LAKE ELMO, Minn. – No. 7 South Carolina will make its ninth all-time appearance at the 2024 ANNIKA Intercollegiate on Monday. It marks the sixth time the program has opened a season at the prestigious event.
The loaded 12-team field features six teams ranked in the top-10 of the WGCA Mizuno Preseason Coaches Poll. Three more teams in the field are ranked in the top-25 that features defending NCAA Champion Wake Forest.
The Gamecocks welcome back three starters from last year’s NCAA Quarterfinal squad in junior All-Americans Hannah Darling and Louise Rydqvist and sophomore Mia Sandtorv Lussand. The team welcomes in a pair of talented French freshmen in Vairana Heck and Maylis Lamoure. That will be the team’s five this week in Minnesota.
The ANNIKA Intercollegiate presented by 3M is a college golf tournament founded by the ANNIKA Foundation in 2014. The 54-hole stroke play event is held annually at the Royal Golf Club outside of Minneapolis and features 12 of the top Division I women’s programs in the country. This event allows golf legend Annika Sörenstam to stay connected with the players through the entirety of their careers, bridging the gap from junior to professional golf. In addition, a gala reception takes place before the event during which Annika presents the ANNIKA Award presented by Stifel to the nation’s best female player in college golf.
“This event offers a fantastic platform to expand my Foundation’s mission to establish greater playing opportunities for junior and college golfers alike,” said Sörenstam , the 1991 NCAA Champion and co-player of the year. “It’s great to see many of the girls who played in our ANNIKA Invitational junior series return to play with their college teams. We’re excited to work with 3M to make the ANNIKA Intercollegiate a ‘can’t miss’ kick-off to the NCAA golf season.”
Carolina has won the event twice since its inception, the first year it was held in 2014 and again in 2021. Former All-American Justine Dreher is the only Gamecock to capture the individual crown. She shot 207 (-9) en route to helping the team to victory in 2014.
Wake Forest won last year’s event and Virginia’s Amanda Sambach was the individual champion. Both return to defend their crowns this season.
The Gamecocks will be paired with the second-ranked Demon Deacons and No. 3 Texas A&M for round one on Monday. Lamoure will be the first player off for Carolina at 10:20 a.m. (ET).
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