We approached Annika to serve in this capacity because we wanted to honor her accomplishments at past USGA championships and her connection to the 1995 U.S. Women’s Open at The Broadmoor.
Colorado Springs, CO (Vocus) January 28, 2010
Hall of Fame golfer Annika Sorenstam has been named the honorary chair for the 2011 U.S. Women’s Open, to be conducted at The Broadmoor, July 4-10. The Broadmoor was the site of Sorenstam’s first U.S. Women’s Open victory in front of a record-setting crowd in 1995.
"I am extremely honored to be able to serve in this role with the USGA," said Sorenstam. "The U.S. Women's Open is our premier championship and when I won at the Broadmoor in 1995, it was my first professional victory in the United States. Both the championship and the venue will always hold a special place in my heart and I look forward to going back.”
As honorary chair, Sorenstam will help promote the championship and appear at the ticket launch press conference in 2010. She will also host an exhibition during the week of the championship in which she will provide tips and demonstrate golf shots for spectators.
“We approached Annika to serve in this capacity because we wanted to honor her accomplishments at past USGA championships and her connection to the 1995 U.S. Women’s Open at The Broadmoor,” said Stephen Bartolin, Jr., president and CEO of The Broadmoor.
During her 15-year Hall of Fame career, Sorenstam rewrote the LPGA and Ladies European Tour record books, won countless awards, and changed the way women’s golf was played, viewed and covered. She has 89 worldwide victories, including 72 on the LPGA, 10 of which are major championships, including the 1995, 1996, and 2006 U.S. Women’s Open titles. She earned a record eight Rolex LPGA Player-of-the-Year awards; a record-tying eight money list titles; six Vare Trophies for the lowest scoring average; was named Golf Writers Association of America Female Player of the
Year eight times and became the first player in LPGA history to cross the $22-million mark in earnings. She played on eight Solheim Cup teams and was inducted into the LPGA and World Golf Halls of Fame in 2003.
Sorenstam stepped away from professional golf after the 2008 season to focus on her family and the ANNIKA brand of businesses. These include the ANNIKA Academy, ANNIKA Financial Group, ANNIKA Course Design which currently has eight projects worldwide, the ANNIKA Collection of apparel with Cutter & Buck, signature high-end wines with Wente Vineyards, a fragrance with SA Fragrances, and an online retail shop, shopannika.com. In 2007 Sorenstam started the ANNIKA Foundation as a way 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. In 2008, Sorenstam was named an Ambassador of the United States Golf Association, and in 2009, she was named a Global Ambassador by the International Golf Federation. In this role, Sorenstam supported the successful efforts to have golf added to the 2016 Olympic Games.
About the U.S. Women’s Open:
The 66th U.S. Women’s Open, to be held July 4-10, 2011, will bring a field of 156 of the world’s best professional and amateur female golfers to The Broadmoor East Course. Featured players expected to compete include: Lorena Ochoa, Cristie Kerr, Suzann Pettersen and Michelle Wie. The U.S. Women’s Open will be the seventh USGA championship staged at The Broadmoor, dating back to the 1959 U.S. Amateur won by Jack Nicklaus.
About The Broadmoor:
The Broadmoor, located at the foot of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado Springs, Colo., is the longest consecutive winner of the AAA Five-Diamond and Forbes/Mobil Travel Guide Five-Star awards for excellence in service and facilities. The Broadmoor spans 3,000 acres with 700 hotel rooms and suites surrounding Cheyenne Lake, three championship golf courses, an award-winning tennis club and an internationally renowned European full-service spa.
About the USGA:
The USGA is the national governing body of golf in the USA and Mexico, a combined territory that includes more than half the world’s golfers and golf courses.
The USGA annually conducts the U.S. Open, U.S. Women's Open, U.S. Senior Open and 10 national amateur championships. It also conducts two state team championships and helps conduct the Walker Cup Match, Curtis Cup Match and World Amateur Team Championships.
The USGA also writes the Rules of Golf, conducts equipment testing, provides expert course maintenance consultations, funds research for better turf and a better environment, maintains a Handicap System®, celebrates the history of the game, and administers an ongoing “For the Good of the Game” grants program, which has allocated more than $65 million over 13 years to successful programs that bring the game’s values to youths from disadvantaged backgrounds and people with
disabilities.
Contact:
Matt Sawicki
msawicki (at) broadmoor (dot) com
(719) 633-6736
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