Fourth-annual event to feature top NCAA women’s teams challenging a new venue, Minnesota’s Olympic Hills Golf Club
(ORLANDO, Fla.) – The ANNIKA Intercollegiate Presented by 3M, a college golf tournament co-founded by the ANNIKA Foundation and Golfweek, will welcome an exceptionally strong field to a new host venue.
Twelve of the best programs in women’s Division I golf are confirmed for the fourth-annual edition at Olympic Hills Golf Club in Eden Prairie, Minn., Sept. 30 – Oct. 3. They are (final 2017 Golfweek Team Rankings in parentheses):
• Stanford (2)
• UCLA (4)
• Florida State (6)
• Georgia (8)
• Furman (9)
• USC (10, and back-to-back defending ANNIKA Intercollegiate champion)
• South Carolina (12, and 2014 ANNIKA Intercollegiate champion)
• Arkansas (13)
• Miami (Fla.) (16)
• Baylor (17)
• Texas (18)
• Minnesota (host school)
The 2017 edition will feature six first-time participants (Florida State, Furman, Miami, Baylor, Texas and Minnesota), while UCLA, USC and South Carolina will return for the fourth-consecutive year. The top-four finishers at the 2016 event – USC, Arkansas, UCLA and Georgia – will be back to vie for the title.
Defending individual ANNIKA Intercollegiate champion Maria Fassi (Arkansas) will be joined by All-Americans like Andrea Lee (Stanford), Lilia Vu (UCLA), Haylee Harford (Furman), Amy Lee (Baylor), Albane Valenzuela (Stanford) and Dewi Weber (Miami).
They will be challenged by a new course, Olympic Hills, which underwent an extensive renovation by renowned golf course architect Ron Prichard from 2013-15. Located near 3M’s global headquarters, it is traditionally rated one of Minnesota’s toughest layouts. Prichard’s work included reshaping greens, widening fairways, building new tees and fairway bunkers, and overseeing installation of a state-of-the-art irrigation system.
“Our Foundation has enjoyed a wonderful partnership with 3M for many years,” says Annika, the 1991 NCAA Champion and National Co-Player of the Year at the University of Arizona. “Bringing the ANNIKA Intercollegiate to 3M’s backyard will spark even greater engagement from its team while showcasing the best college players to the golf-obsessed Twin Cities.”
In addition to hosting the tournament, Annika will also formally recognize Duke’s Leona Maguire, the 2017 winner of the ANNIKA Award Presented by 3M, at a gala dinner at 3M’s Innovation Center. For the second time in her illustrious career, the Cavan, Ireland native was voted the nation’s most outstanding Division I female golfer by her peers, coaches and media.
In 10 events, the rising senior recorded three wins (ACC Individual Championship, LSU Tiger Golf Classic and Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge) and finished no lower than T-6 in seven others. She was named ACC Player of the Year for a second time and was integral to Duke finishing runner-up to top-ranked Stanford in the NCAA Regionals. Maguire, who posted a T-21 result at the 2016 Rio Olympics, also finished T-2 at the NCAA Championships and ended the season ranked No. 1 in the Golfweek / Sagarin Women’s Amateur rankings.
The ANNIKA Award is the female equivalent of the Haskins Award, which has been given to the most outstanding Division I male golfer since 1971. Selection is governed by the Haskins Commission of Columbus, Ga., which oversees the vote for both honors.
For more information: www.annikasorenstam.com/foundation.
About 3M
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About the ANNIKA Foundation
Annika created the ANNIKA Foundation (www.annikasorenstam.com/foundation) to help 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, 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.Agency
703.344.6031
sreynolds@buffalo.agency
Buffalo.Agency
