Photo: LPGA
This week, the best women in golf are set to compete at Woburn Golf Club in England for the 43rd Women’s British Open. This will be the championship’s 11th appearance at the Bedfordshire Club and 34 ANNIKA alumnae and members are represented in the field.
Of the 34 former ANNIKA players, five are amateurs. Leading the pack is No. 1 ranked Frida Kinhult, who qualified to play on Monday. The Seminole had an incredible first year at FSU claiming National Freshman of the Year honors, co-ACC player of the Year, and was awarded the Golfstat Cup for the lowest stroke average in the nation. Joining her is fellow swede Ingrid Lindblad, who took home the title this year at the ANNIKA Invitational USA presented by Rolex after a three-way playoff. After winning, she received an exemption into the Symetra Tour’s Florida’s Natural Charity Classic where she finished T23. Other ANNIKA amateurs participating this week are Maja Stark of Sweden, Austria’s Emma Spitz and England’s Alice Hewson, who recently won the Ladies European Amateur Championship to secure her spot this week.
As for some of our professional alumnae to watch this week, Bronte Law is enjoying a great year. Winner of the 2016 ANNIKA Award presented by 3M while at UCLA, Law became a Rolex First-Time Winner on the LPGA Tour with her victory at the Pure Silk Championship in May.
Another is Austin Ernst, who began her career on the LPGA Tour in 2013 and was the first ANNIKA alum to win an individual NCAA Championship.
2016 LPGA Rookie Megan Khang will also compete this week coming off a top-10 finish in France at the Evian Championship. Khang has recorded 5 top-10 finishes this year and is chasing her first LPGA win.
Among other ANNIKA alumnae who will be competing this week in England are Celine Boutier, Nicole Broch Larsen, Lynn Carlsson, Olivia Cowan, Tonje Daffinrud, Maria Fassi, Kristen Gillman, Jaye Marie Green, Esther Henseleit, Nuria Itturioz, Danielle Kang, Cheyenne Knight, Jessica Korda, Nelly Korda, Yu Liu, Gaby Lopez, Nanna Koerstz Madsen, Annie Park, Katja Pogacar, Sarah Schmelzel, Mariah Stackhouse, Lauren Stephenson, Linnea Strom, Charlotte Thomas, Maria Torres and Angel Yin.
We wish the best of luck to all our former ANNIKA competitors playing this week and will be cheering everyone on from this side of the pond!