We are just over a week away from the culmination of the last 12 months on the PKBGT with the playing of the 11th PKBGT National Tournament of Champions. Contested as part of the 2023-24 PKBGT National Series, the National Tournament of Champions participants earned their way to this invitation only event through their outstanding play this past year. In all, 60 girls will tee it up in the 36-hole championship event played on South Course at Forest Creek Golf Club in Pinehurst, North Carolina!
Strong Field of Champions Comes to Pinehurst
Another year, another strong field for the National Tournament of Champions. There are 26 players ranked inside the national Top 100 playing in the Bell National division. But the strong field does not end there, with the Prep Preview field featuring 17 top 2,000 players amongst its 28 competitors. With this depth of players, this field will provide a strength of field number as strong as any other field in the region!
Take Me To Your Champions… Past champions some of the best and brightest
10 players have claimed the National Tournament of Champions crown. The event began in Hilton Head Island back in 2013 with Virginia Tech alum Jessica Spicer taking the crown. Following a move to Pinehurst in 2015 to Pinehurst No. 8, some of the top players in the country have claimed the crown. Current LPGA Symetra Tour professional Brynn Walker won in 2015 followed by University of Virginia alum Haeley Wotnosky in 2016. NCAA powerhouse, Wake Forest University’s Rachel Kuehn won in 2017 with UAB star Melanie Green in 2018 and College of Charleston signee Adrian Anderson in 2019. The 2020 event saw the tournament move to the Forest Creek Golf Club where recent Michigan University commit Sydney Yermish took the crown with a 2 shot victory over James Madison University signee Maria Atwood. Elizabeth Rudisill won the 2021 event and Elsie MacCleery claimed the most recent Tournament of Champions at the 2022 event.
About our Host: Forest Creek Golf Club
Forest Creek Golf Club – South Course | Pinehurst NC
Tom Fazio’s graceful South Course weaves through pleasantly rolling terrain, giving it an unforced, natural feel that fits right in with the broad swaths of pines. He didn’t move much dirt – there was no need. The result is one of the finest routings in the Pinehurst area since Donald Ross walked these same sandy soils.
Opened in 1996,Tom Fazio’s South Course drew inspiration from Augusta National’s rolling, parkland style layout. The South Course has an understated appeal, flowing gracefully across the land for an unforced, natural appearance.
Upon opening, the South Course was selected by Golf Digest as the third-best new residential course in the country. Pinehurst Magazine named it the second-best golf experience in the Pinehurst area based on votes of area head golf professionals – second only to the famed Pinehurst No. 2.
Highest Ranked Players
In the Bell National field, 7 players in the field are currently ranked inside the top 500 players in the country by the Junior Golf Scoreboard. They are:
- Sarah Lydic (Ocean View, DE 2024) — 125
- Macie Rasmussen (Chesapeake, VA 2027) — 139
- Caroline Hawkins (Columbia, SC 2026) — 284
- Leah Edwards (Greensboro, NC 2025) — 356
- Garland Gould (Raleigh, NC 2024) — 385
- Riley Grimm (Pinehurst, NC 2028) — 464
- Katie Vu (Fairfax Station, VA 2024) — 478
In the Prep Preview field, 6 players in the field are currently ranked inside the top 1,600 players in the country by the Junior Golf Scoreboard. They are:
- Victoria Davis (Holly Springs, NC 2028) — 999
- Grace Lee (Suwanee, GA 2028) — 1395
- Grace Lindsey (Mount Pleasant, SC 2025) — 1421
- Kelsey Sciacca (Charlotte, NC 2026) — 1469
- Carter Bransford (Glen Allen, VA 2026) — 1501
- Kaylee Bell (Virginia Beach, VA 2028) — 1560
Verballed, Sealed, Delivered
8 players in the field have verbally committed to play collegiate golf:
- Leah Edwards — Western Kentucky University
- Garland Gould — Elon University
- Ellie Hildreth — North Carolina State University
- Madison Lehr — Western Carolina University
- Sarah Lydic — Wake Forest University
- Emerson Purcell — University of Wyoming
- Karsyn Roberts — East Carolina University
- Katie Vu — University of North Carolina
Follow the Action…
The first round of the 10th PKBGT National Tournament of Champions, begins Saturday, December 9th, on the South Course at Forest Creek Golf Club. We look forward to a great event!
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