Annika's Presence Elevates the Event That Bears Her Name

BELLEAIR, Fla. – She’s done so much more than necessary and substantially more than most. Annika Sorenstam was ubiquitous throughout the week at Pelican Golf Club during the tournament that bears her name. And while 2024 was only the second year that the LPGA Tour’s penultimate event has gone by The ANNIKA presented by Gainbridge at Pelican, the Hall of Famer’s presence permeated every part of the property.

From the Tuesday Women’s Leadership Summit and Wednesday pro-am with Caitlin Clark to the “Share My Passion” clinic that she hosted for 40 deserving young girls on Saturday afternoon, followed immediately by a segment in the booth on Golf Channel, Annika was everywhere.

On Sunday, she camped out beside the 18th green and hugged every player on their way into scoring. “Thank you so much for doing this,” Bailey Tardy said as she embraced Sorenstam. “This is such a great tournament.”

Tardy was one of 54 players who had an “A” by her name on the scoreboard all week. That’s because she is an alumni of Annika’s numerous junior events and The ANNIKA Intercollegiate. And while many of the fans (and more than a few volunteers) asked what the A stood for, the subtle shoutout elevated a segment of the field and solidified the bond between Sorenstam and the current generation.

“It’s wonderful and it keeps growing,” Sorenstam said. “Soon I’d like for the entire field to have come through our program. I’d like to see nothing but A’s out there. From our junior golfers and our college tournament and now to this professional tournament, people are seeing the quality of play improve, and they’re supporting the women’s game at every level.”

Players and celebrities have added their names to tournaments for upwards of 70 years. Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, Byron Nelson, Glen Campbell, Jackie Gleason, even Sammy Davis, Jr. had a tournament for a while. But only two players or celebrities come close to being as involved and committed as Annika is to this one. They are Jack Nicklaus with his Memorial Tournament, and the late Arnold Palmer was with the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

“It’s huge having a true legend, an icon out here with her name on this,” Megan Khang said. “To be a part of this and her giving back to all of us like this is huge. It’s awe-inspiring to see Annika and everything that she’s done with her foundation. Now to bring that into the professional game is so special for all of us. And, of course, it’s still exciting to see Annika. Every time I see her, I try to pick her brain. Nobody should take it for granted.”

Khang also played with the “A” by her name all week. 

“I played in her junior event, so it’s really cool to have my name with the Annika logo beside it,” she said. “That might seem like a little thing, but it’s not. It shows you how many people she’s impacted over the years. And to have so many players who have been a part of it, from junior to college to professional, it’s a cool story.”

Breakout star Lauren Coughlin agreed, saying of Sorenstam, “She is our Tiger Woods. And it’s obviously cool to have the best player ever have her name on a tournament. The significance of seeing someone like that, our GOAT, want to be a part of a tournament and be so engaged, that’s just incredibly cool to see.”

What was also cool to see was Rolex Ranking World No.1 Nelly Korda winning at Pelican for a third time and becoming the first American since Beth Daniel in 1990 to win 7 times in a single season.

“Annika is someone I've looked up to and so many other people have looked up to,” Korda said after her victory. “She's a driving force in our game. Having her out here, playing in front of her, and having her name on the tournament just makes it so much sweeter to win it. Also, I think it just grows the game because you have all the legends coming back trying to grow it as well. I feel like that's the great thing about golf. Everyone is involved and everyone is a family.”

“There were a lot of things we were happy with last year, but this year we were able to upgrade a few things,” Annika said when summarizing her week. “We listened to the players. But overall, I’m very pleased. The members love it. (Pelican Golf Club owner) Dan Doyle is up (in hospitality) talking to the people at Gainbridge now. They’ve become friends. It’s a good field, good course, and everything just all came together.”

When asked why she spent so much time and effort fretting every detail, Sorenstam smiled. “I want to be hostess with the mostess,” she said. “Once I put my name on something, that’s a part of me and I want to make it feel special. We worked on this for so many years, and now we want to make sure that everybody’s happy.”