Inside the Field: 2021 PKBGT TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP

Greensboro, NC- The Peggy Kirk Bell Girls’ Tour returns to historic Pine Needles Lodge and Golf Club for the season finale of the 2020-2021 wraparound schedule at the home of our Tour namesake, Ms. Peggy Kirk Bell. Champions and top performers of the season gather for the 2021 PKBGT TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP. Pine Needles, voted annually as one of the top tracks in the Carolina’s, has been privileged to host three USGA Women’s Opens, including the upcoming 2022 US Women’s Open. The best of the tour converge at the home of golf in North Carolina for this 54 hole championship event. 

The field of 83 competitors will be split into two separate divisions of play; the Bell National Division and the Futures National Division. There will be representatives from twelve different states along the east coast, ranging from Georgia to Connecticut. We delve deeper into each division with our players to watch at the strongest junior golf event on the East Coast next weekend.

Bell National

The Bell National Division field features 45 of the tour’s top players, including 25 of the top 100 players on the PKBGT Performance Index

Entering the field, ranked #2 on the PKBGT Performance Index is Maria Atwood (Holly Springs, NC 2022). Atwood, a verbal commit to James Madison University, heads into the opening round atop the Bell National Order of Merit rankings thanks to a first-place finish at the MID-ATLANTIC GIRLS CHAMPIONSHIP and runner-up finishes at the 2021 PKBGT OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP and SPRING BELL INVITATIONAL.

One spot behind Atwood is Kiera Bartholomew (Wake Forest, NC 2023), at #3 on the PKBGT Performance Index. The Wake Forest, NC native, has had quite the summer qualifying for the round of 64 in the US Girls Junior, medalist at the LPGA Pure Silk Junior Championship, and a T2 finish at the MID-ATLANTIC GIRLS CHAMPIONSHIP.  Kiera is also currently the second-ranked player on the Bell National Order of Merit.

At the conclusion of the TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP, the Bell National Order of Merit title will be announced.

Highest Ranked Players

  • #2 Maria Atwood (Holly Springs, NC 2022)
  • #3 Kiera Bartholomew (Wake Forest, NC 2023)
  • #8 Ellen Yu (Greensboro, NC 2026)
  • #9 Macy Pate (Winston-Salem, NC 2024)
  • #11 Kathryn Ha (Roanoke, VA 2025)
  • #13 Amber Mackiewicz (Virginia Beach, VA 2023)

Futures National

The Futures National Division features 38 rising talents, including a trio from the class of 2026 and 2027 vying for history as the 2021 Futures National Order of Merit champion.

Jenna Kim (Raleigh, NC 2027) was one of the last players to get into the 2020 National Tournament of Champions in December. She had nothing to worry about this time around, winning five times this season on the Futures National circuit, including a victory at the PKBGT OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP and a runner-up finish just a few weeks back at the PRECISION GIRLS JR. CHAMPIONSHIP at Bryan Park. Kim enters the TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP holding the top spot in the Futures National Order of Merit rankings.

Kanchana Duangsam (Haymarket, VA 2026), put together quite a string of solid r0unds at PKBGT Championship events this summer, including wins at the PKBGT MASTERS presented by Aunt Ruby’s Peanuts and the PRECISION GIRLS JR. CHAMPIONSHIP. Kanchana tabbed two runner-ups and a third at the other three summer Championship events. Duangsam currently sits in second place in the Futures National Order of Merit rankings.

Highest Ranked Players

  • #50 Jenna Kim (Raleigh, NC 2027)
  • #70 Kanchana Duangsam (Haymarket, VA 2026)
  • #102 Makayla Grubb (Stafford, VA 2025)
  • #119 Caroline Hawkins (Columbia, SC 2026)
  • #131 Ella June Hannant (Pikeville, NC 2027)

 

About the PKBGT

Founded in 2007 by Girls Golf of America, a non-profit 501(c)(3) charitable organization, 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 2020-21 season will feature over 110 tournaments in 10 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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For complete coverage of the Peggy Kirk Bell Girls’ Golf Tour, follow the PKBGT on social media @PKBGirlsTour (Twitter), facebook.com/girlsgolftour (Facebook), @pkbgirlstour (Instagram), or visit our website at www.pkbgt.org.


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