Tour Invite announced for winner of Annika Invitational at Mission Hills

Tour Invite announced for winner of Annika Invitational at Mission Hills

19 February 2019

Organisers have announced that the winner of the 2019 ANNIKA Invitational at Mission Hills China on February 27 to March 1 will be invited to play alongside the professionals in the EFG Hong Kong Ladies Open in May.

Golfing legend Annika Sorenstam will return to southern China this month to host the ninth edition of the all-girls event at Mission Hills Dongguan. Played over three rounds on her highly-acclaimed Annika Course, more than 70 top female amateurs aged eight to 18 now have the added incentive of a Tour start to play for – as well as CGA and World Amateur Ranking points and a place in the prestigious ANNIKA Invitational USA presented by Rolex.

The 2019 winner will tee it up alongside more than 100 Tour players from around the world in the fifth edition of the EFG Hong Kong Ladies Open, staged by the famous Hong Kong Golf Club in Fanling from May 10 to 12.

Sponsored by EFG Bank for the third consecutive year and played on Fanling’s historic Old Course, the popular event is the first and only golf tournament in Hong Kong with Rolex World Ranking points.

10-time Major Champion Sorenstam commented:  “I’m so proud of what this event has become over the past nine years.  Mission Hills has been a wonderful founding partner and thanks to EFG Bank and Hong Kong Golf Club, the players will have added incentive at this year’s competition.”

Tenniel Chu, Group Vice-Chairman of Mission Hills added:  “The ANNIKA Invitational is one of the highlights of our annual junior golf program at Mission Hills, which features more than 50 tournaments for tens of thousands of young golfers in China and across the region.  We thank the EFG Hong Kong Ladies Open for extending an invitation to the winner and for joining us in support of women’s golf in China.

Albert Chiu, Executive Chairman, Asia Pacific, EFG Bank, commented: “We are delighted to see the winner of the 2019 ANNIKA Invitational given the opportunity to compete at the EFG Hong Kong Ladies Open this year. This is aligned with EFG’s vision and that of the EFG Young Athletes’ Foundation, to help develop young local sports talent, providing them the assistance they need to realise their full potential.”

Ian Gardner, General Manager of Hong Kong Golf Club, said: “We are delighted to provide the winner of the ANNIKA Invitational with a berth in the EFG Hong Kong Ladies Open. Helping to develop ladies’ golf in the region and providing a stage for rising junior talents to play alongside and compete with professionals are priorities of ours. We look forward to welcoming this year’s champion to our Old Course in May.” Mission Hills Group is the owner and operator of two luxury resorts in China, one in Shenzhen in southern China and the other in Haikou on the tropical tourism island of Hainan. Together, the fully-integrated facilities span a total of 40 square kilometres and 22 golf courses, making Mission Hills the largest golf complex in the world.

ENDS

ABOUT MISSION HILLS GROUP
Mission Hills Group, owner and operator of Mission Hills resorts in the heart of the Pearl River Delta and on the tropical island of Hainan, is synonymous with leisure, wellness, entertainment and luxury.

Founded in 1992, Mission Hills is recognized as one of the world’s leading golf brands and a pioneer in China’s hospitality, sports and leisure industry. The world-class integrated leisure and wellness resort destinations have hosted more than 100 international tournaments, dating back to the World Cup of Golf in 1995, the first international golf tournament in China. Mission Hills has also been accredited by the Guinness World Records as the “World’s Largest Golf Club” and the “World’s Largest Mineral Springs and Spa Resort”.

Mission Hills’ properties sprawl over 40 square kilometres. They include 22 championship courses designed by renowned players and architects from five continents, five-star resorts, award-winning spas and volcanic mineral springs, international convention centres, state-of-the-art golf academies, a 20-pitch football training base, Asia’s largest basketball school and Asia’s biggest tennis facility. Mission Hills is also the official training headquarters for China’s Tennis, Football and Golf Associations.

The Group’s ‘golf and more’ leisure philosophy has seen its tourism-related business expand into a leisure hub for multi-generational families. Mission Hills Centreville in Shenzhen and Haikou provides integrated shopping, recreational, business, education, entertainment, leisure and cultural experiences, including Bromsgrove School Mission Hills in Shenzhen in collaboration with the historic British boarding school. Mission Hills has also extended its foray into the hospitality industry by partnering with world-renowned hotel brands such as Hard Rock, Renaissance and Ritz-Carlton. These collaborations have seen the opening of Ritz-Carlton’s first golf resort hotel in China and China’s first Hard Rock Hotel in Shenzhen.

Other significant projects include Movie Town in Haikou in partnership with China’s largest film production company, Huayi Brothers Media Corporation and award-winning director, Feng Xiaogang and China’s first Wet’n’Wild water park in collaboration with Australia’s leading entertainment group and largest theme park operator, Village Roadshow Limited.

Mission Hills has also announced ground-breaking partnerships with FC Barcelona and the NBA to bring the world’s most famous football club and the world’s largest professional basketball league to its Haikou resort, making Hainan island a leading hub for football and basketball development in China.
For more information and latest updates, visit
www.missionhillschina.com or follow Mission Hills China on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube.

ABOUT EFG INTERNATIONAL
EFG International is a global private banking group offering private banking and asset management services and is headquartered in Zurich. EFG International’s group of private banking businesses operates in around 40 locations worldwide. Its registered shares (EFGN) are listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange.

ABOUT THE ANNIKA FOUNDATION
Annika created the ANNIKA Foundation to provide opportunities in women’s golf at the junior, collegiate and professional levels while teaching young people the importance of living a healthy, active lifestyle through fitness and nutrition.  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 initiative and The First Tee in development of the Nine Healthy Habits curriculum for children.

It annually conducts six major golf events for aspiring junior girls: the ANNIKA Invitational USA presented by Rolex at the World Golf Village in St. Augustine, Fla.; ANNIKA Invitational at Mission Hills in China; ANNIKA Invitational Europe and ANNIKA Cup in Sweden; and, in association with The R&A, the ANNIKA Invitational Latin America and ANNIKA Invitational Australasia.  In 2013, the Foundation’s reach extended to the collegiate ranks with the ANNIKA Award presented by 3M (awarded to most outstanding female NCAA Division I golfer) and ANNIKA Intercollegiate presented by 3M (12 team, 54-hole event in Minnesota).  SPARK grants to schools, financial support of Healthy 100 Kids, endowing an AJGA ACE Grant, and the “Share My Passion” Golf Clinics are other areas of emphasis.


Contact:

Mona Li – Director of Brand Development

Mission Hills Group

Tel: +85 (755) 2802 0888

Email: MonaLi@missionhillschina.com

Website: www.missionhillschina.com

Fonte: IAGTO