Kelly Whaley tied the course record with a 63 and set an Ladies European Tour mark with eight straight birdies.
Former soccer player Kristyna Napoleaova, who’s only been playing the game for six years, tied for second.
But it was Georgia Hall who routed the field Sunday en route to a five-shot win in the 2022 Aramco Saudi Ladies International.
Hall shot a 71 and finished 11 under to win for the first time on the LET in nearly four years.
“It’s fantastic to win in March, so early in the season,” she said. “I really love this place and love the golf course.” Royal Greens Golf & Country Club in King Abdullah Economic City, Saudi Arabia, hosted the event.
She birdied two of her first three holes to build her lead to seven shots and cruised from there.
“That was the plan in my head,” she said. “The front nine is a little bit easier, a little bit less wind than we’ve had, so I tried to take advantage and hit some really good shots on the front nine to get me further ahead, and that kind of settled me.”
Johanna Gustavsson tied for second at 6 under along with Napoleaova, an LET rookie, who was a standout soccer player in the Czech Republic before starting her golf career. Napoleaova turned pro in 2020; she only took up the game in 2016 and the Saudi event was just her eighth LET start.
“To be honest, it’s kind of like a dream,” she said. “I didn’t expect even to get into the event. Golf Saudi provided me with an invite, which was incredible. What happened this week is like a fairy tale. It’s been an absolutely incredible week. I’m so grateful to have been here and can’t wait to come back again.”
Emily Kristine Pedersen was solo fourth at 5 under while Carlota Ciganda was solo fifth at 4 under.
Whaley started her week with a 79 but was 16 shots better during her final round. She finished tied for sixth at 3 under.
“It is the best round I’ve ever had in a tournament,” she said. “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. Once I made about four or five, I said, ‘Okay, you’re in it now – you can’t stop.’ So I just kept giving myself opportunities and it was a lot of fun.”
