BELLEAIR, Fla., Oct. 30, 2025 – The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican and BayCare Health System announced today the launch of its “Birdies for Babies” charitable program surrounding the 2025 edition of the championship, taking place Nov. 12-16 at Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, Fla.
To give back to the local community, The ANNIKA has pledged to donate $50 for every birdie and $100 for every eagle scored during all four rounds of the championship (Nov. 13-16) with a minimum donation of $100,000 to the Morton Plant Mease Health Care Foundation. All funds received from this partnership will be invested at BayCare’s Mease Countryside and Morton Plant hospitals to enhance training and prepare caregivers for real-life challenges in infant health care.
Spectators at The ANNIKA also will have the opportunity to donate to the Birdies for Babies program. At Pelican Golf Club’s signature par-3 12thhole Nov. 12-16, fans will be able to test their putting skills via the “BayCare Long Putt Challenge.” For every 30-foot putt made during the week, $100 will be donated by the tournament to the Morton Plant Mease Health Care Foundation.
“BayCare is an integral part of our community and one of our founding partners with The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican. We are honored to once again partner with BayCare and the Morton Plant Mease Health Care Foundation for the Birdies for Babies program in continuing to give back to our local community,” said Ryan Dever, tournament director for The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican.
“We are proud of the Morton Plant Mease Health Care Foundation’s partnership with the LPGA Tour and The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican and are grateful for their continued support through the Birdies for Babies program,” said Katrina Mason, president and CEO of Philanthropy at Morton Plant Mease Health Care Foundation. “The support we received in our first five years has helped to keep families and infants safe and secure. The upcoming donations from all the birdies made during tournament week will be invested in supporting spaces at Mease Countryside and Morton Plant Hospitals where moms and babies can thrive.”
The Birdies for Babies charitable program launched with the inaugural Pelican Women’s Championship in 2020 and has donated more than $360,000 to families in need in the tournament’s first four years.
· 2020: 932 total birdies were recorded for a $46,600 donation.
· 2021: 1,369 birdies were recorded for a $68,450 donation
· 2022: 958 birdies were recorded (three-round tournament) for a $47,900 donation.
· 2023: 1,446 birdies, 19 eagles and more than 200 birdies from the “BayCare Long Putt Challenge” were recorded for a $100,000 donation.
· 2024: 1,362 birdies, 12 eagles and 189 birdies from the “BayCare Long Putt Challenge” were recorded for a $100,000 donation.
More information on the partnership and a link to donation information can be found here: theannika.com/championship#community. Fans also can donate to the Birdies for Babies program directly during the check-out process when purchasing tickets.
All donations from the 2025 Birdies for Babies program will go toward funding a Super Tory newborn patient simulator at Mease Countryside Hospital and a Tecotherm Infant Cooling System at Morton Plant Hospital.
Super Tory is an interactive baby simulator used to help doctors and nurses learn. It looks and acts like a real newborn baby that weighs eight pounds. The learning aid helps teams practice, thinking quickly and solving problems – important skills when caring for newborns.
The Tecotherm Infant Cooling System is a special device used to help newborns who didn’t get enough oxygen or blood to their brain around the time they were born. This condition is called hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) and can cause serious brain injury. By gently cooling the baby, the Tecotherm system can help protect the brain, reduce long-term damage, and support recovery for babies with HIE.
BayCare, the region’s largest academic health system, provides a wide range of services at 16 hospitals and hundreds of other convenient locations for patients and their families throughout West Central Florida. As a founding partner of The ANNIKA, BayCare is supporting the tournament’s volunteer program that recruits and deploys hundreds of individuals to assist in managing the event.
For more information on The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican, visit TheAnnika.com and on social media: @TheAnnikaLPGA on X, @TheAnnikaLPGA on Instagram and The Annika driven by Gainbridge at Pelican on Facebook.
About Morton Plant Mease Health Care Foundation
For nearly 50 years, Morton Plant Mease Health Care Foundation has provided philanthropic support to the not-for-profit hospitals of Morton Plant Mease, including Morton Plant, Clearwater; Mease Dunedin; Mease Countryside, Safety Harbor and Morton Plant North Bay, New Port Richey. The close connection between the hospitals of Morton Plant Mease and their neighbors reveal a unique spirit of giving – a relationship characterized by people caring for the hospitals that care for them. Thanks to the community’s philanthropic support, the Foundation granted the not-for-profit hospitals of Morton Plant Mease $10.5 million in 2024. Morton Plant Mease Health Care Foundation’s strong financial health and commitment to accountability and transparency have earned a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator, America’s largest independent charity evaluator.
About BayCare
BayCare is a leading not-for-profit academic health care system that connects individuals and families to a wide range of services at 16 hospitals, including a children's hospital, and hundreds of other convenient locations throughout the Tampa Bay and central Florida regions. The system is West Central Florida's largest provider of behavioral health and pediatric services and its provider group, BayCare Medical Group, is one of the largest in the region. BayCare's diverse network of ambulatory services includes laboratories, imaging, surgical centers, BayCare Urgent Care locations, wellness centers and one of Florida's largest home care agencies, BayCare HomeCare. BayCare's mission is to improve the health of all it serves through community-owned, health care services that set the standard for high-quality, compassionate care. For more information, visit BayCare.org.
About The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican
The Annika driven by Gainbridge at Pelican is the LPGA’s annual tournament in the Tampa Bay region and features the world’s best female golfers competing over four rounds for a share of the $3.25 million purse, one of the largest purses on the LPGA Tour. The tournament is contested at the Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, Fla., a Donald Ross design and Beau Welling redesign that offers world-class amenities and an unmatched golf experience. The sole namesake event on the LPGA Tour, Annika Sorenstam serves as tournament host with proceeds benefiting the ANNIKA Foundation. The championship is operated by Outlyr, a global sports, event management and lifestyle marketing agency. For more information on The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican, visit www.TheAnnika.com.
About the LPGA
The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) is the world’s premier women’s professional golf organization. Created in 1950 by 13 pioneeringfemale Founders, the LPGA, whose members now represent nearly 40 countries, is the longest-standing professional women’s sports organization. Through the LPGA Tour, the Epson Tour, the LPGA Professionals, and a joint venture with the Ladies European Tour, the LPGA provides female professionals the opportunity to pursue their dreams in the game of golf at the highest level. In addition to its professional tours and teaching accreditation programs, the LPGA features a fully integrated Foundation, which provides best-in-class programming for female golfers through its junior golf programming, and its LPGA Amateurs division, which offers its members playing and learning opportunities around the world. The LPGAaims to use its unique platform to inspire, transform and advance opportunities for girls and women, on and off the golf course.
Follow the LPGA online at www.LPGA.com and download its mobile appson Apple or Google Play. Join the social conversation on Facebook, X (formerly known as Twitter), Instagram and YouTube.
About the LPGA Tour
The LPGA Tour is the world’s leading competitive destination for the bestfemale professional golfers in the world. The Tour hosts more than 32 annual events across 12 countries for over 200 athletes, awarding total prize funds exceeding $129 million and reaching television audiences in more than 220 countries. Follow the LPGA Tour on its U.S. television home, Golf Channel.
Media Contact:
Jeremy Friedman
The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican
Outlyr
727-472-3306
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