Regional tournament series concludes with final qualifier. Winner receives sponsor exemption into 2017 Women’s Health Classic, the premier event on the LPGA Epson Tour, which will be played May 11-14 at the Links at Stoney Point.
GREENWOOD, SC. (January 23, 2017) — In partnership with the Self Regional Healthcare Foundation, the LPGA Epson Tour’s Women’s Health Classic and the Peggy Kirk Bell Girls' Golf Tour (PKBGT) are pleased to announce the Women’s Health Classic Junior Challenge.
The Junior Challenge will feature a series of junior girls golf tournaments, culminating in a final qualifier, April 1-2, 2017 at the Links at Stoney Point in Greenwood, S.C. The new event will feature six pre-qualification tournaments, with two events each in Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina. These events will bring together to the top junior girls golfers ages 11-18 on the East Coast.
The eventual series champion receives a sponsor exemption into the 2017 Women’s Health Classic — the premier event on the LPGA Epson Tour — played May 11-14 at the Links at Stoney Point.
Previously called the LPGA Futures Tour, the Epson Tour is the official developmental golf tour of the LPGA Tour. Known as “the Road to the LPGA,” the Epson Tour has graduated a total of 117 women to the LPGA since 1999.
PKBGT was founded out of a local LPGA-USGA Girls Golf program in Greensboro, North Carolina. LPGA-USGA Girls Golf is the principle initiative of the LPGA Foundation, the non-profit arm of the LPGA.
The Women’s Health Classic Junior Challenge represents the first east coast opportunity for a junior player to earn access to an LPGA professional event. Currently, over 135 players have registered to compete in the Junior Challenge from 11 different states from Florida to Ohio.
"The Women’s Health Classic Junior Challenge is a great opportunity for junior female golfers in the region to be exposed to the professional game,” says PKB Girls' Golf Tour Director and Co-Founder Mike Parker. “We are excited to partner with the premier event on the LPGA Epson Tour and watch a talented up-and-coming junior girl from the region compete against some of the best golfers in the world."
Each pre-qualification event is held at a host course for a collegiate women’s golf program:
- Event #1 - Mid Pines Inn & GC, Southern Pines, NC - January 28-29
- Event #2 - U. of Georgia GC, Athens, GA - February 11-12
- Event #3 - Georgia Southern U. GC, Statesboro, GA – February 18-19
- Event #4 - Clemson U. Walker GC, Clemson, SC - February 25-26
- Event #5 - UNC Chapel Hill Finley GC, Chapel Hill, NC - March 11-12
- Event #6 - USC Cobblestone Park GC, Columbia, SC - March 18-19
“The Links at Stoney Point is very excited about hosting the PKBGT Junior Challenge and promoting women’s golf,” said Jim Medford, chairman and owner of The Links at Stoney Point and the Women's Health Classic Tournament Director. “This series of events enhances our continued efforts to support and promote women's golf.”
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