The ANNIKA Foundation is in Belleair, Florida for the inaugural The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican with 57 ANNIKA alumnae represented in the field.
Among our past ANNIKA players competing are LPGA stars like Ruoning Yin, Lilia Vu, Celine Boutier, and Nelly Korda. Ranked No. 1 in Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings, Ruoning Yin won the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship this season. Lilia Vu, ranked No. 2, has had an impressive year after winning two major championships at the 2023 Chevron Championship and the 2023 AIG Women’s Open. No. 3 Celine Boutier got her first major title this year at the Amundi Evian Championship in her home country and then won again a week later at the Women’s Scottish Open. Most recently, the 2011 Hilton Grand Vacations ANNIKA Invitational presented by Rolex champion, won the Maybank Championship bringing her to four wins on the LPGA Tour this season. Nelly Korda, No. 5, is the two-time defending champion of the event. Other notable top ranked LPGA players are No. 11 Allisen Corpuz, No. 14 Megan Khang, No. 16 Linn Grant, No. 18 Leona Maguire (2015 & 2017 ANNIKA Award presented by Stifel winner), and No. 22 Ayaka Furue.
In addition, ten past ANNIKA champions will be represented in the field. South Carolina junior Louise Rydqvist received an exemption into the event after the Gamecocks won the 2023 ANNIKA Intercollegiate presented by 3M and selected Louise to represent them. She also was named co-medalist champion that week. She will be joined by Wake Forest’s All-American fifth-year senior Rachel Kuehn (2019 ANNIKA Intercollegiate presented by 3M). Australian Grace Kim (2018 ANNIKA Invitational Australasia) secured her first professional win on the LPGA Tour earlier this year at the LOTTE Championship. Major champion Patty Tavatanakit won the individual title at the 2018 ANNIKA Intercollegiate after breaking the course record at Royal Golf Club with a 63 in the final round. Another ANNIKA Intercollegiate champion Maria Fassi will join Tavatanakit in the field. The former Razorback became the first player to win the ANNIKA Intercollegiate presented by 3M back-to-back in 2016 and 2017, and the first to win the ANNIKA Award presented by Stifel consecutively in 2018 and 2019. Finally, UCLA’s Alison Lee was the Hilton Grand Vacations ANNIKA Invitational presented by Rolex champion in 2012 and later went on to be the first ANNIKA Award presented by Stifel winner. Other past Invitational winners in the field are Linnea Strom (2012 ANNIKA Invitational Europe, Jaravee Boonchant (2016 HGV ANNIKA Invitational) Yan Liu (2015 ANNIKA Invitational Mission Hills).
Other ANNIKA players in the field this week are Aditi Ashok, Cheyenne Knight, Ruixin Liu, Gaby Lopez, Gemma Dryburgh, Nanna Madsen, Annie Park, Gabriela Ruffels, Madelene Sagstrom, Maja Stark, Bailey Tardy, Alexa Pano, Yu Liu, Bianca Pagdanganan, Albane Valenzuela, Sarah Schmelzel, Stephanie Meadow, Stephanie Kyriacou, Olivia Cowan, Emily Pedersen, Frida Kinhult, Gina Kim, Morgane Metraux, Maddie Szeryk, Emma Talley, Lucy Li, Nicole Broch Estrup, Lauren Hartlage, Muni He, Amanda Doherty, Yealimi Noh, Lauren Stephenson, Polly Mack, Hyo Joon Jang, Pauline Roussin, Yu-Sang Hou, and Dewi Weber, Auston Kim, Aline Krauter.
Follow along this week here.
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