On Sunday, April 24th, the Peggy Kirk Bell Girls’ Golf Tour played the final round of the 2022 PKBGT Spring Prep and Discovery Invitational at Carolina Trace Country Club in Sanford, NC.
The aroma of spring greeted the players as they took to the practice range Sunday morning. Tee times for the final round of the 2022 PKBGT Spring Prep and Discovery Invitational were set to commence at 8:00 AM off of Hole #1. Players arrived at the practice facilities eager to get the round started and to potentially take home the hardware.
Following the first round of play at the six-time host facility of the US Women’s Open Sectional Qualifier, Spring Invitational was open for the taking. Going into Round 2 Emma Niebauer and Riley Grimm shared the lead at just four-over-par for the Prep Preview Division. Adelyn Rosado held the lead after day one for the Discovery Division firing a round of 78 (+6).
The girls took to the course, beaming rays of sunshine livening the aesthetic course and setting the perfect scene for the final round of the 2022 Spring Prep and Discovery Invitational. Yes, indeed, Day Two at the iconic Carolina Trace Country Club came with the quintessential conditions to catch Spring Fever.
At the end of the day, one player stood alone atop each leaderboard as champions of the PKBGT Spring Prep and Discovery Invitational.
Prep Preview
Strutting with swag for the second day in a row, Emma held on to the lead with another strong performance in the final round to win the 2022 PKBGT Spring Prep Invitational. Emma Niebauer (High Point, NC 2022) took home the championship bowl in the 22 player Prep Preview field with a two-day score of 76, 78 = 154 (+10). Though Niebauer hit some bumps along the road, she turned her swag on to go home with the win.
Just five strokes behind Niebauer, finishing as tied for runner up with a two-day scores of 84, 75 = 159 (+15) and 79, 80 = 159 (+10) was Xinyan Li (Waxhaw, NC 2026) and Cailynn Winford (Mooresville, NC 2023). Li had a strong second round which catapulted her from 13th after round 1 to runner-up for the event. Winford’s consistency between her two rounds led her to taking home the Third Place hardware after a scorecard playoff with Li.
Prep Preview Top-5
1. Emma Niebauer, 2022, High Point, NC 76-78–154
T2. Xinyan Li, 2026, Waxhaw, NC 84-75–159
T2. Cailynn Winford, 2023, Mooresville, NC 79-80–159
T4. Riley Grimm, 2028, Pinehurst, NC 76-84–160
T4. Malerie Lague, 2025, Huntersville , NC 85-75–160
T4. Grace Lindsey, 2025, Mount Pleasant, SC 81-79–160
T4. Olivia Ireland, 2023, Inman, SC 79-81–160
Discovery
A 36-Hole event is rare to see with our Discovery Division, but 7 players decided to take up the challenge and participate. Adelyn Rosado (Cary, NC 2030) took home the championship bowl in the with a two-day score of 78, 78 = 156 (+12).
Bryn Krosse (York, PA 2030) , the 2021 Delaware Valley Discovery Order of Merit Champion came in second with a stellar bogey-free, even-par front nine during Round 1. The back-nine proved to be a challenge for all players on Day 2, but Krosse held her own to finish just four-strokes behind Rosado. Gayatri Arora (Pinehurst, NC 2030) played in her first ever PKBGT Event and had a great finish that lead her to take home the Third Place hardware.
Discovery Top-5
1. Adelyn Rosado, 2030, Cary, NC 78-78–156
2. Bryn Krosse, 2030, York, PA 80-80–160
3. Gayatri Arora, 2030, Pinehurst, NC 83-80–163
T4. Ryland Portadin, 2029, Colts Neck, NJ 88-77–165
T4. Vivian Lott, 2029, Fayetteville, GA 84-81–165
Closing Remarks
We would like to extend our greatest thanks to Ray and the entire staff at Carolina Trace Country Club for their incredible hospitality throughout the weekend, hosting the Tour’s Spring Prep and Discovery Invitational event for the first time. Competing on a course that has hosted many high-level Amateur events, the weekend provided a challenge for all of our competitors. We would like to congratulate all of our Top Finishers at the Spring Prep and Discovery Invitational!
Final Scoreboard
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 2022 season will feature over 138 tournaments in 12+ states 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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