BELLEAIR, Fla. — The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican celebrated Parity Week by Gainbridge in a big way this year at Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, Fla.

After what was initially a week-long campaign first held November 6 – 12, 2023, Parity Week has been expanded to include the entirety of November this year, as Gainbridge has teamed up with Parity and the Women’s Sports Foundation to create a month-long movement that focuses on the future of women’s athletics across all sports. Billie Jean King served as inspiration for Parity Week, as the female tennis legend started the Women’s Sports Foundation with just a $5,000 check that she had won in a tennis event.

As it did last year, The ANNIKA has played a pivotal role in Parity Week once again in 2024, implementing a variety of initiatives that help accomplish the goal of supporting women and providing opportunity via education and sports.

On Tuesday ahead of the start of the tournament, The ANNIKA saw the Women’s Leadership Summit presented by Versant Health hosted at Pelican Golf Club, an annual event that brings together women across all industries to network and learn from other female leaders in business and sport.

The event was emceed by Lauren Thompson, host for NBC Sports Next, and featured an incredible lineup of “self-made” female speakers, a slate that included Kathy Ireland, founder and CEO of Kathy Ireland Worldwide; Annika Sorenstam, 72-time LPGA Tour winner and tournament namesake; and Caitlin Clark, WNBA Rookie of the Year and former University of Iowa Hawkeye. Stephanie Conners, CEO of BayCare Health System, and Meredith Ryan-Reid, CEO of Versant Health, were also Summit panelists.

Clark was on-site at Pelican Golf Club as a special guest of Gainbridge, and in addition to the Women’s Leadership Summit, she also participated in an afternoon press conference on Tuesday, one at which Dan Towriss, CEO and president of Group 1001, presented Clark with a $22,000 donation to her foundation.

Dan Towriss and Caitlin Clark

Wednesday saw Clark participate in The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican pro-am, the first time she had ever played in a pro-am on the LPGA Tour. Clark was paired with Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings No. 1 Nelly Korda for her first nine holes of competition and was then teamed up with Sorenstam on the back nine at Pelican Golf Club, thoroughly enjoying the experience she had competing alongside two of the biggest names in women’s golf.

“It was so fun,” said Clark of her pro-am experience. “Getting to see them do what they do up front, people would pay for that. I got to do it for free and have fun with them. Definitely a fun morning. I feel very thankful that Gainbridge had me out here. Their support of women's sports is tremendous. Very lucky and fortunate. Hung in there, did alright. It was a good day.”

Hundreds of fans were on property to see Clark’s LPGA pro-am debut, and tournament host Sorenstam was delighted to have Clark come out to support her event, knowing just how important it is to reach across the lines and build connections with other female athletes across other sports.

“I think it's awesome. I love all the young girls with the signs. Nothing we would really see on a normal Wednesday. It's great how it brings attention to the tournament,” Sorenstam said on Wednesday afternoon. “That's what I love about this sport. It brings people together, whether you're a golfer, businessperson, with Dan Towriss and then you got Caitlin Clark. Brings us together and we just have a good time.”

Korda, who like Sorenstam and Clark has gotten many more people interested in women’s golf this year in large part due to her winning streak and appearance at the Met Gala as well as her upcoming debut in Sports Illustrated Swimsuit in 2025, also realizes what events like The ANNIKA pro-am and people like herself, Sorenstam and Clark can do for female athletics at large.

“I think it's great for women's sports,” said Korda. “I love that (Caitlin Clark) has a love for the game of golf. Me, I've never really tuned into watching basketball before her, honestly. I think it's growing the interest in all of women's sports. I hope that's what grows from this relationship.”

Parity Week by Gainbridge is going on all November long in concurrence with both The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican and the Billie Jean King Cup, the latter of which will be played until November 20. For more information, please follow along with #ParityWeek on social media and visit paritynow.co/parityweek.

The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican is Big Part of Parity Week by Gainbridge

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