{"id":14904,"date":"2023-12-07T15:56:28","date_gmt":"2023-12-07T20:56:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pkbgt.org\/news\/?p=14904"},"modified":"2023-12-07T15:56:29","modified_gmt":"2023-12-07T20:56:29","slug":"23nationaltoc_preview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pkbgt.org\/news\/23nationaltoc_preview\/","title":{"rendered":"Inside the Field: 2023 PKBGT National Tournament of Champions"},"content":{"rendered":"

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.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 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!<\/p>\n

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Strong Field of Champions Comes to Pinehurst<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Another year, another strong field for the National Tournament of Champions.\u00a0 There are 26 players ranked inside the national Top 100 playing in the Bell National division. \u00a0But the strong field does not end there, with the Prep Preview field featuring 17 top 2,000 players amongst its 28 competitors. \u00a0With this depth of players, this field will provide a strength of field number as strong as any other field in the region!<\/p>\n

Take Me To Your Champions… Past champions some of the best and brightest<\/strong><\/h2>\n

10 players have claimed the National Tournament of Champions crown.\u00a0 \u00a0The event began in Hilton Head Island back in 2013 with Virginia Tech alum Jessica Spicer taking the crown.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n

About our Host: Forest Creek Golf Club<\/strong><\/h2>\n

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Forest Creek Golf Club – South Course |\u00a0 Pinehurst NC<\/a><\/p>\n

Tom Fazio\u2019s 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\u2019t move much dirt \u2013 there was no need. The result is one of the finest routings in the Pinehurst area since Donald Ross walked these same sandy soils.<\/p>\n

Opened in 1996,Tom Fazio\u2019s South Course drew inspiration from Augusta National\u2019s rolling, parkland style layout. The South Course has an understated appeal, flowing gracefully across the land for an unforced, natural appearance.<\/p>\n

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 \u2013 second only to the famed Pinehurst No. 2.<\/p>\n

Highest Ranked Players<\/strong><\/h2>\n

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.\u00a0 They are:<\/p>\n