The biggest names, not just in women’s golf but in all of sport, will be shining bright at the penultimate event of the LPGA Tour season at The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican. World Golf Hall of Fame member Annika Sorenstam serves as tournament host of what has become one of the most anticipated events of the year in Belleair, Fla., where players have plenty to play for - to shore up their status for next season, to make a move in the critical season-long points races and of course, look to take home the trophy at one of the biggest events outside the majors where the purse is $3.25 million. Here’s a closer look at what you need to know about this week’s Tour stop at Pelican Golf Club, where WNBA superstar Caitlin Clark will be making an appearance.

Lilia Vu Defends

In 2023, Lilia Vu put a bow on an incredible season by winning for the fourth and final time that year with her victory at The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican. Vu said while looking back on her victory that it was her most important win of her season because she felt her game had fallen off after her major victory at the AIG Women’s Open that summer. She was thrilled to see her game come around at Pelican Golf Club, where she carded weekend rounds of 62 and 66 to win by three strokes over Alison Lee. Vu said ahead of her title defense that she loves the course in Belleair, and while she feels like this year has been tough for her as she’s dealt with an ongoing back injury, she is prepared to play with the game she has. This week, Vu is making her first start since tying for 63rd at the Maybank Championship in Malaysia.

Nelly Korda Returns

A two-time winner at Pelican Golf Club, Nelly Korda picked an ideal place to make her return to competition on the LPGA Tour on Thursday, as she’s preparing to make her first start on Tour since September. Korda planned to play two of the four stops during the Tour’s fall swing through Asia but was forced to withdraw due to what she described as a minor neck injury. Korda is seeking her seventh victory of the season and first win since May at The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican. At Pelican Golf Club in 2021, Korda defeated Lydia Ko, Sei Young Kim and Lexi Thompson in an epic playoff by rolling in a birdie putt on the first extra hole. Korda successfully defended her title in 2022, winning by a single stroke ahead of Thompson thanks to a final-round 64. That year, the tournament was reduced to 54 holes due to weather.

The Field

Korda and Vu headline an impressive field who have come to Belleair, Fla., for the fifth edition of The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican, where 18 of the top 25 in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings are poised to compete. Ruoning Yin, Hannah Green, Lydia Ko and Lauren Coughlin, who have each won multiple times already this season, are all in the field at Pelican Golf Club. Lexi Thompson is also competing this week in Belleair, where she has twice finished runner-up in 2021 and 2022 and was tied for seventh in 2023. This week, Brittany Lincicome is one of three players to receive a sponsor exemption and will make one of her final starts on the LPGA Tour as she recently announced she’ll be playing a reduced schedule going forward. Major champions Celine Boutier, Amy Yang, Yuka Saso and Minjee Lee are also in the field, and so is Charley Hull, who ended a two-year winless streak with her victory on the Ladies European Tour at the Aramco Team Series presented by PIF – Riyadh earlier this month.

Caitlin Clark Tees It Up

WNBA Rookie of the Year Caitlin Clark will be making an appearance this week at The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican. Tuesday, Clark will be a panelist during the Women’s Leadership Summit, which will be live-streamed on LPGA.com and NBCSports.com from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. ET. Then, on Wednesday, the superstar will compete in the tournament’s pro-am and tee off at 7 a.m. ET, playing alongside Korda and Sorenstam. Clark’s warm-up session ahead of her pro-am will be live-streamed, and there will be plenty of coverage of her day on LPGA social media channels and highlights from her round available on Golf Channel beginning at 11 a.m. ET.

Last Chance to Qualify for CME Group Tour Championship

The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican is the final opportunity for players to move inside the top 60 in the Race to the CME Globe point standings and earn a spot in the field at the CME Group Tour Championship next week in Naples, Fla. Seven players who are on the bubble are all in the field this week at Pelican Golf Club and are looking to secure a top-60 spot in the season-long race in order to have a chance to compete for the record $11 million purse and $4 million winner’s check. Here are just some of the players who are on the bubble this week:

Leona Maguire: Her 70th-place finish in her last start at the TOTO Japan Classic left her hovering around the bubble, and by skipping last week’s tournament in Hawaii, Maguire dropped two spots to her current position at No. 57 in the point standings. The season has been a challenging one for Maguire, who has just a single top-10 finish so far this year.
Hyo Joo Kim: The major champion made up some critical ground with her tie for ninth last week at the LOTTE Championship presented by Hoakalei, as she moved up three spots in the standings and inside the top 60 to her current position at No. 58.
Mi Hyang Lee: She tied for 12th in her last start at the TOTO Japan Classic, but by skipping last week’s event in Hawaii, Lee dropped three spots to No. 59 and is now just inside the cutoff to qualify. She will need another solid week in Florida to maintain her position.
Stephanie Kyriacou: A disappointing tie for 43rd last week in Hawaii wasn’t the finish Kyriacou needed over the season’s closing stretch, as it dropped her three spots to No. 60 and has her sitting on the bubble in the Race to the CME Globe point standings. But it’s a familiar spot for Kyriacou, who last year played well at Pelican Golf Club to get into the field at the CME Group Tour Championship by finishing in a tie for fifth at The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican to jump from No. 71 to No. 56 in the point standings.
Gaby Lopez: A tie for 20th in Hawaii wasn’t enough for Lopez to move up in the point standings, and she instead dropped a spot to No. 61 in the Race to the CME Globe. Lopez will now need to make up some ground this week in Florida if she wants to get into next week’s field. Lopez has consistently played well at Pelican Golf Club where she was tied for sixth in 2021, tied for fourth in 2022 and tied for 12th in 2023.
Hinako Shibuno: The major champion needed a strong showing in Hawaii in order to secure her spot inside the top 60 in the points standings, but she missed the cut last week to drop four spots to No. 62. Shibuno also missed out on last year’s CME Group Tour Championship and is looking to get back in the field for the first time since 2022.
Carlota Ciganda: The Spaniard is in danger of missing out on the CME Group Tour Championship for the first time in her career. Ciganda has played in the final event of the season every year since 2013. She comes into this week’s event currently at No. 63 in the Race to the CME Globe after dropping four spots last week.

Five Things to Know About 2024 The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican

Related Articles