THE ANNIKA DRIVEN BY GAINBRIDGE AT PELICAN

November 11, 2026

Annika Sorenstam

Emilia Duran

Macy Pate

Pelican Golf Club

Press Conference

JEREMY FREIDMAN: Part two of the press conference. Annika, if you could return to the stage. Welcome back to The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican Wednesday press conferences. This press conference, as I mentioned, is very Wake Forest heavy.

So Annika Sorenstam, Emilia Duran, who we just announced as a winner of the The ANNIKA Inspiration Award, proud Demon Deacon alum.

And then to her left Macy Pate, sponsor invite for The ANNIKA from The ANNIKA Foundation as a result of The ANNIKA Intercollegiate presented by 3M.

Macy, welcome to the LPGA Tour. We wanted to do this because it's kind of like the -- you know, it's you looked up to Emilia when you were in college; Emilia, you look up to Annika. So this is kind of like a trio type of thing.

Macy, let's start with your excitement, your emotions, everything, on being here this week and making your LPGA Tour debut.

MACY PATE: Yeah, I mean, it's been very fun, a very new experience for sure. There is so much going on every day that it's been a little hectic to kind of get my head around everything. But it's been so fun to play with a couple pros and kind of watch what they're doing and trying to just learn from them as much as possible this week.

JEREMY FREIDMAN: Annika, we'll take a step back. So Macy's sponsor invite is from The ANNIKA Intercollegiate, so explain to the audience how it comes about in terms of a sponsor invite here at The ANNIKA each year.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Yeah, so one the goals for this tournament is to get new generation and getting new players get a chance to be part of it. So we had one sponsor invite, so we decided that that's going to go exactly what you said, at The ANNIKA Collegiate, and the team that wins our tournament gets to pick a player.

That's why Macy is here. It's been great. I mean, many of these players that play in our tournaments, they have aspirations ever being a professional, playing on the LPGA, so we're trying to give them a little teaser, maybe a little practice round, just experience.

So it's worked out beautifully that way. And we have done it in the past. So we're excited to have you here and you obviously represent your school well. With Emilia a lot of things are kind of coming together, so it's turning out to be perfect this week.

Yeah, that's what we're here for, provide them opportunities and hopefully advance you and your game and experience. To have Coach Kim here too, it's like the whole family is here, so that's what we're all about.

JEREMY FREIDMAN: Emilia, when you were at Wake towards the -- before you finished Wake, so you were a part of we'll say the Golf Channel's push to cover college golf. So you were a part of that where you had -- at the NCAAs you had the cameras on you; whereas years ago the cameras weren't on the players. And Macy is a part of that world now with Golf Channel cameras covering the players. How much did that help you in I guess in prepping to if you wanted to turn pro, right? How much of that experience prepped you and how much do you think that is going to help Macy, not only this week, but as she furthers her career?

EMILIA DURAN: Yeah, it's such a great question. And it's everything. To be able to play in these amateur, these college tournaments and USGA championships that's televised, you become comfortable in a space like this. Now for up-and-coming college players it's not really worrying about the camera, it's just figuring out kind of what Macy was saying, the logistics of an LPGA event. Maybe you're on the putting green next to Nelly Korda. That's a little bit different, but it's huge.

And also, not only do you get used to the camera, but you get used to interviews. I actually remember when I played with Nelly Korda at the PING AJGA Invitational and she won. It was that and the Yani Tseng. I remember going in the bathroom and she had her paper and she was practicing and she was so nervous in her little speech. Obviously she's incredible in front of the media now.

But to be able to have that exposure early on even with like the Drive, Chip & Putt and all the kids getting interviews and players like Megha Ganne or Akshay Bhatia now rising stars in the media and they're really comfortable. So it's been such an awesome push not only for the golf world to get to experience and learn about the next young stars in the game, but then for those players to get comfortable in front of the camera.

It's only going to allow them to elevate their own golf game because it's something that they're used to seeing.

JEREMY FREIDMAN: Macy, same questions. You've been in several events -- the Jackson T. Stephens Cup for the past two years with cameras on you. How much is that going to help you this week when Golf Channel cameras will be throughout the course and you'll be playing along with the likes of Nelly Korda, Brooke Henderson? How much will that prep you and help you this week?

MACY PATE: Yeah, exactly like Emilia was saying, honestly, like the Golf Channel cameras has been like the last thing I've been thinking about playing this week. You know, playing in the Darius Rucker, Stephens Cup, like those are our favorites tournaments of year. My freshman year was the year after they won the national championship, and so we played Stephens Cup, we played East Lake Cup, so I had a lot of opportunity to be playing golf in front of a camera that I hadn't had prior to that.

Being interviewed and all of those things and just learning to not worry about it, but also really being within that exposure has been helpful for my game. Especially at the Stephens Cup. I was fortunate to hit a really good shot at Stephens Cup and kind of blew up, and so it's just cool to see that exposure and get to watch college players.

I have people come up to me at our home course and say I watched you play the whole round. It's kind of crazy to me but it's very cool that people get to do that.

JEREMY FREIDMAN: Annika, same question. You've been around a lot of college events like this. How important is that for these players as they prepare for the LPGA Tour, and also how important is it for the audience to learn who these players are before they become LPGA Tour players?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Yeah, I mean, I echo what's been said here. When we try to grow the game and we try to make these players have better experiences and help them along their journey. Those are the type of experiences that are very helpful. I mean, it's like anything, you got to practice. You got to do it over and over and be comfortable in the situations.

And so they're growing as golfers, but I think they're also growing as humans and getting more mature in how to handle situations. I mean, all the events that we have, especially those situations and the sponsor walks away and they're blown away. How can these 17 and 16 years olds be so mature already? Well, they're getting experience. Every week we can do this they just get stronger and more comfortable and confident.

That's really what's in addition to just being good golfers, those are things we can do to help them and strive to fulfill their dreams.

JEREMY FREIDMAN: Any questions from the audience?

Q. I'm going to -- it's a coachy type question. Annika, you played at such a high level and we all grew up admiring so many things about you in what you did. You had to be the best golfer you could be. Had to be at the highest fitness level. Had to be the best mentally, equipment. All these things had to be great for you to achieve what you did. And then you pivoted, and I still see that in you with everything that you do. You've pivoted, but everything that you touch you still give 100 percent to, and with your family, at least from the outside, it all looks like that. I see that with Emilia as well; she did the same thing. Then she pivoted and has given 100 percent to every single thing. How do you continue to give 100 percent I want to say to so many little parts that end up making the product as good as it is? How do you do that?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, thanks for bringing that up. It's funny, Mike and I had that conversation just the other day. We were just talking about where we are in life and what we do and the things that -- how you build. I do a few things, and when I do those things I like to do them well. So I don't do a ton of stuff, but the things I do I put all my energy into it and I want to do well.

But maybe you see what you see, but behind me is a great team. I cannot underestimate the people that are with me, whether it's my family, friends, and also the foundation team. It's not just me. I might push them sometimes a little extreme, but then they would run with an idea or they would guide me and say, we can do this, and then with their expertise and their knowledge and the resources we do it together. So collectively it's all of us. I think they inspire me as much as hopefully I can inspire them.

But, yeah, I've always been a person of trying to achieve. I consider myself somebody who strives. I strive to do things well, especially if I put my name on something. I mean, you can ask Mike. If I decide to something I do it. That's just how I function. So certainly I'm proud of what we have.

When you sit up here -- and we had some tears when Emilia was talking about just the things you're passionate about. Autumn of course. Those are the things I sit here and it's like, this is so cool, right? This is beyond just a thought that we had for the foundation. It goes beyond that. It's going from here to there to hopefully to all of you that you feel the same way with things that you're passionate about.

That's really I think what's so cool. It's the waves we create through the foundation and hopefully people can continue. I know these two right here, and I know Autumn will do the same thing, continue giving back. That's what actually makes me want to do more, which probably gives Rob gray hair. But that's what we do. (Laughter.)

Q. I would love to ask Macy how the fall season has gone for you so you far and how you're feeling about you are golf game coming into this week?

MACY PATE: Yeah, I've had a nice fall individually as well as our golf team. We have a really deep, strong team and they're fun to be around. It's nice to have such a good team around you that kind of frees you up to just go and do your thing. I think that's a really nice, unique thing that Wake Forest has.

And as far as this week, I think it's a big learning experience to play my first LPGA event. Like I said, learn from other players and kind of get used to life out here; just see where my game stacks up and look for what's to come hopefully in the future.

JEREMY FREIDMAN: One final question from me and we'll close it up. This is for Emilia. Kind of on the same vein. So Emilia's almost full-time job now, seems like she is traveling the world for every single event on Golf Channel these days, but she is one the Golf Channel's main college reporters. What's it like to be -- when you're covering the East Lake Cup, covering the Jackson T Stephens and you see Coach, you see Macy and you're covering them, how much joy do you get covering your former -- as an alum, your alma mater?

EMILIA DURAN: I thought you were going to ask me how do I not get super partisan.

JEREMY FREIDMAN: That was going to be part two.

EMILIA DURAN: I work really hard at it. Sometimes I'm like, Okay, I got to find something to be critical about otherwise...

I love it. I love it because I graduated from Wake and then I started covering college golf. I feel I've never really left it. Even though I'm only hour and a half from Winston-Salem, my husband and I don't get up there a ton, and so to be able to see the team at events, and sometimes I'll grab dinner with them and getting to catch up, getting the whole rundown of how everyone is doing. I always want to know. I'm asking Kim or Ryan what drills they have their players doing, because I need to make sure I'm still staying sharp in my game.

I love it. There is nothing like college golf. I actually got a little sad when we wrapped up at the Eastlake Cup because there is not as many events in the spring. I was like, oh, yeah, it'll be until Darius where I get to see everyone again.

It's really a wholesome community. What's really cool is they're now doing more walk-and-talks in college golf and you can just see how much the players love it and want to do it and how receptive they are, because it's great media training and a great way to market your school when you have not only your own identity, but it's even more of a reason to be in front of the camera when you're representing your team.

JEREMY FREIDMAN: Awesome. All right. I think that will wrap up our two-part Wake Forest press conference today. Annika, Emilia, Macy, Autumn, Coach, thank you very much for being here today, and Macy, good luck this week.

MACY PATE: Thank you.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Thanks everyone.