The top three finishers overall, Huang, Inagaki and Yin earn exemptions into the prestigious 2020 ANNIKA Invitational USA presented by Rolex at the World Golf Village in St. Augustine, Florida.

“I was really nervous today, especially on the last three holes with Annika watching, but I’m so happy now,” said a smiling Huang, who was playing in her third ANNIKA Invitational at Mission Hills and won her age group in last year’s IMG Junior World Championship.

More than 80 girls from eight different countries and territories competed over 54 holes of stroke play on the par-72 Annika Course, one of 22 courses across two locations at Mission Hills.  Players can now look forward to the tenth ANNIKA Invitational at Mission Hills in 2020 following this week’s announcement that the annual event will return to the world’s largest golf facility in southern China until at least 2023.

The first all-girls international event in China, the ANNIKA Invitational at Mission Hills was launched in 2011 and has established itself as the pre-eminent female junior event in Asia.  Since its inception, the event has hosted over 1,000 players, many of whom have gone on to play Division I collegiate golf in the United States and several have succeeded at the professional level. 

The ANNIKA Invitational is a highlight of the Mission Hills Junior Golf Program, which provides access to golf for tens of thousands of juniors each year – from beginners through to elite amateurs – through more than 50 junior tournaments, coaching, camps and clinics, a schools’ initiative, a golf scholarship programme with The R&A, free access for juniors to three of its courses, and free entry into the Dr. David Chu Golf Museum at Mission Hills, the first in China.

Since 2005, Mission Hills has invested more than six million US dollars into its junior program; and more than 100,000 competitive rounds have been played by juniors at Mission Hills.  It was voted Best Youth Development Program in Asia in 2018 and EFG Bank was unveiled this week as an Official Partner.

Each year, the ANNIKA Foundation conducts five other major golf events for juniors: the ANNIKA Invitational USA presented by Rolex, ANNIKA Invitational Europe, ANNIKA Cup, ANNIKA Invitational Latin America and ANNIKA Invitational Australasia. They are complemented by the ANNIKA Intercollegiate presented by 3M and the ANNIKA Award presented by 3M, which is annually bestowed to the most outstanding female Division I golfer.

Since the inaugural Foundation tournament – the 2009 ANNIKA Invitational USA – 45 ANNIKA event alumnae have earned LPGA cards, with more than 600 playing golf at the collegiate level.

Leading final scores: Girls’ 13-18: 204 – Huang Ting-Hsuan (TPE) 69 64 71; 206 – Nanako Inagaki (JPN) 69 66 71; 208 – Yin Ruo-Ning (CHN) 67 71 70.  Girls’ 10-12: 233 – Sophie Han (HKG) 80 75 78; 244 – Chen Pin-Hsi (TPE) 87 79 78, Wang Xin-Yu (CHN) 79 81 84.  Girls’ 8-9: 235 – Liu Yu-Jie (CHN) 79 78 78; 245 – Leung Hei-Tung (HKG) 83 82 80; 257 – Wang Xi Zi Lin (HKG) 84 89 84

Photos:

Photo 1 – 2019 ANNIKA Invitational at Mission Hills Champion, Huang Ting-Hsuan of Chinese Taipei at Mission Hills Resort in Shenzhen, China

Photo 2 – Huang Ting-Hsuan of Chinese Taipei receives an exemption into the 2019 EFG Hong Kong Ladies Open from golfing legend Annika Sorenstam and Tenniel Chu, Group Vice-Chairman of Mission Hills China

Photo 3 – Winners and officials at the 2019 ANNIKA Invitational at Mission Hills, held at Mission Hills Resort in Shenzhen, ChinaAbout the Mission Hills Junior Golf Program: