Hackett the first PKBGT Bell National title of her career!
1. Sydney Hackett (Ashburn, VA 2022)* | 75+75=150
2. Macy Pate (Boone, NC 2024) | 72+78=150
3. Mackenzie Gallagher (Hilton Head Island, SC 2021) | 78+72=150
T4. Hannah Hankim (Potomac, MD 2021) | 75+77=152
T4. Sophie Lauture (Charlotte, NC 2024) | 80+72=152
Click here to view the full Bell National Leaderboard.
Prep Preview
Finishing in first place in the Prep Preview division was Shea Smith (Charlotte, NC 2022) after posting a two-day total of (+14) [77+81=158] and outlasting Ava Lucas Raleigh, NC (2021) in a one-hole playoff. The Charlotte, NC native began the final round with a two-stroke lead thanks to her opening round 77. Smith struggled on the finishing holes on both nines but recovered with three birdies on the card, including back-to-back numbers in the red on holes twelve and thirteen. Smith and Lucas headed to the par-three twelfth to begin their sudden-death playoff. The flat stick would end up determining the winner as Smith two-putting, and Lucas saw her par putt drive by the hole. This is Smith’s first victory of the 2020 season. With the win, she receives an automatic invitation to the Spring Invitational and the 2020 Tournament of Champions.
- Shea Smith (Charlotte, NC 2022)* | 77+81=158
- Ava Lucas (Raleigh, NC 2021) | 79+79=158
- Grace Ridenour (Cary, NC 2025) | 81+78=159
- Taylor Park (Fairfax, VA 2022)* | 81+79=160
- Abigail Kim (Bluffton, SC 2023) | 80+80=160
Click here to view the full Prep Preview Leaderboard
Futures National
Finishing in first place in the Futures National division was Emerson Dever (Durham, NC 2025) after posting a two-day total of (+7) [78+73=151] and The Durham, NC native began the final round tied for the lead. Dever carded three birdies in her final round. Dever’s round of 73 was the best in the Futures by three strokes. Only three contestants in the entire field shot a better final round score than Dever. This is Emerson’s second consecutive PKBGT victory. She took the rain-shortened Rocket Tour Players Championship in a playoff over Gracie Song back in late February for her first title of 2020.
- Emerson Dever (Durham, NC 2025) | 78+73=151
- Kathryn Ha (Roanoke, VA 2025) | 80+77=157
- Katherine Brictson (Raleigh, NC 2024) | 82+76=158
- Leah Edwards (Greensboro, NC 2025)* | 81+78=159
- Sydnee Gaines (Nottingham, MD 2023) | 78+81=159
Click here to view the full Futures National Leaderboard.
The PKBGT is back in action next weekend, March 14-15, for the Palmetto Classic at Furman University Golf Course!
Live-Scoring
About the PKBGT
Founded in 2007 by Girls Golf of America, 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 over 1110 tournaments in 9 states on the East Coast, and with over 1,000 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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