Greensboro, N.C. (Feb. 5, 2026) — The Peggy Kirk Bell Girls Golf Tour’s annual Linville Cup brings together the top finishers from the previous season’s Regional Series to reward the players for their excellence over the season.
Building on our motto of “more than a golf tournament,” this special weekend, consisting of team golf and leadership seminars, gathers players to Pinehurst, N.C., the home of American golf, to play at the incredible Mid Pines Golf Course, the home of our tour namesake.
What is the Linville Cup?
The Linville Cup, named for the PKBGT Tour Founder Robert Linville, is a chance for the top finishers of each series’ Order of Merit lists to play in a team match play event, similar to the Ryder Cup and Solheim Cup.
Each team consists of one Futures National player, 2 Prep Regional players, 3 Futures Regional players, and 2 Discovery Regional players. The six common teams to play from include National, Southeast, Middle Atlantic, N.C. West, N.C. East, and South Carolina — the current reigning champions.
Over the weekend the players will not just play three rounds of golf comprised of an official practice round and the 36-hole team event, but also receive a team jacket and hat, attend a Sunday Night Leadership Banquet, and participate in team-building activities and games with their respective team.
“Linville Cup provides its participants the opportunity to learn and grow as both a player and person. They get to absorb knowledge from players and leaders within the golf community that have been where they are,” said Torey Chandler, Assistant Director of Foundation and Association Events at the Carolinas Golf Association and a coach of the 9th Linville Cup champion team, Team South Carolina. “It gives the girls’ the space to think outside the box both on and off the golf course through the team building exercises.”
Click Here for More Information on the Linville Cup.
Team Competition Schedule and Format
Taking place over the long weekend of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, this event kicks off on Saturday morning with a Player and Parent Welcome, with players going to a Team Building Brunch with team-building activities prepared to get teams to know each other. In the afternoon, the official practice round for the event begins at 12:30 p.m. with a shotgun start.
The official matches begin Sunday, featuring two 9-hole matches of modified alternate shot play, both beginning with a shotgun start. Team matchups on Sunday will be chosen at random, with each match earning the winning team 2 points and a tied match earning both teams 1 point. Each team matchup includes three matches of two players per team, playing at 5,650 yards, and one 9-hole match of the two Discovery players per team, playing at 2,500 yards.
Following the afternoon session, a Leadership Banquet will be held in the evening, usually at one of the historic locations on either the Pine Needles or Mid Pines properties. This banquet includes a delicious dinner prior to a few speeches from current Tour Director Mike Parker and event namesake and Tour Co-Founder Robert Linville, as well as a panel typically comprised of event coaches or other knowledgeable women discussing mentorship and the junior to collegiate golf process.
Come Monday morning, the two teams earning the most points will play a full 18-hole matchup in order to hoist the Linville Cup high. The third and fourth placed teams will compete in a third place match, and the remaining two teams will compete in a fifth place match as well.
Click Here for More Information on the Linville Cup Regions and Team Composition.
What is the “Leadership Retreat”?
One of the many highlights for the Linville Cup is the numerous opportunities for players to interact with the coaches and staff. Mentorship is a key component of this event, as we aim for the players to take away many life lessons, friendships, and overall confidence to build their golfing career on.
Coaches for the different teams include ex-collegiate golfers, as well as women business leaders, who will share their experiences with the players throughout the weekend. This event provides a unique experience for players to compete and develop in a team environment, while also learning from and leaning on mentors providing an exclusive point of view.
“The Linville Cup is just as much a learning experience for the coaches as it is for the players,” Chandler said. “We become lifetime fans of our team members and will always be a resource and cheerleader!”
Click Here to Learn More about the Previous Coaches and Mentors.
How can you qualify?
Players can qualify for this fun, activity-filled weekend through their placement in their Regional Series Order of Merit lists. The top Futures National finisher will be selected first for each team, representing the region where they reside. Regional players qualify based on their finish in a regional Order of Merit race and will represent that region, even if they live in a separate region.
For regions with multiple regional series, each series will be allocated one player for the regional Prep, Futures, and Discovery divisions, with the additional Futures Regional player being selected from the series with the largest number of participants in the Futures Order of Merit list.
Click Here to View the Regional Series Schedule.
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 2025-2026 season will feature over 110 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/.
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