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Annika Foundation announces More Than Golf Invitational featuring mid-major conference champions

The tournament course, Old Barnwell Golf Club, is also the site of the Annika Development Program.

The Annika Foundation announced a new women’s college golf tournament for mid-major programs, the More Than Golf Invitational, co-hosted by Augusta University and Columbia University. The event will take place March 27-30, 2025, at Old Barnwell Golf Club in Aiken, South Carolina.

The individual medalist will receive up to three complimentary starts on the Annika Women’s All Pro Tour throughout the summer.

“The More Than Golf Invitational speaks to the heart of our mission — to develop, empower and advance young women through golf and in life — and we are very excited to kick things off next year at Old Barnwell,” said Annika Sorenstam. “We’re grateful to our partners at Old Barnwell and our host universities, Augusta and Columbia, for helping us make this dream a reality. This tournament will give the student-athletes a chance to test themselves at a premier golf venue, while providing memorable experiences, life, and career advice.”

Planned programming at the More Than Golf Invitational will include relationship building opportunities through a college-am to be held before the tournament, as well as an executive women’s reception and dinner where players will have the chance to meet and develop relationships with successful women across a variety of industries.

The More Than Golf Invitational will host 12 teams, including those from Augusta and Columbia. Each year, 10 conference champions from selected mid-major conferences will receive invitations to participate. The following year, 10 other mid-major conferences will receive invitations to play. The 2024 team champions from the following conferences will receive invitations to play in the inaugural More Than Golf Invitational: ASUN, Big East, Big Sky, Conference USA, Horizon League, Metro Atlantic Athletic, Mountain West, Patriot League, Southern and Summit League.

“The missions of The Annika Foundation and Old Barnwell synergize perfectly with the More Than Golf Invitational — creating a once in a lifetime competitive experience that hopefully impacts its participants far beyond the course of play,” said Augusta coach Caroline Haase-Hegg. “We’re thrilled to co-host this event with Columbia University and create a deserved opportunity for these student athletes to take center stage.”

The tournament course, Old Barnwell Golf Club, is also the site of the Annika Development Program, which launched in 2023. Through the program, the Annika Foundation provides four ambassadors each year with the opportunity to continue their pursuit of a professional golf career. Old Barnwell, which opened in 2023, is a mission-driven club focused on bringing people together through golf.

Patty Tavatanakit edges Nelly Korda by two points to win Rolex ANNIKA Major Award

Tavatanakit is the second player from Thailand to win, joining Ariya Jutanugarn in 2018.

Patty Tavatanakit started 2021’s major season with a bang, going wire-to-wire at the ANA Inspiration, and ended it with the Rolex ANNIKA Major Award, given to the player with the best record in all five major championships.

Tavatanakit edged out Nelly Korda by two points thanks for a tie for fifth at the KPMG Women’s PGA and a tie for seventh at the AIG Women’s British Open. She’s the second player from Thailand to win, joining Ariya Jutanugarn in 2018. Other champions include Jin Young Ko (2019), So Yeon Ryu (2017), Lydia Ko (2016), Inbee Park (2015) and Michelle Wie West (2014).

The award will be presented to Tavatanakit at the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship in Naples, Florida, in November. It was not given out in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Points for the Rolex ANNIKA Major Award were awarded at all five major championships in 2021 to competitors who finished among the top 10 and ties. To earn the award, a player must have also won at least one of the five majors. Yuka Saso (U.S. Women’s Open), Nelly Korda (KPMG Women’s PGA Championship), Minjee Lee (Amundi Evian Championship) and Anna Nordqvist (AIG Women’s Open) were the other players to qualify this season.

Korda ended the major championship season with a tie for 13th at Carnoustie and received no points.

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Nichols: Wouldn’t it be great if Annika Sorenstam hosted the LPGA every year at Lake Nona?

Annika Sorenstam playing at the Gainbridge LPGA has been a gift. A gift that has left us wanting more, writes Golfweek’s Beth Ann Nichols.

ORLANDO, Florida – This can’t be a one-and-done for Annika Sorenstam. Instead, it should be the spark that leads to something long overdue: The ANNIKA.

There isn’t a single event on the LPGA schedule that’s hosted by a former player. An annual LPGA tournament at Lake Nona, hosted by Sorenstam, would instantly become a marquee event on the tour’s schedule. Surely officials can figure out a way to package the magic of this week and turn it into an annual affair.

In this writer’s perfect world, the 50-year-old Sorenstam would play, of course. She’d get warmed up with the PNC Championship in December, continuing to play with her father until her son, Will, is ready to take the stage. (And, my goodness, is he adorably fun.)

She then would again compete in the celebrity division of the Diamond Resort Tournament of Champions in January, while hosting her annual AJGA event in Orlando the same week. The Sorenstam Winter Swing would conclude at The ANNIKA, where she’d host the best in the world at Lake Nona, her home since 2000.

“I would rank it one of the top golf courses we’ve played for sure,” said Nelly Korda of the impeccably kept Tom Fazio design.

Annika Sorenstam during round three of the 2021 Gainbridge LPGA at Lake Nona Golf and Country Club. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)

There would be so much natural synergy between an LPGA event and Sorenstam’s foundation. There are 40 players in this week’s field who are ANNIKA alumni. Maria Fassi, Celine Boutier, Patty Tavatanakit, Angel Yin and Linnea Strom are among those who have won her events. Leona Maguire, Bronte Law and Fassi are recipients of the ANNIKA Award presented by Stifel, given annually to the best Division I player in women’s college golf.

Spots in Sorenstam’s LPGA event could be reserved for the ANNIKA Award winner as well as the winner of the AJGA Diamond Resorts ANNIKA Invitational, ideally played the week before.

Sorenstam decided to play this week in large part to prepare for the U.S. Senior Women’s Open in August. Her commitment to the young championship, now in its third year, will go a long way toward establishing its place in the game.

Many LPGA players leave the tour to start families or get off the road when their kids reach school age. Sorenstam’s return to golf at 50 for the Senior Women’s Open sends a strong message that you can always go back. (What she did this week, however, making the cut in an LPGA event after nearly a 13-year layoff, is peak GOAT.)

Should Sorenstam decide to make it a run at the Senior Women’s Open and play the next five years, perhaps etching her name on the trophy several times, she’d provide an immeasurable boost to a championship that took far too long to come to life.

Annika Sorenstam walks during the first round of the 2021 Gainnbridge LPGA at Lake Nona Golf and Country Club. (Photo by Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images)

In June, Sorenstam will host the Scandinavian Mixed on the Ladies European Tour in Sweden along with fellow Nona resident Henrik Stenson. Given that the event takes place ahead of the Senior Women’s Open, maybe she’ll use the opportunity to get back inside the ropes closer to Brooklawn.

On Wednesday, when a reporter tried to ask Sorenstam about taking a spot in the ANA Inspiration in April, the 10-time major winner was shaking her head “no” before he could even finish the question.

“I’m in a different place in my life,” she said.

No one is looking for a comeback from Sorenstam. She’s made it clear that’s not happening. But a handful of meaningful starts each year from one of the greatest to ever play the game would provide an intriguing bridge between the past, present and future.

Coming into the event, Sorenstam said she felt like playing this week made her more relevant to younger generations. Rather than simply listening to stories from the past, they can instead learn from a legend at work in real time.

This week has been a gift. A gift that has left us wanting more.

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Three finalists remain for Haskins and ANNIKA Awards

After a shortened college golf season, both the Haskins and ANNIKA Awards will still be presented to the top men’s and women’s college players. Players, coaches, sports information directors and golf media were eligible to vote for the awards. After the voting period, three finalists remain on each side. Haskins finalists include Vanderbilt senior John Augenstein, Pepperdine senior Sahith Theegala and Georgia junior Davis Thompson. Augenstein notched a victory at the Desert Mountain Intercollegiate and had two other top-five finishes, including a runner-up showing at the Nike Golf Collegiate. Theegala finished an abbreviated season as the top-ranked college player in both the Golfweek/Sagarin rankings and the Golfstat individual rankings. Thompson won the Jim Rivers Invitational in the fall for one of four top-10 finishes on the season. ANNIKA finalists are Arizona freshman Vivian Hou, LSU freshman Ingrid Lindblad and Furman senior Natalie Srinivasan. Hou was a collective 17 under in 16 competitive rounds during her freshman year at Arizona. Lindblad won two times in an abbreviated season at LSU. Srinivasan’s season included three individual titles and ended with a runner-up at the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate. Award winners for both the Haskins and ANNIKA will be announced May 8.