(ORLANDO, Fla.) – The ANNIKA Foundation – golf Hall-of-Famer Annika Sorenstam’s charitable organization – announces the winner of the third-annual ANNIKA Award Presented by 3M will receive an exemption into the 2016 Evian Championship, the LPGA’s fifth major, Sept. 15-18 in Evian, France.
The ANNIKA Award honors the nation’s most outstanding NCAA Division I female golfer based on a vote by peers, college coaches and members of the golf media (www.ANNIKAAward.com). It is an ANNIKA Foundation initiative managed with help from Golfweek and oversight from the Fred Haskins Commission, which for 45 years has presented the Haskins Award to the top male collegiate golfer.
“This partnership with the Evian Championship marks an exciting new chapter for the ANNIKA Award Presented by 3M,” says Annika, who counts the 2000 and 2002 events among her 89 worldwide victories. “It further validates our foundation initiatives and belief that the strength of women’s college golf has never been better.”
“The Evian Championship is happy, as of this year, to invite in our field the winner of the ANNIKA Award Presented by 3M,” says Jacques Bungert, Vice-Chairman of the Evian Championship. “This is an opportunity of a lifetime for a rising star in women’s golf to experience an LPGA major. It is an initiative that fulfills our common desire with Annika to aid the development of young talents.”
The winner of the 2016 ANNIKA Award will be announced June 7 live on Golf Channel during a special edition of Golf Central following the conclusion of the NCAA Men’s and Women’s Golf Championships. She will be officially honored at the 2016 ANNIKA Intercollegiate Presented by 3M, Sept. 24-27, in Orlando, Fla.
UCLA’s Bronte Law, who boasts three wins during her 2015-16 season, tops Golfweek’s latest ANNIKA Award Watch List. Previous ANNIKA Award recipients are Alison Lee (UCLA, 2014) and Leona Maguire (Duke, 2015).
“At 3M we are proud to partner with Annika and her foundation to support young athletes and present this prestigious award,” says Jon Lindekugel, Senior Vice President, Business Development and Marketing-Sales at 3M. “It is a fantastic opportunity for our winner to compete against the best players in the world in the LPGA’s final major of the season.”
Annika enjoyed an outstanding NCAA career at the University of Arizona. She won seven collegiate tournaments in 1991, including the NCAA Championship, and capped off an All-American season by being named the NCAA Co-Player of the Year. In 1992, she was Pac-10 champion and finished second in the NCAA Championship. She turned pro that same year.
Since 2007 the ANNIKA Foundation has pursued two parallel missions: 1) offering aspiring female golfers opportunities to pursue their dreams, and 2) teaching children the importance of living a healthy, active lifestyle through fitness and nutrition.
Complementing the ANNIKA Intercollegiate are the Foundation’s four ANNIKA Invitational junior tournaments – the AJGA ANNIKA Invitational in Orlando, Fla.; ANNIKA Invitational at Mission Hills in China; ANNIKA Invitational Europe in Sweden and, new for 2016 in association with The R&A, the ANNIKA Invitational Latin America in Argentina.
For more information: www.annikafoundation.org.
About the ANNIKA Foundation
Annika created the ANNIKA Foundation (www.annikafoundation.org) as a way 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. 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.
The Foundation annually conducts four major golf events for aspiring junior girls: the AJGA ANNIKA Invitational at Reunion Resort in Orlando, Fla.; ANNIKA Invitational at Mission Hills in China; ANNIKA Invitational Europe in Sweden; and ANNIKA Cup, a team event for Swedish juniors. In 2013, its reach extended to the collegiate ranks with the ANNIKA Award Presented by 3M (awarded to most outstanding female NCAA Division I golfer) and ANNIKA Intercollegiate Presented by 3M (12-team, 54-hole event at Reunion Resort). SPARK grants to schools, financial support of Healthy 100 Kids, endowment of an AJGA ACE Grant, ANNIKA Junior Day and scholarships for aspiring Swedish juniors are other key initiatives.
Contact:
Stephen Reynolds
Buffalo Brand Invigoration Group
703.344.6031
sreynolds@buffalobig.com
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