Day 1: Next time, we're using a cart.

 ANNIKA Invitational at Mission Hills

DAY 1

Wednesday, August 24

Mission Hills, CHINA (10:00 p.m.) - When I travel, I always pack an extra shirt - just in case.  Today I needed it.

 

After my morning tournament planning meetings with the Mission Hills team, I ventured out to the ANNIKA course to watch the 70 top Asian junior girls play round one of our new, inaugural event – the first-ever all girls event in Asia.  Although I had heard the course is hilly, I decided I would walk it to get a good feel for how it was playing.

My two chaperones from Mission Hills did not think this was a good idea. They explained the competitors were allowed to use both a caddy and a cart due to the hilly terrain of the course.

Hole #1 at the Annika Course at Mission Hills

I arrived on the first tee and took a look.  They were certainly right – how else does a 5,400 yard layout play to a slope of 136 from the tees the juniors were using?  Eighteen up-and-down holes later and a 100% soaked shirt in 90+ degree weather with 90+ percent humidity told me the decision to use a caddy and cart was a good one.

Picture yourself in the foothills of the Appalachian mountains with lush tropical landscaping of South America and you’ve got the ANNIKA course.  Actually, I think Annika must be related to Tom Fazio – there are neatly-designed bunkers everywhere with plenty of undulation on the greens.  With the change of elevation and the challenge of the bunkers and other hazards strategically placed, I seriously doubted any of these juniors could break par, but five of them did today during round one. 

Using my interpreter, I had an opportunity to talk with many of the players today.  All of them were very polite and excited about this event.  I gave a couple of them high-fives after both nearly made a hole-in-one on one of the six par 3 holes. 

A player and her caddie before Round 1 at Mission Hills. (Where can we find one of those awesome hats?)

One final curious fact – out of the 70 girls competing this week, only 15 of them are playing in the 16-18 age division, compared with 55 girls who are 15 and younger.  That just shows us how recent a phenomena junior girls’ golf is in Asia, and that it’s growing!  

Annika arrives tomorrow morning to spend two full days with the girls, including a golf clinic, a fun dinner and possibly a live broadcast during their banquet to the Morning Drive show on the Golf Channel.  The girls were excited today when they saw the ANNIKA Invitational logo on my shirt, so just imagine how excited they will be tomorrow when they see her in person!

-Don Ochsenreiter, President, ANNIKA Foundation


For a complete event summary of the ANNIKA Invitational at Mission Hills, please click here to head to our website. 

For live scoring of the ANNIKA Invitational at Mission Hills, please click here.