Kelly Whaley of Farmington, Conn., and Ana Paula Valdes of Morelia, Mexico, traveled down to Orlando, Fla., to compete in the ANNIKA Invitational last weekend. An annual event since 2009, the ANNIKA Invitational attracts 72 of the top female junior golfers in the world. This year, the 54-hole, stroke-play event was held on the Watson Course at Reunion Resort on Feb. 13-16, 2015, and featured juniors from 14 foreign countries, 16 states and Puerto Rico.
Whaley recorded a 13-hole par-or-better streak during round two of the event. She used seven birdies to card a 4-under 68 in round two. In the final round, Whaley carded four birdies on the way to a 1-under 71. Whaley birdied three holes–the par-4 fifth, the par-5 eighth and the par-5 14th–twice. Her 1-under 216 tournament total landed her in a tie for sixth place.
Valdes also carded her best score of the tournament, an even-par 72, in round two. She started the second round by making par or better on the first seven holes on the front nine and made par or better on the first eight holes on the back nine. She finished the tournament tied for 32nd with a tournament total of 226.
In addition to the tournament, the three-day event also included a golf clinic and education seminars on media training, health and nutrition conducted by Annika Sorenstam and her team.
