| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Location | Belleair, Florida, U.S. |
| Established | 2020 |
| Course(s) | Pelican Golf Club |
| Par | 70 |
| Length | 6,268 yards (5,731 m) |
| Tour(s) | LPGA Tour |
| Format | Stroke play – 72 holes |
| Prize fund | $3.25 million |
| Month played | November |
| Tournament record score | |
| Aggregate | 261 Lilia Vu (2023) |
| To par | −19 as above |
| Current champion | |
 Lilia Vu | |
The ANNIKA, formerly the Pelican Women's Championship, is a women's professional golf tournament in Florida on the LPGA Tour. A new event in 2020, it was played at Pelican Golf Club in Belleair near Tampa.[1]
Nelly Korda won the 2021 event in a playoff over defending champion Kim Sei-young, Lexi Thompson, and Lydia Ko.[2]
The 2022 event was scheduled to be held November 10–13, but the Thursday, November 10 start date was eliminated due to the approach of Hurricane Nicole with rain and strong winds, so the tournament was shortened to 54 holes.[3]
The storm hit with its 70 miles per hour (110 km/h) wind, and 4.68 inches (11.9 cm) rain blew through the Tampa Bay area on Thursday. The sand base of the land and the crew's extraordinary work over the 12 hours between the LPGA notice to the players at 5:30pm on Thursday and the proposed 6:55am start on Friday, was praised by the players on how unbelievably good shape the course was in, also given the remarkable lack of debris. The reason for the lack of standing water is this course is so close to the Gulf of Mexico, rain sinks straight down to the water table line.[4]
Nelly Korda would successfully defend her title with a 1-shot victory over Lexi Thompson for her first LPGA win of the 2022 season after missing the majority of the first half due to a blood clot in her right arm.
Tournament names
- 2020–2022: Pelican Women's Championship
- 2023–present: The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican
Winners
| Year | Dates | Champion | Country | Winning score | To par | Margin of victory | Purse ($) | Winner's share ($) | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Nov 9–12 | Lilia Vu | United States | 67-66-62-66=261 | −19 | 3 strokes | 3,250,000 | 487,500 | [5] |
| 2022 | Nov 11–13 | Nelly Korda (2) | United States | 66-66-64=196 | −14 | 1 stroke | 2,000,000 | 300,000 | [6] |
| 2021 | Nov 11–14 | Nelly Korda | United States | 65-66-63-69=263 | −17 | Playoff | 1,750,000 | 262,500 | [2] |
| 2020 | Nov 19–22 | Kim Sei-young |  South Korea | 67-65-64-70=266 | −14 | 3 strokes | 1,500,000 | 225,000 | [7] |
Tournament record
| Year | Player | Score | Round |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Amy Yang | 61 (−9) | 3rd |
References
- ↑ "LPGA schedule features 33 events and record prize money". ESPN. Associated Press. November 22, 2019.
- 1 2 "Nelly Korda, The Fresh Princess of Belleair". LPGA. November 14, 2021.
- ↑ "2022 Pelican Women's Championship Shortened to 54 Holes". LPGA. November 9, 2022.
- ↑ "Post Hurricane Course Conditions Stuns Players". LPGA. November 11, 2022.
- ↑ "Lilia Vu Rallies to Win in Florida and Closes in on LPGA Player of the Year". LPGA. November 12, 2023.
- ↑ "Nelly Korda Rallies to Win Pelican and Returns to No. 1". LPGA. November 13, 2022.
- ↑ "2020 Pelican Women's Championship". LPGA. Retrieved December 15, 2020.