Rydqvist Named to Final ANNIKA Award Watch List

COLUMBUS, Ga. – Junior All-American and First Team All-SEC selection Lousie Rydqvist was named one of 10 players to the Final ANNIKA Award Watch List the Haskins Foundation announced on Friday.

Voting for the prestigious player of the year award in women’s golf is now open and will remain open until the completion of the stroke play portion of the NCAA Championship on Monday, May 20. The winner of the 2024 ANNIKA Award will be announced live on Golf Channel Tuesday, May 21.

Rydqvist has put together the best season of her career to date this season and also one of the best single-seasons in school history. Her scoring average of 70.85 leads the team and trails only All-American Pauline Roussin-Bouchard (70.76 in 2020-21) for the lowest, single-season scoring average in program history.

The Värnamo, Sweden, native has finished in the top-20 in eight of her nine stroke play starts this season with a team-leading five top-five finishes, which is T-4^th most top-fives in a single season in program history with nine other players.

Rydqvist was the runner-up medalist at the SEC Championship (April 12-14) thanks to a career-best score of 203 (-7) that featured a final round 65 (-5). She followed that performance with a T-2^nd finish at the NCAA Auburn Regional (May 6-8) to lead the team. It marked her third-straight top-10 finish at NCAA Regionals dating back to her freshman season.

She’s also 7-0-1 in match play, helping lead the No. 3 Gamecocks to four tournament wins this season.

Carolina heads west next week for the NCAA Championship at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa. It’s the team’s fourth-straight NCAA finals appearance and the 21^st all-time in program history. Head coach Kalen Anderson has led the team to the NCAA Championship in 12 of the last 14 seasons. Opening round action gets underway on Friday, May 17. The Gamecocks will be paired with No. 1 Stanford and No. 2 Wake Forest for the opening two rounds, teeing off at 3 p.m. (ET) next Friday.

About the ANNIKA Award presented by Stifel:

Created in 2014, the ANNIKA Award presented by Stifel is annually given to the top female Division 1 collegiate golfer; the winner voted on by players, coaches and members of the college golf media. Named for Annika Sorenstam, the award was created in partnership with the Haskins Foundation to acknowledge the top female golfer and to match the HaskinsAward presented by Stifel, which acknowledges the top male Division I collegiate golfer. Rose Zhang (Stanford) became the 10th ANNIKA Award winner in 2023, and the third consecutive winner from Stanford.

Stifel, one of the nation’s leading wealth management and investment banking firms, serves as the presenting sponsor of both the ANNIKA and Haskins Awards. Stifel also serves as a presenting sponsor for the NCAA Division I Women’s and Men’s Golf Championships on GOLF Channel.

About Fred Haskins and the Haskins Foundation

From the seaside town of Liverpool to a quaint Donald Ross course in Georgia, Fred Haskins built a reputation for mentoring young golfers. Haskins was head professional at the Country Club of Columbus for 34 years, recommended for the position by the legendary Bobby Jones. His proteges learned the game in Saturday morning classes that cost a nickel. They went on to win more than 150 collegiate and amateur tournaments. Since its formation in 1971, the Haskins Foundation has been devoted to amateur golf and the presentation of the Haskins Award. This coveted trophy honors the year’s outstanding college golfer and the memory of Fred Haskins, a club professional that spent his life nurturing and mentoring amateur golfers. The foundation, based in Columbus, Ga., oversees the voting for the Haskins and ANNIKA Awards conducted among college golfers, coaches, past winners, and college golf media. For more information on the Haskins Foundation, visit www.HaskinsFoundation.org.

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