Kelly Whaley sets new Ladies European Tour record with 8 consecutive birdies at Aramco Saudi Ladies International

JEDDAH: Breakout US golf star Kelly Whaley set a new Ladies European Tour record with an incredible eight birdies in a row on Sunday’s final day at the Aramco Saudi Ladies International presented by Public Investment Fund.

The 24-year-old went -8 from the fourth hole through 11, en route to equaling Royal Greens’ course-record 63.

It was the first time in history any player has bagged more than seven consecutive birdies in a regular season LET event.

Whaley, who turned pro in 2019 and was competing in her first event outside the States, said: “It is the best round I’ve ever had in a tournament. My whole goal today was to just enjoy it and have fun, being my first international professional event. I’ve never had eight birdies in a row. That’s something memorable for anyone.”

“Once I made about four or five, I said, ‘OK, you’re in it now — you can’t stop’. So, I just kept giving myself opportunities and it was a lot of fun,” she said. “I think in these situations pressure can get to you, and it becomes almost daunting, but I really approached today trying to just enjoy every shot and find something about every hole that I loved, whether it be the view or just something else. It was just a really memorable day.”

Breaking down her incredible run of eight on the bounce, the Floridian explained: “The par-5s out here I really tried to take advantage of. I birdied both of them, holes four and nine, where they’d moved the tees a little bit, making it a little more reachable for me today. Those were nice.

“The really nice ones were ten and 11. The back nine are tricky, and the winds tend to pick up,” said Whaley. “The pins were tucked today, and they were hard. I really trusted my yardages. On 11, I stuck it to eight feet,