New LPGA Tournament Coming in 2023

The following news was first published in The Golf Channel at this link.

Annika Sorenstam hosts several junior tournaments around the world, including Europe, Australia and Latin America, as well as one of the season’s top women’s college events, which is held each fall in Minnesota.

Now, the Hall of Famer is getting her own LPGA event.

Sorenstam was announced as the tournament host for the LPGA season’s penultimate event, the Pelican Women’s Championship, which starting next November will be called The Annika driven by Gainbridge at Pelican.

“It is an incredible honor to host one of the premier events on the LPGA Tour schedule at Pelican Golf Club, a world-class facility, alongside my good friends at Gainbridge,” Sorenstam said. “Giving back to the game I love and mentoring the game’s next generation of players have always been at the forefront of everything we do. I’m excited to kick off this great new partnership and elevate this tournament to new heights on the LPGA Tour.”

This year’s third edition of the Pelican Women’s Championship will take place Nov. 7-13 at Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, Florida, and will feature 120 players competing for a $2 million purse. A purse increase for 2023 will be announced during this year’s event.

Teaming up with Sorenstam at Pelican is Gainbridge, an online annuity agency, which has sponsored an LPGA event since 2017. Gainbridge served as title sponsor for the Indy Women in Tech Championship from 2017 to 2019 before launching the Gainbridge LPGA at Boca Rio in 2020. That event was moved to Lake Nona in 2021 before returning to Boca Raton, Florida, this year.

Sorenstam, a 72-time winner on the LPGA, made her LPGA competitive return after 13 years in retirement at the 2021 Gainbridge.

“Teamwork and partnership are at the core of the LPGA’s mission. Annika, Gainbridge and Pelican Golf Club have all played important roles in the history of the LPGA. Together, these three gamechangers will undoubtedly create a championship that is representative of the world-class talent of our players and will serve as a great example of the power of collective commitment and excellence,” said Mollie Marcoux Samaan, the LPGA’s commissioner. “We look forward to this championship continuing to raise the bar and elevate the LPGA to new heights.”