The Peggy Kirk Bell Girls’ Golf Tour’s 2020 National Series peeks its head around the corner, but before we kick off another season, the Regional circuit wraps up its 2019 campaign. The past season on the largest all-girls golf tour in the nation featured vast expansion. Along with several new national events, the PKBGT expanded into two new regions: the Delaware Valley and Kentucky.
Each of the PKBGT’s six Regional Series provides junior girl golfers with a comfortable environment to compete and be recognized on the junior golf circuit while gaining experience in a tournament atmosphere. In the first phase of the PKBGT Series Progression, the series allows players to progress towards collegiate golf by playing yardage/skill appropriate tournaments as they develop their game.
This past weekend, the inaugural Kentucky Series capped off a season featuring six events: five one-day tournaments and a multi-day finale. Working in partnership with the Golf House Kentucky and the Kentucky PGA Junior tour, the season provided a new opportunity for girls ages 9-18 to compete in a developmental, girls-only tournament series.
Two new champions were crowned this weekend at the series finale and three new Order of Merit champions were added to the series Hall of Fame. Let’s take a look at who finished at the top of their division’s respective Storie Apparel Order of Merit race!
2019 Kentucky Series Order of Merit, presented by Storie Apparel
Prep Division
With an absent Prep field at this weekend’s finale, Reagan Clark (Richmond, KY 2020) takes home the inaugural PKBGT Kentucky Prep Series Order of Merit title. Clark, a high school senior, teed it up at Gibson Bay this past July where she posted an 81 to take the title.
As the series’ Prep Order of Merit Champion, Clark has earned a spot in both the Prep Invitational, Tournament of Champions and a spot to compete at the 2020 Linville Cup Team Challenge and Leadership Retreat next January at Mid Pines Inn and Golf Club, the home of tour matriarch Peggy Kirk Bell.
Other Prep Top Finishers
T2) Hannah Curreri (Winchester, KY 2020)
T2) Macy Luebbers (Cincinatti, OH 2020)
Futures Division
Dominating the inaugural Futures Kentucky Order of Merit, Madison Borders (Bardstown, KY 2023) secured her title after four victories!
Throughout her summer campaign, Borders competed in all six events throughout the series. She sat at an average score of 80.57, winning the top spot by a large margin of 44 points!
Although Borders is not set to participate Bolivia, NC at the PKBGT Regional Invitational at the end of the month, she will be honored at a special Order of Merit ceremony during the event’s banquet. In addition, Borders claims a spot in the PKBGT Tournament of Champions in Pinehurst and the 2020 PKBGT Linville Cup just down the round in Southern Pines!
Other Futures Top Finishers
2) Kasey Cameron (Richmond, KY 2024)
3) Taylor Sargent (Milton, WV 2023)
4) Emilie Bertram (Falmouth, KY 2021)
5) Morgan Shown (Lexington, KY 2022)
Discovery Division
Holding onto her season long lead, Keira Yun (Elizabethtown, KY 2027) takes home the inaugural Kentucky Series Discovery Order of Merit title!
Yun, who played in all but one event, carried an impressive scoring average of 40 over her five event campaign. Her top performance came at Gibson Bay Golf Course where she fired a score of two-under-par 34.
After winning the OOM by a margin of 20 points, Yun will be eligible to compete in the second annual PKBGT Discovery Invitational at Palmetto Dunes Oceanfront Resort in Hilton Head Island. She is also set to represent Team National at the third annual PKBGT Linville Cup in January!
Other Discovery Top Finishers
2) Carol Ann Mendenhall (Lexington, KY 2029)
3) Madison Easterling (Georgetown, KY 2026)
4) Grace Wang (Lexington, KY 2025)
5) Haley Federspiel (Richmond, KY 2026)
Closing Remarks
We would like to thank all of our competitors for participating in the inaugural 2019 PKBGT Kentucky Series! A special thanks to our partner, the Kentucky PGA Junior Tour for teaming up with the PKBGT to provide more opportunities for girls in Kentucky to play competitive golf!
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 2020 season will feature over 95 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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