Seven Top-10 Teams Including No. 1-Ranked Texas, Defending Champion Wake Forest to Vie for One of the Most-Coveted Titles in Women’s College Golf
The ANNIKA Foundation – golf Hall-of-Famer Annika Sorenstam’s charitable organization – has released the first 11 programs that will participate in the 2020 ANNIKA Intercollegiate presented by 3M, Sept. 13-16, at Royal Golf Club in Lake Elmo, Minnesota.
No.1 Texas will be joined by six teams currently ranked in the top 10 of the Golfweek/Sagarin rankings, including defending champion and No. 8-ranked Wake Forest, No. 2 Arizona State, No. 3 Arizona, No. 4 USC, No. 9 South Carolina and No. 10 Duke. Also committed to compete are 2018 ANNIKA Intercollegiate champion Alabama, UCLA, Vanderbilt and host school Minnesota.
The 12th and final team will be announced following the 2020 NCAA Championships in May.
“For the seventh-consecutive year, we’re honored to welcome a collection of women’s golf’s most-powerful and storied programs,” says Annika, who played at Arizona and was the 1991 NCAA Women’s Champion. “Royal Golf Club has proven to be a great host venue for the last two editions, and we look forward to returning to Minnesota during an ideal time of year for weather and course conditions.”
Royal Golf Club features a front nine (The Queen’s Nine) designed by Annika, and a back nine (The King’s Nine) designed by Arnold Palmer. It was Annika’s first U.S. golf course design project. Rolling hills, mature trees and abundant wildlife provide a scenic backdrop for what has become a wonderful home for the event.
Annika’s involvement with NCAA women’s golf extends to the ANNIKA Award presented by Stifel. Now in its seventh year, it is presented to the nation’s most outstanding female collegiate player as voted on by players, coaches and members of the golf media. Its illustrious list of past winners features Maria Fassi (2018 and 2019, Arkansas), Leona Maguire (2015 and 2017, Duke), Bronte Law (2016, UCLA) and Alison Lee (2014, UCLA).
The ANNIKA Foundation is devoted to growing the game of golf around the world. In addition to its involvement with the ANNIKA Intercollegiate and ANNIKA Award, it annually hosts six girls-only invitational tournaments on five continents: the ANNIKA Invitational USA presented by Rolex, the ANNIKA Invitational Europe and ANNIKA Cup (Sweden), ANNIKA Invitational Mission Hills (China), the ANNIKA Invitational Latin America and the ANNIKA Invitational Australasia (New Zealand).
Since the inaugural Foundation tournament – the 2009 ANNIKA Invitational USA – 60 ANNIKA event alumnae have earned LPGA cards. Twenty-eight alumnae competed in the 2019 ANA Inspiration.