Nanako Inagaki became the first ever Japanese winner of an ANNIKA Invitational tournament with a wire-to-wire victory in the eighth edition of the ANNIKA Invitational at Mission Hills in southern China.
17-year-old Inagaki carded a 3-under-par 69 in the final round to lead her to a one-shot victory over 14-year-old Ho Yu An but it did not come easy. After making the turn, Inagaki had her eye on the prize with a four-shot lead. However, 2016 ANNIKA Invitational Mission Hills Champ An was not giving up just yet and carded an impressive 30 on the back nine including four birdies in a row. She finished her final round at 8-under-par, after sinking a 12-foot birdie putt on No. 18, forcing Inagaki to make birdie to win. The Japanese native kept her composure and made an 8-footer for birdie to claim the 2018 title with a tournament total score of 9-under-par, 207.
Both Inagaki and An earned spots into the 2019 ANNIKA Invitational USA presented by Rolex by virtue of their top three finish. They will be joined by China’s Judy Yin and Chou Yi-Ting of Chinese Taipei who tied for third scoring 5-under-par.
For the Girls 9-10 Division, China’s Han Zi-Lin took home the win while Hong Kong’s Arianna Lau, finished runner up.
Launched in 2011 as China’s first and only all-girls event, this year’s ANNIKA Invitational at Mission Hills featured another long list of top female golfers in action at the luxurious Mission Hills resort.
Some of the top ranked juniors in China were up against the largest ever contingent of overseas golfers, representing countries including Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Malaysia, Mongolia, New Zealand, The Philippines, Singapore and the USA.
Annika spent time with the players both on and off the course, sharing the knowledge and experiences that have made her the most successful female golfer of all time with 89 international wins as a professional.
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Leading Final Scores
Girls’ 15-17:
Nanako Inagaki (JPN) 70-68-69 – 207
Judy Yin (CHN) 73-70-68 – 211
Chou Yi-Ting (TPE) 72-69-70 – 211
Girls’ 11-14:
An Ho-Yu (TPE) 69-73-66 – 208
Huang Ting-Hsuan (TPE) 70-79-74 – 223
Hsu Huai-Chien (TPE) 81-75-75 – 231
Girls’ 9-10:
Han Zi-Lin (CHN) 76-75-69 – 220
Arianna Lau (HKG) 79-78-78 – 235
Wang Xin-Yu (CHN) 87-75-80 – 242