Reunion Resort to challenge 72 of the world’s best girl junior golfers
BRASELTON, Ga. – The American Junior Golf Association will make a return trip to Reunion Resort, Feb. 18-21, for the award-winning ANNIKA Invitational. An all-girls, invitation-only event, the ANNIKA Invitational will feature the world’s best players, ages 12 to 18.
The event will be hosted by the ANNIKA Foundation. Its mission is to teach children the importance of living a healthy, active lifestyle through fitness and nutrition, and offer aspiring junior golfers opportunities to pursue their dreams. As part of it’s commitment to the development of golf, The ANNIKA Foundation has endowed a total of $100,000 to the AJGA’s Achieving Competitive Excellence (ACE) Grant program to provide financial assistance to young players in need. Additional proceeds from this year’s event will go towards implementing SPARK’s award-winning wellness programs in Orange County (Fla.) Elementary Schools.
Annika will be involved in the tournament in every way, conducting clinics and educational activities for the participants.
“I am really excited about the third annual ANNIKA Invitational, which will showcase a solid field of players from around the world on the challenging Independence Course at Reunion Resort,” Annika said. “I especially look forward to being very involved in all of our off the course elements, such as the welcome reception, Callaway Golf Junior-Am, Rolex Clinic at the ANNIKA Academy, The Ritz-Carlton Destination Club Dinner, media training and the Florida Hospital Healthy 100 Athletes program.”
This will be the third consecutive year Reunion Resort in Reunion, Fla., home of the ANNIKA Academy, will host the AJGA Invitational. In 2010, two-time Rolex Junior Player of the Year, Victoria Tanco of Bradenton, Fla., captured her first victory of the year when she pulled away from Israel’s Laetitia Beck, who held a share of the lead after the second round. Tanco’s even-par final round earned her a three-shot victory, and helped her make a third appearance on the Rolex Junior All-America First Team.
For the first time, the ANNIKA Invitational will be included in the The Royal and Ancient Golf Club’s World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR), only adding to the prestige of the tournament and attraction for the top junior girls.
The ANNIKA Invitational is one of 90 events the AJGA will conduct in 2011. This year, AJGA tournaments will take place in more than 25 states.
The ANNIKA Foundation has partnered with several key organizations to promote healthy and active lifestyles for children, including SPARK, the leading physical education program for schools; Florida Hospital for Children, supporting its Healthy 100 Kids initiative; and The First Tee, developing the Nine Healthy Habits curriculum for children. The Foundation annually conducts three major golf events for aspiring junior girls, including the ANNIKA Invitational at Reunion Resort in Orlando, Fla., the award-winning American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) event; the ANNIKA Invitational at Mission Hills in China for top Asian juniors; and the ANNIKA Cup, a team event for the top juniors in Sweden. The Foundation awards SPARK grants to schools, is a financial supporter of Healthy 100 Kids, and has endowed an ACE scholarship with the AJGA. Other key Foundation initiatives include ANNIKA Junior Day, the ANNIKA Inspiration Award and scholarships for aspiring Swedish juniors. More information about the ANNIKA Foundation can be found at www.annikafoundation.org.
The American Junior Golf Association is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to the overall growth and development of young men and women who aspire to earn college golf scholarships through competitive junior golf. The AJGA provides valuable exposure for college golf scholarships, and has an annual junior membership (boys and girls ages 12-18) of approximately 5,000 junior golfers from 49 states and 30 countries. To ensure scholarship opportunities for all junior golfers who have the skill, the AJGA created the Achieving Competitive Excellence (ACE) Grant program to provide financial assistance to young players in need.
Titleist, the AJGA’s National Sponsor, has been the catalyst and driving force behind the Association’s success since 1989. Rolex Watch USA, which is in its third decade of AJGA support, became the inaugural AJGA Premier Partner in 2004. In 2007, after 12 years of support, Polo Ralph Lauren became the AJGA’s second Premier Partner.
AJGA alumni have risen to the top of amateur, collegiate and professional golf. Former AJGA juniors have compiled more than 400 victories on the PGA and LPGA Tours. AJGA alumni include Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Stewart Cink, Cristie Kerr, Paula Creamer and Morgan Pressel.
For more information, please contact Ashley O’Dell (aodell@ajga.org) in the AJGA Communications Department at (678) 425-1787, or visit the AJGA website at www.ajga.org.
Contact:
Ashley O’Dell, AJGA
(678) 425-1787
