Hall-of-Famer Annika Sorenstam to Host Tampa Bay’s Signature LPGA Tour Event in new Multi-Year Partnership, Benefiting the ANNIKA Foundation
‘THE ANNIKA’ Becomes Sole Namesake Event on the LPGA Tour, Taking Place at Pelican Golf Club Nov. 6-12, 2023
BELLEAIR, Fla., Nov. 8, 2022 –The Pelican Women’s Championship and the LPGA Tour announced today that starting in 2023, THE ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican will feature a tournament purse of $3.25 million – the largest on the LPGA Tour outside of the major championships and the CME Group Tour Championship – with proceeds benefiting the ANNIKA Foundation.
A new multi-year partnership with World Golf and LPGA Hall-of-Fame member Annika Sorenstam and LPGA Tour partners Gainbridge and Pelican Golf Club, THE ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican will take place Nov. 6-12, 2023. The championship will feature a 120-player field competing at Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, Fla., for a share of the elevated $3.25 million purse and continuing to serve as the penultimate event on the LPGA Tour schedule. As the sole namesake event on the LPGA Tour, Sorenstam will serve as tournament host, which will allow her to further integrate the ANNIKA Foundation’s initiatives and programs into Tampa Bay’s signature LPGA Tour event.
“I’m incredibly honored to host one of the premier events on the LPGA Tour schedule starting in 2023 and give back to the game I love while mentoring the next generation of players,” said Sorenstam. “I look forward to working alongside my friends at the LPGA Tour, Pelican Golf Club and Gainbridge in continuing to elevate this championship to one of the premier events on the LPGA Tour.”
“Today’s purse increase announcement at The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican is a gigantic step forward for the LPGA and a fitting tribute to Annika’s enormous impact on women’s golf and on women’s sports more broadly. It is also a significant nod to the world-class talent of the current LPGA players,” said Mollie Marcoux Samaan, LPGA Commissioner. “We are grateful to Dan Towriss, Dan Doyle Jr., and our friends at Gainbridge and Pelican for honoring and supporting Annika, her foundation and all our amazing LPGA Tour athletes. We look forward to this unique championship continuing to elevate the LPGA and the women’s game for many years to come.”
“The opportunity for us to create ‘THE ANNIKA’ in partnership with Pelican Golf Club and increasing the tournament purse to $3.25 million allows Gainbridge to continue its longtime support of the LPGA Tour and its world-class athletes, while at the same celebrating the legacy of the greatest woman golfer in the modern era,” said Dan Towriss, CEO and President of Group 1001, the parent organization of Gainbridge. “By supporting THE ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican, alongside our recent partnership with tennis legend Billie Jean King and the Billie Jean King Cup, Gainbridge will continue to showcase women’s sports and the contributions of these legendary athletes both in and outside of the competitive arena.”
“Having a global icon in Annika teaming up with Gainbridge and us at Pelican Golf Club to elevate the tournament purse to $3.25 million as we head into 2023 is an amazing start to our long-term partnership,” said Dan Doyle Jr., Pelican Golf Club. “You want to make this the best championship it can be? You bring in one of the biggest names in golf. We look forward to the continued teamwork and collaboration in celebrating these world-class players both on and off the golf course.”
During her 15-year Hall-of-Fame career, Annika rewrote the LPGA and Ladies European Tour record books, and amassed over 90 worldwide wins, including 72 on the LPGA Tour and 10 major championships. She won a record eight Rolex Player of the Year awards, was the first woman in 58 years to play on the PGA TOUR, the only LPGA player to shoot 59, and is still the LPGA’s all-time money leader with over $22 million in earnings. Following her Hall of Fame career, Sorenstam started the ANNIKA Foundation in 2007 with the goal of developing women’s golf around the world and encouraging children to lead healthy, active lifestyles. The ANNIKA Foundation hosts seven global events for girls, with more than 600 juniors from 60 countries competing annually. Nearly 90 ANNIKA Foundation alumni are competing on the LPGA Tour.
Pelican Golf Club has hosted The Pelican Women’s Championship since 2020, with Sei Young Kim capturing her 12th LPGA Tour victory at the inaugural championship. The 2021 Pelican Women’s Championship was contested last November with fans in attendance for the first time. Nelly Korda defeated Lexi Thompson, Lydia Ko and defending champion Kim on the first playoff hole to capture her fourth victory in 2021 and seventh overall.
The 2022 Pelican Women’s Championship, taking place Nov. 10-13, will feature a 120-player field competing for a share of a $2 million purse. The event will be the penultimate event on the 2022 LPGA Tour schedule and the final opportunity for players to qualify for the CME Group Tour Championship.
For the past three years, Gainbridge has served as title sponsor for LPGA Tour events contested at Boca Rio Golf Club in Boca Raton, Fla., in 2020 and 2022 as well as at Lake Nona Golf and Country Club in Orlando in 2021. Gainbridge served as the sponsor for the LPGA Tour’s Indy Women in Tech Championship in Indianapolis from 2017-2019.
In September, Gainbridge and the International Tennis Federation announced a long-term partnership with global tennis icon Billie Jean King as title partner for the Billie Jean King Cup, the largest women’s team tennis competition worldwide. Through partnerships with two of
women’s sports biggest icons, Group 1001 and its subsidiaries, including Gainbridge, are focused on service and community transformation with investments in key partnerships that help transform lives through sports and education.
For more information on the 2022 Pelican Women’s Championship, visit PelicanLPGA.com and on social media: @PelicanLPGA on Twitter, @PelicanLPGA on Instagram and Pelican Women's Championship on Facebook.
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