The PKBGT Priority Based Entry system exists to create a registration method for Championship & elite national Classic events that guarantees the strongest fields for these events. For each event that uses the Priority system, a players ranking on the PKBGT Performance Index, National Junior Golf Scoreboard and other ranking factors will be considered. Below we outline the different entrance policies we use for each Series.

The PKBGT offers competitions at many steps on the developmental process, and for players at the top end of this progression, ranking development is a crucial component to their progress. By creating the highest strength of field, we ensure that our players are being recognized on the national stage for their accomplishments. In addition, the Priority Based Entry system guarantees players who have earned a higher ranking are rewarded with access to the top tournaments the PKBGT has to offer.

How is priority determined?

We use a mixture of a players PKBGT Performance Index and Junior Golf Scoreboard National Rankings in addition to evaluating your scoring differential on both systems.  This allows us to evaluate players that play regularly on the PKBGT as well as players outside our system who may be new to the tour.

How does your ranking get calculated?

Your ranking is a factor of 4 things:

• How did you score?
• Where did you finish?
• How much was the tournament you played in worth?
• Did you win?

The #1 factor in your ranking is your score related to the course rating.  Your scoring differential makes up 65% – 70% of your ranking.  How you play is always going to be the biggest factor in how your ranking moves up and down.  

The biggest thing to understand about scoring is your scoring differential.  It’s not just about what you shot on that given day, but what the difficulty of the course was compared to that score.  That is what is called scoring differential.

For example, a typical course rating for a Bell National event is going to be 75.  Even though the par is 72, you’re being judged based on how you shoot compared to 75.  A Prep event will be 72-73, a Futures event 70-71 on average throughout the season. That is an effort to create some equity on the difficulty of the course that you are playing. 

There are other factors at play when determining your ranking:

• How large was the tournament you played?
• How many players did you beat?
• How good are the players that you beat (Strength of Field)?
• Did you win?  Win bonuses are given to those who win an event.

Junior Golf Scoreboard uses a 12 month rolling average of who you play against.  All of these factors are creating what your player resume is to get into a particular event.  

How do I register?  Why did I get wait-listed?

When you go to register for our Championship tournaments, there will be small black lettering under the tournament that says “priority” under it.  When you see this text, that will tell you that it is a priority based entry event for that field.  

When you go to register, if you are currently in the top 50 of the performance index, it is going to automatically let you register.  You are able to join any tournament within the tour that you would like at that time.  

For all other players that are not in the top 50 of the performance index, when you go to register for a priority based entry event, it will put you on a wait-list.  The wait-list period is 40 days before the tournament. You will have up until that date – 40 days prior to the start of the tournament – to say that you are interested in playing in that field.  

You will get wait-listed in the classification that you have.  You will see something called Class 1 wait-list which will be all of our players that have Class 1 status.  Or you are a Prep Class 2 player, it will wait-list you for the Prep series. Our Class 3 players will get wait-listed for the futures series.  

When that day comes – 40 days prior to the tournament – we will run our priority based entry at that time.  Each of the tournaments will list how many players we are going to accept per division. A typical 90 player tournament is going to have 42 Bell players, 24 Prep and 24 Futures players.  

When we start processing entries, we will always start at the highest classification and work down.  We will set the Bell National field first. All players that get accepted will get an email telling you that you have been accepted and will give you the information to register and pay.  You don’t have to pay upfront to be considered for the field. You’ll just be asked to pay once you are accepted. You will have 2 days to claim that spot.

Once we set the Bell National field, any player that was not accepted will automatically be considered for the Prep Preview field if there is a prep preview field in that event.  All Class 1 players that did not get selected for the Bell field as well as all Class 2 players who requested requested consideration for the Prep Preview field will be considered for those 24 spots.  

We will keep a wait-list for the Bell field.  Even if you were pushed to the Prep Preview field, you still may get promoted to the Bell National field should we get a withdrawal or the space becomes available.  You are not losing the opportunity to get into the Bell National field by accepting a spot in the Prep Preview division.  

We will then set the Prep field and email all the players who were accepted into the field.  You will be given a chance to accept the spot and pay. If you choose not to accept that spot, you would still remain on the wait-list for the Bell National field.  

Finally, we go to the Futures field.  Any Class 2 player that did not get into the Prep division and all of our Class 3 players will be evaluated using the same priority based standard and we will select the players that get into that field.  

All of the Championships and some of the very popular Classic events do fill up.  Be sure to register by those close dates to be considered for the field.  

With the wait-lists that we have, we will post those online so you will know that you are on the wait-list.  We will contact you directly should a spot become available to you.  

Summary

• Priority based system exists for us to guarantee the highest strength of field for these tournaments.  
• Your priority is determined based on how you have played over the past 12 months
• Once you register, you will have 40 days out to know if you are in the field.  

For more information about PKBGT Priority Based Entry, please visit https://www.pkbgt.org/tournaments_priority.php or connect with us at 336-347-8537 or golf@pkbgt.org.