Leading leading Division I women’s golf tournament relocating to Olympic Hills G.C.
bringing 2017 event closer to 3M’s corporate headquarters
(ORLANDO, Fla.) – The ANNIKA Foundation – golf Hall-of-Famer Annika Sorenstam’s charitable organization – announces the 2017 ANNIKA Intercollegiate Presented by 3M will be held at Olympic Hills G.C. in Eden Prairie, Minn., Sept. 30 – Oct. 3.
The move from Orlando, Fla.’s Reunion Resort, host of the first three editions, brings the best field in Division I women’s golf closer to title sponsor 3M’s St. Paul headquarters.
“3M has been a significant supporter of the ANNIKA Foundation for many years,” says Annika, the 10-time major championship winner and first woman to shoot 59 in a professional tournament. “Bringing the ANNIKA Intercollegiate to 3M’s home turf and the golf-crazed Twin Cities makes sense on so many levels.”
“Annika and her ANNIKA Foundation do tremendous work promoting golf and health and wellness to young women around the globe,” says Jon Lindekugel, Senior Vice President, 3M Business Development and Marketing-Sales. “With the ANNIKA Intercollegiate moving to Minnesota, many of us here at 3M are looking forward to closer engagement and the opportunity to witness the top event in women’s Division I golf firsthand.”
The ANNIKA Intercollegiate Presented by 3M, co-founded by the ANNIKA Foundation and Golfweek, is a 12 team, 54-hole event that traditionally kicks off the women’s golf season. As of today, seven teams are confirmed participants (current 2016-17 Golfweek rankings in parentheses) – Stanford (1), Florida State (3), USC (4 and defending champion), UCLA (5), Georgia (6), Arkansas (10) and Minnesota (host team). The remainder of the field will be selected after the NCAA Championships in May 2017.
Complementing tournament play will be a gala dinner to honor the winner of the 2017 ANNIKA Award Presented by 3M. Established in 2014, the ANNIKA Award annually recognizes the most outstanding player in women’s Division I golf as voted on by players, coaches and media.
“We’re extremely excited and honored to be hosting the 2017 ANNIKA Intercollegiate Presented by 3M,” says Dan Luther, owner of Olympic Hills. “We look forward to working with Annika and her foundation to make the event a huge success.”
Olympic Hills underwent an extensive renovation by renowned golf course architect Ron Prichard from 2013-15. Traditionally rated one of the state’s toughest layouts, Prichard reshaped greens, widened fairways, built new tees and fairway bunkers, and oversaw installation of a state-of-the-art irrigation system to improve turf health.
No stranger to the Land of 10,000 Lakes, Annika’s a regular participant in the Greats of Golf Challenge Presented by Post-It Brand Products at TPC Twin Cities in Blaine.
For more information: www.annikasorenstam.com/foundation.
About 3M
At 3M, we apply science in collaborative ways to improve lives daily. With $30 billion in sales, our 90,000 employees connect with customers all around the world. Learn more about 3M’s creative solutions to the world’s problems at www.3M.com or on Twitter @3M.
About Olympic Hills
Olympic Hills Golf Club is a private golf club located in Eden Prairie, Minn. In 1969, club founders, along with architect Charlie Maddox, brought to life a golf course that was immediately recognized as one of the more imaginative and demanding venues in the state. After nearly 50 years, the course underwent a complete renovation led by renowned architect Ron Pritchard and project manager Tom Mead from 2013-2015. It reopened in August 2015 and has matured into one of the top courses in Minnesota.
About the ANNIKA Foundation
Annika created the ANNIKA Foundation (www.annikasorenstam.com/foundation) 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.
It annually conducts five major golf events for aspiring junior girls: the 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 Olympic Hills G.C. in Minnesota). SPARK grants to schools, financial support of Healthy 100 Kids, endowing an AJGA ACE Grant, ANNIKA Junior Day and the “Share My Passion” Clinic in partnership with LPGA*USGA Girls Golf are other initiatives.
Contact:
Stephen Reynolds
Buffalo.Agency
703.344.6031
sreynolds@buffalo.agency
Buffalo.Agency
