On Tuesday, July 23, the Peggy Kirk Bell Girls’ Golf Tour played the first round of the 2019 PKBGT NOVA Girls’ Championship at Hidden Creek Country Club in Reston, VA.
An occasional ping from a PKBGT driver disrupted the steady flow of rumbling airline engines amid their final descent toward Dulles International Airport. While Dulles was the landing spot for countless planes on Tuesday afternoon, Hidden Creek Country Club was the place to be for 30 players primed to compete for the 2019 PKBGT NOVA Girls’ Championship.
Just over twenty miles west of the nation’s capital, the PKBGT’s northernmost members gathered for a mid-week championship event. Dreary, gloomy skies welcomed the competitors with steady rain showers as they arrived to warm up at the facilities in Reston. Fighting through the wet warmups, conditions cleared around 10:00 a.m. as the first Bell National group approached the starting tee.
As the miniature white ball exploded off the face of Rayab Lee’s driver, mimicking a plane sprinting down the runway and lifting into the sky over at Dulles International, the 2019 PKBGT NOVA Girls’ Championship commenced. After one round trip across the course, let’s take a look at where the leaderboard stands!
Bell National
Propelling to the top spot of the Bell National leaderboard, Danielle Suh (Herndon, VA 2020) rode a red-hot three-under-par 69 to a familiar position at the NOVA Girls’ Championship. The defending champion, Suh picked up where she left off last year. She made three of her four birdies on the day amid a two-under-par back nine.
In her own impressive performance, Sydney Hackett (Ashburn, VA 2022) took the course shot by shot, posting an even-par 72. Hackett caught her confidence on the back nine, posting a one-under-par 34. She currently sits in second place entering the final round.
Olivia Wirsching (Blue Bell, PA 2020) and Alyssa Wang (Rockville, MD 2021) are locked in a dead heat for third place following the first round of play. Wirsching ironed out the kinks in an even-par back nine performance. In contrast, Wang made two of her three birdies on an even-par front nine.
Capping off the Bell National top five, in fifth place, Minglian Huang (Nanning, China 2021) posted a 77 (+5) in her round on Tuesday. Huang carded two birdies on the afternoon and hopes to gain ground on Wednesday.
Futures National
Stepping up to the plate and posting a first-round score of 78 (+6), Emily Wang (Mclean, VA 2024) took control in the Futures National division Tuesday afternoon. Wang will enter Wednesday’s final round as the leader and hopes to retain that title when the final putt is made.
Clustered in a three-way tie for second place, Akshitha Vemuru (Herndon, VA 2021), Fannie Sukhumparnich (Bethesda, MD 2024) and Shelby Herbert (Charlotte Hall, MD 2024) each concluded the first round with scores of 79 (+6). Vemuru and Herbert each closed out their round with birdies, and all three players look to make a move in the final round – sitting one stroke behind Wang in the lead.
Rounding out the top of the leaderboard after the first round in Reston, Cailyn Park (Fairfax, VA 2025) and Phoebe Qian (Potomac, MD 2022) share fifth place. Both players posted scores of 81 (+9) and are within striking distance for the lead come Wednesday.
Looking Forward
Back at it again from the first tee at 10:00 a.m. sharp, players in both divisions shoot their final shot at the 2019 PKBGT NOVA Girls’ Championship title! Will Suh steamroll through and claim back-to-back victories? Who will kickstart their engine and soar to a win in the Futures National division? Be sure to follow live scoring at the link below to stay up to date!
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 2019 season will feature over 90 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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