UCLA junior tallied three wins among her seven top-four finishes in 2015-16
(ORLANDO, Fla.) – The ANNIKA Foundation – golf Hall-of-Famer Annika Sorenstam’s charitable organization – congratulates UCLA’s Bronte Law, winner of the third-annual ANNIKA Award Presented by 3M as the country’s most outstanding female golfer.
The UCLA junior and native of Stockport, England was recognized after enjoying a banner 2015-16 season. In 11 stroke-play starts, Law tallied three wins (the NCAA Bryan Regional, PING / ASU Invitational and Stanford Intercollegiate Hosted by Condoleeza Rice) and four other top-four finishes. She also ended the season atop the Golfweek / Sagarin Women’s Amateur rankings.
Law was recognized live last evening on Golf Channel during a special edition of Golf Central. In addition to being officially honored at the 2016 ANNIKA Intercollegiate Presented by 3M, Sept. 24-27 in Orlando, Fla., she receives an exemption into the 2016 Evian Championship, the LPGA’s fifth major, Sept. 15-18 in Evian, France.
“It’s the biggest award I’ve ever won; being regarded by my peers and the coaches as the best player for this year is something I’ve worked really hard for,” says Law, a two-time WGCA All-American. “It’s such an honor to win an award in Annika’s name, somebody who has been my role model since I started playing golf.”
Law is the second Bruin to win the ANNIKA Award, following 2014 recipient Alison Lee. The 2015 winner was Duke’s Leona Maguire.
The ANNIKA Award is an ANNIKA Foundation initiative managed with the help of Golfweek. Oversight is provided by the Fred Haskins Commission, a 501(c)(3) organization in Columbus, Ga., which for 45 years has given out the Haskins Award to the most outstanding male collegiate golfer.
Voting by Division I golfers, college coaches and members of the golf media determines the ANNIKA Award winner. South Carolina junior Katelyn Dambaugh and Alabama senior Emma Tally were the other two finalists.
“Bronte played beautifully all season and is an exceptionally deserving winner of the 2016 ANNIKA Award,” says Annika. “We’re very excited that she’s the first ANNIKA recipient to receive an exemption into the Evian Championship and know she’ll be an exceptional representative for college golf.”
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.
Beyond the ANNIKA Award and ANNIKA Intercollegiate, the ANNIKA Foundation manages five junior tournaments – the AJGA ANNIKA Invitational in Orlando, Fla.; ANNIKA Invitational at Mission Hills in China; ANNIKA Invitational Europe and ANNIKA Cup 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.
It annually conducts five major golf events for aspiring junior girls: the AJGA ANNIKA Invitational in Orlando, Fla.; ANNIKA Invitational at Mission Hills in China; ANNIKA Invitational Europe and ANNIKA Cup in Sweden; and, new for 2016 in association with The R&A, the ANNIKA Invitational Latin America in Argentina. In 2013, the Foundation’s 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, endowing an AJGA ACE Grant, ANNIKA Junior Day and scholarships for aspiring Swedish juniors are other important initiatives.
Contact:
Stephen Reynolds
Buffalo Brand Invigoration Group
703.344.6031
sreynolds@buffalobig.com
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