Wake Forest Captured its First Team Title of the 2026-27 season and Fourth ANNIKA Intercollegiate Team Win; Head Coach Kim Lewellen Selects Pate as Sponsor Invitation

Tampa Bay’s Premier LPGA Tour Event, The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican to Take Place Nov. 9-15 at Pelican Golf Club

BELLEAIR, Fla., Sept. 15, 2026 – Wake Forest Senior All-American Macy Pate will be competing against the world’s best professional golfers when she tees it up as a sponsor invitation at The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican, taking place Nov. 9-15 at Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, Fla.

At the 2026 ANNIKA Intercollegiate presented by 3M, which concluded last week in Minnesota, a sponsor invitation to The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican was on the line to a player from this year’s winning team. Wake Forest captured the championship by 10 strokes, the program’s first team victory of the 2026-27 season and their fourth ANNIKA Intercollegiate title overall. Wake Forest women’s golf coach Kim Lewellen selected Pate as the recipient for the sponsor invitation. She finished T5 at 2-under par at the ANNIKA Intercollegiate presented by 3M.

“We are excited for the opportunity for Macy to play her first LPGA Tour event at The ANNIKA in November,” said Lewellen. “Winning the ANNIKA Intercollegiate as a team allowed the team and coaches to vote for one player to participate in this prestigious event. It was unanimous that Macy would take this honor. She has been a wonderful representative for Wake Forest golf and athletics. We look forward to her participating and showcasing her skills with the best in the world.”

Pate will make her LPGA Tour competition debut at The ANNIKA in November.

We are very excited to have Macy compete at The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican,” said Annika. “She is a leader at Wake Forest and one of the top-ranked college players in the country. I have enjoyed seeing her develop over the years and her hard work has paid off. For her to compete in her first LPGA Tour event at The ANNIKA is very special.”

A fourth-year senior and a Pre-Season All-American at Wake Forest, Pate recorded her first collegiate win her junior year at the Jackson T. Stephens Cup, ultimately finishing the season ranked No. 21 in the NCAA Scoreboard/Clippd Women’s Golf Rankings. A two-time participant in the Augusta National Women’s Amateur and a three-time All-ACC team member, Pate had a decorated junior career, including being named Carolinas Player of the Year in 2021 and 2022 and holds the record for the lowest round in North Carolina High School history with a 57.

“I’m so incredibly excited for this opportunity,” said Pate. “Annika is one of my idols, and it has been my dream to compete on the LPGA Tour. To be able to tee it up in my first LPGA Tour event at Annika’s tournament is special. This is going to be an amazing taste of what the future holds. Thank you Annika, the ANNIKA Foundation and The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican for the incredible opportunity.”

The ANNIKA, Tampa Bay’s annual LPGA Tour event and the penultimate event on the 2026 LPGA Tour schedule, is hosted by World Golf and LPGA Hall-of-Fame member Annika Sörenstam and taking place Nov. 9-15 at Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, Fla. The tournament will offer a $3.25 million purse – one of the largest outside the major championships – with proceeds from the tournament benefiting the ANNIKA Foundation.

South Carolina’s Louise Rydqvist (2023 and 2024) and Wake Forest’s Anne-Sterre den Dunnen (2025) competed in The ANNIKA via sponsor invitations from the ANNIKA Intercollegiate presented by 3M.

Linn Grant captured her second LPGA Tour win in 2025 at The ANNIKA by three strokes at 19-under par, one shy of the tournament record. It was the second time Grant received a trophy from Sörenstam. Grant won the Scandinavian Mixed in Sweden when Sörenstam and Henrik Stenson were co-hosts. World No. 1 Nelly Korda is a three-time winner at The ANNIKA (2021, 2022 and 2024). Lilia Vu captured her fourth LPGA Tour win at The ANNIKA in 2023 and Sei Young Kim won the inaugural event in 2020.

For more information on The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican, visit www.TheAnnika.com and on social media: @TheAnnikaLPGA on X, @TheAnnikaLPGA on Instagram, and The Annika driven by Gainbridge at Pelican on Facebook.

Wake Forest Senior All-American Macy Pate to Compete in The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican as a Sponsor Invitation

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