Junior golfers ready for Annika versus Mia golf match

WATERSOUND — Twenty junior golfers from the Emerald Coast probably have wondered what it would be like to play with one of the world’s most celebrated golfers. They will get their answer Friday.

They probably haven’t imagined teeing it up against one of the world’s soccer legends, but they will find that out as well.

The junior golfers, 10 boys and 10 girls, each will play one hole with the star pairing of Annika Sorenstam and Mia Hamm in the “Annika versus Mia” golf match at Origins Golf Club.

The 10-hole match, which will be contested on Origins’ par-3 configuration, will kick off the two-day ANNIKA Experience at WaterSound. The product of a partnership between the ANNIKA Foundation and The St. Joe Company, the ANNIKA Experience has been billed as a “celebration of active lifestyles and wellness education.”

Friday’s activities will include a golf clinic hosted by Sorenstam and Hamm and a soccer skills challenge featuring club teams Soccer Academie INTER98 and Emerald Coast United. Attractions on Saturday include a children’s fitness clinic and a charity golf tournament at Camp Creek Golf Club where all teams will play a hole with Sorenstam.

Niceville senior standout Jaime Jordan is one of the 20 junior golfers between the ages of 7 and 18 who were selected by event sponsors based on their performance on the golf course, achievements in the classroom and community involvement.

Jordan is looking forward to watching Sorenstam play in person and has been trying to calm her nerves by telling herself that she’s essentially only going to hit one shot under the watchful eye of the LPGA Tour icon.

“I’ve watched her on TV,” Jordan said, “and I wish I could play like her.”

There was a time when Jordan wished she could play like Hamm, an Olympic champion who was selected as Soccer USA’s female athlete of the year five consecutive years from 1994-’98.

“I used to play soccer when I was little,” Jordan said. “She was my favorite athlete in the fourth grade before I even knew what golf was.”

Along with Jordan, Davis Bowyer of Fort Walton Beach, Destin’s Kyle Andre, Caroline Hudson, Brock Ochsenreiter, Tyler Cohen and Mack Atkins, Niceville’s Caroline Craig, Panama City’s Ginny Shipman and Lynn Haven’s Annika Johnson will play for Team Annika.

Team Mia includes Niceville’s Antonia Poate, Stephen Shephard and Patrick Poate, Destin’s Brett Ochsenreiter, Ivey Kelly and Madison Tenore, Gulf Breeze’s Sarah Hicks and Parker Remig, Navarre’s Trey Aguirre and Pensacola’s Madison Pacheco.

Sorenstam seems just as enthusiastic about playing with a new generation of golfers.

“The juniors selected are among the best young golfers in a state that is rich with talent,” she said in a press release. “Mia and I fully expect these skilled players to contribute on each hole and to add an unforgettable local tie to the weekend’s events.”