Opportunity Highlights ANNIKA Foundation’s and LET’s Shared Commitment to Girls’ Junior Golf
The ANNIKA Foundation – golf Hall-of-Famer Annika Sorenstam’s charitable organization – and the Ladies European Tour (LET) have partnered to offer the 2017 ANNIKA Invitational Europe winner a spot in the 2017 ISPS HANDA Ladies European Masters.
The 54-hole ANNIKA Invitational Europe will take place on June 19-22 at Sweden’s Halmstad Golf Club. Seventy-eight of Europe’s best girls will vie for coveted R&A WAGR and PING Jr. Solheim Cup points, three exemptions to the 2018 ANNIKA Invitational USA, plus a berth in one of the most important tournaments on the LET schedule. The ISPS HANDA Ladies European Masters will be held on September 7-10 in Germany.
“The invitation to play in the ISPS HANDA Ladies European Masters falls under the LET’s ‘Play’ strategy,” says Mike Round, LET Director of Development and Membership. “One of six program platforms, ‘Play’ aims to bridge the gap between amateur and professional golf by giving amateurs playing opportunities at world-class LET events.”
“My Foundation is devoted to creating opportunities for girls to play around the world, making this partnership with the LET especially gratifying,” says Annika, who founded the ANNIKA Invitational Europe in 2012. “There’s little doubt tournament leaders will be thinking about the invitation as they come down the stretch at Halmstad Golf Club.”
Complementing “Play” are five other grow-the-game strategies from the LET Development team: “Inspire,” “Get Ready,” “Learn,” “Give Back” and “Keep in Touch.” For more information: http://ladieseuropeantour.com/development/
Annika will be onsite throughout the ANNIKA Invitational Europe. As part of the Foundation’s “More than Golf” mission, she will conduct a skills clinic and host a gala dinner. These will be complemented by seminars about fitness, nutrition, the mental game and more.
Her ANNIKA Foundation hosts four junior tournaments in addition to the ANNIKA Invitational Europe – the ANNIKA Invitational USA, ANNIKA Invitational at Mission Hills (China), ANNIKA Cup (Sweden) and ANNIKA Invitational Latin America (Argentina). More than 300 ANNIKA event alumnae have gone on to play college golf over the last decade.
The ANNIKA junior tournaments are joined on the schedule by the ANNIKA Intercollegiate Presented by 3M, which moves to Minnesota for this year’s edition. Since its 2014 inception, the ANNIKA Intercollegiate has annually hosted the strongest field in women’s NCAA Division I golf.
Each year the ANNIKA Foundation also presents the ANNIKA Award Presented by 3M to the most outstanding Division I golfer. Tune in to Golf Channel’s Golf Central on June 7 at 6 p.m. EDT to see the 2017 winner announced.
For more information: www.annikasorenstam.com/foundation.
