A former MLB player recently proved his skills extended far beyond the diamond.
Earlier this week, Eric Byrnes set a world record for speed after he played 420 holes of golf in 24 hours, Golf Channel reports.
From 7 a.m. Monday to 7 a.m. Tuesday, Byrnes, a former outfielder for Oakland A’s and Arizona Diamondbacks, played what turned out to be more than 23 rounds of golf at the Ocean Course at Half Moon Bay Golf Links outside of San Fransisco, California.
The 43-year-old athlete-turned-analyst even used a glow-in-the-dark ball to continue his play overnight, the outlet reports.
With the accomplishment, Byrnes takes the title for the most holes of golf played in a 24-hour period in the Guinness Book of World Records. The last person to earn the accolade was Australian Ian Colston in 1971 after playing 401 holes, according to Golf.com.
7am Mon to 7am Tues we were able to play 420 holes @HalfMoonBayGolf to set a new official @GWR by surpassing the old mark set 47 years ago by Australian Ian Colston who played 401 holes… GRATEFUL for the incredible @LTPFoundation & @HighfiveHQ @jmanuele support
#LetThemPlay pic.twitter.com/gILkm5PgeU
— Eric Byrnes (@byrnes22) April 24, 2019
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Byrnes also set out to achieve the impressive milestone as a way to bring awareness to his charity, Let Them Play Foundation.
The former baseball player started Let Them Play with his wife Tarah as a way to prevent children from inactivity and encourage participation in outdoor sport, by raising funds and awareness.
The speed golf record was officially broken at 5:31 a.m. PT on Tuesday morning with another hour and 29 minutes left to play, Let Them Play Foundation announced. With that time, the former baseball player kept playing and finished another 18 holes.
It’s Official!
We have a new 24 Hour Speed Golf @GWR World Record holder…
At 5:31AM PST, @byrnes22 completed his 402nd hole with 1 hour and 29 minutes left to play! #LetThemPlay
— Let Them Play Foundation (@LTPFoundation) April 23, 2019
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Hours after earning the title, Byrnes celebrated his accomplishments in two posts on Twitter.
“7am Mon to 7am Tues we were able to play 420 holes @HalfMoonBayGolf to set a new official @GWR by surpassing the old mark set 47 years ago by Australian Ian Colston who played 401 holes,” he wrote alongside a photo of himself holding up a plaque.
“GRATEFUL for the incredible @LTPFoundation & @HighfiveHQ @jmanuel support #LetThemPlay,” he added.
In a separate tweet that featured an action shot of him golfing, Byrnes wrote, “Yup… Just an 8 Iron Half Moon Bay is home & it was an honor & privilege to have @halfmoonbaygolf host the @ltpfoundation 24 Hour World Record Speed Golf Challenge presented by @highfive Entire staff facilitated an incredible day & went above & beyond all expectations.”
From 2000-2010, Byrnes played outfield for the Oakland A’s and Arizona Diamondbacks, as well as the Colorado Rockies, Baltimore Orioles, and Seattle Mariners.
In his tenure, he compiled 109 career home runs and 129 stolen bases, according to his website.
Though he retired from the sport in 2010, he didn’t stray too far from the diamond, as Byrnes currently works as an analyst for MLB Network. He has also worked in broadcasting for ESPN, FOX, SiriusXM, and KNBR.
from PEOPLE.com http://bit.ly/2IL6Ng3
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