Kicking off the 2016 LPGA Season with a bang ANA Inspiration officials hosted LPGA stars Brittany Lincicome, Cristie Kerr and Alison Lee, plus U.S. women’s soccer legend Julie Foudy and star Paralympian Jessica Long, to announce, the ANA Inspiring Women in Sports Conference and Foot Golf exhibition. The exhibition will take place on March 29 in Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, Calif. ahead of the 2016 ANA Inspiration tournament, which runs from March 31 – April 3,
Gathering on International Women’s Day, the collective of exceptional female athletes shared stories of their beginnings in their respective sports disciplines, maintaining the balance between their craft and personal lives and the importance of ANA Inspiration in the lives of female athletes of all age ranges. Alison Lee, a U.S. Solheim Cup stand out who first became connected ANA inspiration as a junior golfer, owes her initial entrance into the professional realm to ANA Inspiration. “It was a great opportunity for junior girls to qualify for their first LPGA,” says the U.S. Solheim Cup stand out. “It major because there was nothing else out there for us.
Keeping with the event’s theme, 18-time LPGA winner Cristie Kerr shared what keeps her inspired after spending over twenty years in the sport. “Younger players that come in on tour whether they’re from Sweden or Korea or Thailand or wherever, really inspire me to want to work and to be out there practicing trying to get better everyday,” said Kerr. “The golf ball doesn’t know your age. Age is talked about a lot but you can play as long as you want.”
During his address, ANA Inspiration tournament director Gabe Codding stressed the importance of events like these for female athletes and the immense gratitude they have for sponsor ANA.
“The ANA Inspiring Women in Sports Conference is an incredible platform to showcase the stories of the world’s best female athletes and learn from their successes in the Olympics and in life,” said Codding. “We are so grateful to our partner ANA for sharing in the vision to help tell these inspirational stories amidst the backdrop of the LPGA’s most iconic venue. It will be an absolute thrill to welcome these sports legends to Mission Hills Country Club and watch them interact with the LPGA’s best.”
The ANA Inspiring Women In Sports Conference and Foot Golf Exhibition boasts a collective stellar athletes which include Olympic gold medal winning swimmer Missy Franklin, decorated champion skier Lindsay Vonn, Olympic gold winner figure Kristi Yamaguchi and more. Global publishing leader Arianna Huffington will deliver the keynote address on the habits of successful women.
For more information on the ANA Inspiration, please visit www.ANAInspiration.com or call 760-834-8857. On social media, go to https://www.facebook.com/ANAinspiration, www.twitter.com/ANAinspiration or @ANAinspiration on Instagram.
About the ANA Inspiration
The ANA Inspiration is golf’s first major and one of the LPGA Tour’s most prestigious events. Previously known as the Kraft Nabisco Championship, the tournament was founded in 1972 by David Foster and Dinah Shore and earned the designation as a major championship in 1983. Contested at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, Calif., since its inception, the ANA Inspiration holds the distinction of being the second oldest golf tournament continuously held at the same course. For many, the event is most distinguished by one of golf’s most beloved traditions: the champion’s leap into Poppie’s Pond, located adjacent to the 18th green. In 1988, the first champion’s leap into Poppie’s Pond was taken by Amy Alcott, and since has become one of the most anticipated and memorable traditions in golf.