UCLA’s Alison Lee had sketched out a fairly low-key summer of amateur golf and a few classes. Then famed golfer Annika Sorenstam came calling.
Lee’s athletic idol was on the phone with exciting news: Lee would be the inaugural recipient of the ANNIKA Award, honoring the nation’s best female college golfer. On Sunday, Sept. 28, Sorenstam will present the award to Lee during a gala dinner in Orlando, Fla.
3M is sponsoring this year’s award ceremony, which will kick off with the inaugural ANNIKA Intercollegiate – a college golf tournament co-founded by Sorenstam and Golfweek magazine.
The 12-team, 54-hole event, which runs Sept. 27-30, is one of the highlights of 3M’s partnership with the ANNIKA Foundation announced a year ago. Colleges scheduled to compete include Alabama, Arizona, Arizona State, Duke, Northwestern, Oklahoma State, Pepperdine, South Carolina, Stanford, UCLA, USC and Vanderbilt.
“Annika represents so much of what 3M considers crucial for success: the drive to do your best and do it with respect and honesty. The golf tournament is an outstanding opportunity for both of us to give back and empower women,” said Jesse Singh, 3M’s senior vice president of marketing and sales.
The ANNIKA Foundation teaches children the importance of healthy, active lifestyles through fitness and nutrition and offers aspiring junior golfers opportunities to pursue their dreams. The foundation conducts several junior tournaments around the globe every year and partners with regional and international organizations to promote healthy living.
Sorenstam will host a clinic on Saturday, Sept. 27 to launch the tournament, followed by a practice round, then the gala to celebrate Lee on Sunday.
Lee had a stellar season as a freshman at UCLA, winning the Pac-12 individual championship, the Betsy Rawls Invitational and the Stanford Intercollegiate. She led the nation with a 71.02 scoring average to set a UCLA single-season record, and broke another school mark with 20 rounds under par. Lee has been invited to play in the 2015 Kraft Nabisco Championship, one of the LPGA Tour’s major championships.
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About the ANNIKA Foundation
Annika Sorenstam created the ANNIKA Foundation (www.annikafoundation.org) to teach children the importance of living a healthy, active lifestyle through fitness and nutrition, and offer aspiring junior golfers opportunities to pursue their dreams. The foundation has partnered with key organizations to promote healthy, active lifestyles for children, including SPARK, Florida Hospital for Children in support of its Healthy 100 Kids and The First Tee in development of the Nine Healthy Habits curriculum for children.
3M Media Contact:Jocelyn Parker, 651-737-6099
