Annika’s Approach

To Her Playing Career

Talk about “growing the game” comes cheap. Anyone can talk about it, but the work of the Annika Foundation is putting actions ahead of words—something the foundation’s driving force, Annika Sorenstam, did for many years as the world’s number one female golfer.

Focused yet quietly spoken, Sorenstam minded her own business as a tour golfer and serenely compiled an honor roll featuring 10 major titles between 1995 and 2006. She remains the last golfer to have won the U.S. Women’s Open three times.

Swedish-born Sorenstam, now 52, established the Annika Foundation in 2007 to provide opportunities in women’s golf at the junior, collegiate and professional levels, while also teaching young people the importance of living a healthy and active lifestyle through fitness and nutrition.

Today, the foundation conducts six major events for aspiring female golfers around the world each year, resulting in more than 600 girls from 60 different countries playing in Annika Foundation events annually. Already there are 200 Annika Alumnae on the LPGA and Epson Tours.

Global reach

In 2023 the Annika Invitational Europe will be held at Halmstad Golf Club in southern Sweden, June 12-15. Among a field of 78 of Europe’s most promising female juniors, the top three finishers will earn an exemption into the Hilton Grand Vacations Annika Invitational presented by Rolex, which will be played in Orlando in January 2024. Also at the Annika Invitational Europe, a “More Than Golf” program is carried out to emphasize the importance of wellness, education and personal development.

“I’m thrilled with how the Annika Invitational Europe has progressed since 2012,” Sorenstam tells Kingdom magazine. “We annually have over 20 college coaches in attendance, and our winners have gone on to do great things both in college and at the professional level. It’s an honor to help contribute to the growth of women’s golf throughout Europe.”

The Annika Foundation also partners with the R&A to stage the Women’s Amateur Latin America, which will be played from November 16-19 in Argentina (at a venue to be confirmed). Providing an invaluable stepping stone for Latin America’s best amateurs, the tournament offers the winner exemptions into three women’s majors: the Chevron Championship, the Amundi Evian Championship and the AIG Women’s Open.

“We are grateful that the R&A has partnered with us to make the Women’s Amateur Latin America the premier women’s amateur event in that region of the world,” says Sorenstam. “The fact that our winners receive invitations to play in three LPGA major championships really makes me proud.”

Sorenstam, one of the finest role models ever to grace professional sports, is sharing her experience and spreading joy and personal growth through golf. All the while, she is forging the role models of tomorrow. annikafoundation.org