Academy’s Elite Training Program integral to rapid improvement, tournament success
(ORLANDO, Fla.) – The ANNIKA Academy – Hall-of-Fame golfer Annika Sorenstam’s boutique golf instruction and fitness school – announces 14-year-old ELITE Training Program athlete Rachel Liu has earned an exemption to the Symetra Tour’s 2013 Volvik Championship at Reunion Resort, a Salamander Golf & Spa Resort, Sept. 16-22.
A native of Shenzhen, China, Liu began the ELITE program in September 2012. Her customized curriculum has included state-of-the-art golf and fitness instruction from the Academy’s world-class team, as well as experiences unique to the ELITE program, like on-course lessons and mental coaching from Annika.
Learning the “Winning Approach,” a philosophy Annika used throughout her legendary career, has helped Liu to high finishes in several recent junior tournaments. Earlier this summer, she won China amateur tour events in Shanghai and Qingdao by five and six shots, respectively. She also captured an impressive 10-stroke win at the Hurricane Junior Golf Tour’s Orange Lake Junior Open in April. And in January, just a few months after beginning her ELITE training, she finished T-5 against one of junior golf’s strongest fields at the ANNIKA Invitational USA.
“My goal is to one day be like Annika and I have learned so much during my short time as an ELITE Training Program athlete,” says Liu, who started playing at six years old and has a career low round of 65. “I am really excited to see how my game measures up against the pros and very thankful for the opportunity to play in the Volvik Championship at Reunion.”
“If you are a junior golfer with dreams of playing at the collegiate or professional level, the ANNIKA Academy ELITE Training Program will help get you there,” says John Goodman, Director of Sales and Marketing at the ANNIKA Academy. “Golf instruction, swing analysis, fitness and nutrition education, tournament play and access to Reunion Resort amenities, including its Watson, Palmer and Nicklaus signature golf courses, are just some of its highlights.”
The 2013 Volvik Championship will take place on Reunion’s Palmer Course. Offering a purse of $100,000, it is the second-to-last event on the Symetra Tour schedule and expected to play a pivotal role in determining the top-10 in the final “Volvik Race for the Card” standings. The year-long race will end the following week at the Symetra Tour Championship in Daytona Beach, Fla. At the conclusion of the tournament, the top 10 in the standings will earn fully-exempt status on the 2014 LPGA Tour.
For more information about the ANNIKA Academy: www.theannikaacademy.com, TheTeam@TheAnnikaAcademy.com, 888.266.4522.
About the Symetra Tour
The Symetra Tour – Road to the LPGA, is the official developmental tour of the LPGA and enters its 33nd competitive season in 2013. With the continued support of its umbrella sponsor, Symetra, the Tour’s mission is to prepare the world’s best young women professional golfers for a successful career on the LPGA Tour. Top-10 money winners will receive full, equal status for the following season on the LPGA Tour.
The 2013 schedule includes 15 tournaments with stops in nine U.S. states and a total purse of $1.8 million. With more than 500 alumnae moving on to the LPGA, former Symetra Tour players have won a total of 365 LPGA titles, including 39 major championships. Symetra Tour events have contributed more than $5 million to charitable organizations throughout the nation since 1989.
For more information: www.symetratour.com
About Reunion Resort, a Salamander Golf & Spa Resort
Managed by Salamander Hotels & Resorts, which was founded by Sheila C. Johnson, the AAA Four Diamond-rated Reunion Resort is located in Orlando, Florida. The central point of Salamander’s innovative collection of Florida golf resorts – which also features Innisbrook Resort in Tampa Bay and Hammock Beach Resort in Palm Coast – Reunion Resort is the only location in the world with golf courses designed by the golf greats Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson and also features the exclusive ANNIKA Academy by Annika Sörenstam. Reunion Resort features 330 resort accommodations including luxury condominiums, private villas and vacation homes surrounded by 2,300 acres of lush landscape and nature preserve, elegantly appointed meeting space, a full-service boutique spa, multiple pools, slides, water playgrounds and a 1,000-foot lazy river.
For additional information call 407.662.1000 or visit www.reunionresort.com. For more information about Salamander Hotels & Resorts, visit www.salamanderhotels.com.
About the ANNIKA Academy
The ANNIKA Academy is a state-of-the-art, “boutique” golf school at Reunion Resort, near Orlando, Fla. It opened in 2007 as a way to share Annika’s passion for golf, fitness and nutrition, along with her personal team of coaches. Their simple techniques allow players of any age, gender or skill level to reach their potential by transferring more energy and power from the gym to the course. The Academy is a Certified Callaway Performance Center with two spacious hitting booths that offer custom club fitting and video swing analysis. Complete with a modern fitness facility, conference room, and full-service locker rooms, the Academy provides individualized golf instruction, personalized fitness and nutrition programs, and custom corporate packages. Guests can play with Annika or learn the proven winning approach she established with her world renowned team of instructors.
Contact:
Stephen Reynolds
Buffalo Communications
703.891.3509
sreynolds@buffalocommunications.com
