The First Tee announces Annika Sorenstam as official spokesperson
The First Tee has decided to align with the Annika Foundation and the Florida Hospital for Children in an effort to double the numbers of chapter program locations and elementary school programs. The First Tee has also announced the hall of fame golfer and
10 times major winner, Annika Sorenstam of Sweden, to be its official spokesperson for the ambitious new five year program entitled the ‘First Tee nine healthy habits’.
40-year-old Sorenstam, retired from Golf in December 2008 after winning 72 Ladies Professional Golfers’ Association (LPGA) events and being victorious on 93 international occasions in her 16 year career. The former world number one tops the career money
list of LPGA with over US $22 million. Her remarkable achievements place her among the most successful players in the entire history of the game. Sorenstam finds her new appointment to be valuable."The First Tee has always shared my passion for building awareness
around the healthy aspects of golf," Sorenstam said in a statement. "The First Tee Nine Healthy Habits are a smart and systematic approach to reach children about health and fitness and educate them on healthy life skills that they can integrate into their
lives, even outside of golf."
The First Tee’s biennial network meeting at the Hayatt Regency San Antonio included more than 600 directors, board members and coaches. The nine pillars which are energy, play, safety, vision, mind, family, friends, school and community are the categorized
platforms of the First Tee Nine Healthy Habits which makes it easy for children to understand.
The First Tee nine healthy habits aims to increase the current number of chapter program locations of 750 to 1500 and the number of elementary schools offering the First Tee national school programs from 4,000 to 8,000. The group intends to reach more than
eight million youth by 2015. After its inception in 1997, it has reached out to an estimated 4.7 million children in an effort to make golf accessible and affordable for youth. The Chief Executive Officer of the First Tee, Joe Louis Barrow, hopes to expand
the reach of the organization over the next five years. “Our plans for the next five years will further The First Tee’s relevance as an established organization that impacts today’s youth,” Joe Louis Barrow said, “We look forward to expanding our footprint
and engaging more adults – as donors, volunteers, coaches and teachers – to help reach our objectives over the coming years.”
The First Tee and Annika Sorenstam combo is expected to do wonders in achieving the targets of the new program. After making this deal, Sorenstam was hopeful to play her role in popularising the game of golf along with healthy habits among youth.
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