ANNIKA Foundation Announces First 11 Teams for 2020 ANNIKA Intercollegiate Presented by 3M

Seven Top-10 Teams Including No. 1-Ranked Texas, Defending Champion Wake Forest to Vie for One of the Most-Coveted Titles in Women’s College Golf

(ORLANDO, Fla.) – The ANNIKA Foundation – golf Hall-of-Famer Annika Sorenstam’s charitable organization – has released the first 11 programs that will participate in the 2020 ANNIKA Intercollegiate presented by 3M, Sept. 13-16, at Royal Golf Club in Lake Elmo, Minnesota.

No.1 Texas will be joined by six teams currently ranked in the top 10 of the Golfweek/Sagarin rankings, including defending champion and No. 8-ranked Wake Forest, No. 2 Arizona State, No. 3 Arizona, No. 4 USC, No. 9 South Carolina and No. 10 Duke. Also committed to compete are 2018 ANNIKA Intercollegiate champion Alabama, UCLA, Vanderbilt and host school Minnesota.

The 12th and final team will be announced following the 2020 NCAA Championships in May.

“For the seventh-consecutive year, we’re honored to welcome a collection of women’s golf’s most-powerful and storied programs,” says Annika, who played at Arizona and was the 1991 NCAA Women’s Champion. “Royal Golf Club has proven to be a great host venue for the last two editions, and we look forward to returning to Minnesota during an ideal time of year for weather and course conditions.”

Royal Golf Club features a front nine (The Queen’s Nine) designed by Annika, and a back nine (The King’s Nine) designed by Arnold Palmer. It was Annika’s first U.S. golf course design project. Rolling hills, mature trees and abundant wildlife provide a scenic backdrop for what has become a wonderful home for the event.

Annika’s involvement with NCAA women’s golf extends to the ANNIKA Award presented by Stifel. Now in its seventh year, it is presented to the nation’s most outstanding female collegiate player as voted on by players, coaches and members of the golf media. Its illustrious list of past winners features Maria Fassi (2018 and 2019, Arkansas), Leona Maguire (2015 and 2017, Duke), Bronte Law (2016, UCLA) and Alison Lee (2014, UCLA).

The ANNIKA Foundation is devoted to growing the game of golf around the world. In addition to its involvement with the ANNIKA Intercollegiate and ANNIKA Award, it annually hosts six girls-only invitational tournaments on five continents: the ANNIKA Invitational USA presented by Rolex, the ANNIKA Invitational Europe and ANNIKA Cup (Sweden), ANNIKA Invitational Mission Hills (China), the ANNIKA Invitational Latin America and the ANNIKA Invitational Australasia (New Zealand).

Since the inaugural Foundation tournament – the 2009 ANNIKA Invitational USA – 60 ANNIKA event alumnae have earned LPGA cards. Twenty-eight alumnae competed in the 2019 ANA Inspiration.

For more information, please visit www.annikafoundation.org.

About the ANNIKA Foundation

Annika created the ANNIKA Foundation (www.annikafoundation.org) to provide opportunities in women’s golf at the junior, collegiate and professional levels while teaching young people the importance of living a healthy, active lifestyle through fitness and nutrition. The Foundation has partnered with key organizations to promote healthy, active lifestyles for children, including SPARK, Florida Hospital for Children in support of its Healthy 100 Kids initiative and The First Tee in development of the Nine Healthy Habits curriculum for children, and an endowment of the AJGA’s ACE Grant.

It annually conducts six major golf events for aspiring junior girls: the ANNIKA Invitational USA presented by Rolex at the World Golf Village in St. Augustine, Florida; ANNIKA Invitational at Mission Hills in China; ANNIKA Invitational Europe and ANNIKA Cup in Sweden; the ANNIKA Invitational Latin America and the ANNIKA Invitational Australasia in New Zealand. Moreover, with the support of 3M, the Haskins Commission and Golfweek, the Foundation created the ANNIKA Award presented by 3M, which is given annually to the best collegiate female golfer. Since 2014, the Foundation has also annually hosted the ANNIKA Intercollegiate presented by 3M, a college tournament featuring 12 of the top Division I schools. Each year, the Foundation also conducts several “Share My Passion” grass roots clinics designed to introduce kids to the game.

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