Laura Davies Archives - Golf Digest Middle East

Anna Nordqvist, Laura Davies and Caroline Martens named Vice-Captains by Suzann Petersen for 2023 European Solheim Cup defence

Matt Smith — Tue, 16 Aug 2022 08:51:05 +0000

2023 Solheim Cup Captain Suzann Pettersen, 2nd From Left, with vice-Captains, Anna Nordqvist, Caroline Martens and Laura Davies. Tristan Jones/LET

By Matt Smith
Laura Davies is ready to provide a wealth of knowledge and experience to Team Europe for their Solheim Cup defence at Finca Cortesín, Andalucía, next September.

European Solheim Cup Captain Suzann Pettersen on Tuesday named Anna Nordqvist, Laura Davies and Caroline Martens as her three vice-captains for the 2023 Solheim Cup. The trio have been selected to work alongside the Norwegian and will each bring different skills, knowledge and experience to the backroom team ahead of the prestigious biennial contest where Europe will be seeking their third consecutive victory.

“It was the biggest honour of my career to be named the Solheim Cup Captain and I’m thrilled to be able to name my three Vice-Captains,” said Pettersen. “I’m excited for what Caroline, Anna and Laura can bring to Team Europe as we look to defend the Cup on Spanish soil in the Costa del Sol. With all three of them by my side, I couldn’t ask for anything better and I’m certain that they will be great for our team.”

Three-time Major champion Nordqvist is no stranger to the Solheim Cup having played in the last seven editions of the tournament from 2009 to 2021, being on the winning side four times and clinching 15.5 points for Team Europe during that time.

Nordqvist, who recently won the 2022 Big Green Egg Open on the LET, shared the fairways with Pettersen many times and they teamed up in the fourballs at the 2009 and 2011 Solheim Cups with the duo winning each of their contests.

While Davies brings a wealth of experience to Team Europe having made 12 appearances in the competition, as well as being a Vice-Captain at the 2019 and 2021 editions alongside Catriona Matthew.

The legend of the game has achieved golfing accolades all over the globe with 87 tournament wins including 45 Ladies European Tour titles and 20 LPGA Tour titles, as well as winning a record seven LET Order of Merit titles.

Pettersen has chosen fellow Norwegian and lifelong friend Caroline Martens to be part of her backroom staff for the coveted contest against the United States.

Martens played on the Ladies European Tour for eight seasons winning the 2013 LET Q-School, which was played in Marrakech, Morocco, by eight shots.

“The Solheim Cup holds some of my best golfing memories and to be able to share that with my lifelong friend Caroline will be something very special,” Pettersen said. “She goes the extra mile for her friends and family, and I cannot wait have her alongside me and my other Vice-Captains.

“Laura is a global golfing legend. Her passion and knowledge for women’s golf and particularly the Solheim Cup is something we share. I loved working her last year in Toledo and I’m happy to have her in the team room once again.

“I have been fortunate to share many fairways and memories alongside Anna throughout my career. Having represented Team Europe on seven occasions, Anna is someone who knows the hard work that goes into the Solheim Cup, and I can’t wait for her to be with me.”

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Laura Davies makes unique return to Muirfield for AIG Women’s Open

Golf Digest Middle East — Wed, 03 Aug 2022 06:06:38 +0000

By John Huggan
There are 144 players in the field for this week’s AIG Women’s Open at Muirfield. But only one of those has previously played the famous East Lothian links in a competitive environment. Step forward Dame Laura Davies, a member of the 1984 Great Britain & Ireland team that lost the Curtis Cup by single point — 9.5-8.5 — to the United States.

Almost four decades on, it is not surprising to hear that Davies struggles to recall too many of the shots she or her foursomes partner, Ireland’s Mary McKenna, hit in a losing cause on the first morning of that now far-off week. But, ever the competitor, the four-time major champion needed no encouragement when it came to the second-day singles match she won 1-up over Anne Sander, an eight-time participant in the biennial competition.

“That was a big deal for me at the time,” says Davies, who turned pro a year later and was just three years shy from winning the US Women’s Open. “I was only 20, and she was a bit of a legend in the Curtis Cup. So I remember I won, but I couldn’t tell you one shot I hit or she hit.”

Pressed to think back, Davies surprised herself with what she could recall though. Standing by the practice putting green she was able to point out the window of the room she occupied in the Greywalls Hotel that still sits behind the 10th tee. And, this being the home of the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers circa 1984, the memory of not being allowed into the clubhouse lingers.

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“But who cares?” says Davies, who turns 59 in October. “I didn’t, and I’m certainly not making a statement about that. It was a cracking week. We lost by a point. Penny Grice-Whittaker [1991 Women’s Open champion] was in the last match. If she won, we won; if she lost, we lost. And sadly she lost on the last. There were no Scots in the team, which was a surprise. And an even bigger shock was that Gillian Stewart, who was a really good player, had been left out. That was a strange decision, especially as we were playing in Scotland. We’ve come a long way since though. It’s magnificent that we are here this week.”

Davies has been back at Muirfield a couple of times since 1984, but only in her role as a commentator for first the BBC and now Sky Sports. Neither of which helped her memory of the links.

“When you’re on the course you cut across the holes a lot and don’t stand on many tees,” she explains. “So I would say I can remember no more than six holes. It is a great course though. Playing this week I’m reminded of how well the bunkers are situated. The winner will be someone who stays out of those, both greenside and fairway bunkers. Especially the fairway bunkers. They are the classic one-shot penalties. And there seems to be a lot of sand in them, whether by design or by mistake.”

Laura Davies playing as an amateur in 1984. Peter Dazeley

Still, back again as a player, Davies is in no doubt that a quality member of the field will emerge as the champion. No surprise there, of course. The Open Championship has paid 16 visits to Muirfield and has produced a Hall of Fame calibre winner virtually every time.

“I’m not surprised by how good a course this is,” Davies says. “But it is even better than I remembered. Standing on the first tee yesterday I was struck by just how good it feels. It’s a proper links. You can nearly always run the ball on to the greens. And if you hit the greens, you can make putts. The surfaces are close to perfect. But if you get out of position, you’re in trouble.”

The course set-up also meets with Davies’ approval. Penal rough has forever been a feature of the Muirfield examination, but this week that has been minimised as much as possible. Which is important. The one area where, generally speaking, the leading female players cannot match their male counterparts is physical strength.

“Driving is fairly generous,” says Davies, a winner of the event in 1986. “But those bunkers are in just the right spots. They’ve done a nice job with the rough, too. It can get really thick here, but they’ve avoided that and been very fair. We would have had trouble hacking out of the really thick stuff. But I had a 4-iron from the rough on the 15th yesterday and still managed to find the green.”

Asked for the holes that are most likely to influence the destination of the title, Davies was quick to identify three: two par 3s in the 13th and 16th and the par-5 17th. Again, no surprise. All three have a history of destruction.

In the 1972 Open, Tony Jacklin made a triple-bogey 6 on the 13th during his third round. One day later, he lost by two shots to Lee Trevino. That same day, Jack Nicklaus missed a short putt for par on the 16th and lost the third leg of a possible Grand Slam by one shot. And two decades later, the unfortunate John Cook missed from short range on the penultimate green and came up one shot shy of Nick Faldo’s winning total.

“The 17th will be really important,” Davies says. “It will play downwind, so birdies are possible. But equally, it could cost someone a chance to win. And the short 13th is dangerous. Miss the green there and you could make anything. That hole will ruin someone’s tournament, whether it is one of the leaders we’ll have to wait and see. Then there is the 16th. It is so tough to hold the green downwind. The bank at the front makes it so tricky to know where to land the ball. Too far and you’re over the back.”

As for her own hopes for the days ahead, Davies is realistic. Suffering from bruised ribs, she was forced to withdraw from last week’s Scottish Women’s Open. And six weeks have passed since she last played a tournament. So making the cut, which she did a year ago at Carnoustie, is a realistic target.

“I’m doing the commentary for Sky this week, too,” she says. “I’ve missed tournaments to do that this year already. But I still want to play. These days I’m a commentator who wants to play golf, rather than a golfer who does a bit of commenting. If I can make the cut and shoot under par on the weekend that will be a great week for me. Winning is out of the question. Not this year.”

Sounds familiar. Call it 1984 all over again.

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Solheim Cup heroes to join Nelly and Jessica Korda at star-studded Aramco Team Series — Sotogrande

Matt Smith — Tue, 26 Jul 2022 09:49:05 +0000

Bronte Law. ATS

By Matt Smith
The Aramco Team Series — Sotogrande is shaping up to be the ultimate teaser for the 2023 Solheim Cup, with a host of big-name Europeans joining the likes of US stars Nelly and Jessica Korda on the Spanish coast next month.

Triple-major-winner Anna Nordqvist of Sweden leads the latest big names announced for the $1million tournament, where the hero of the 2019 Solheim Cup at Gleneagles – England’s Bronte Law – will also compete.

They will be joined by Team Europe captain Catriona Matthew, plus fellow legend Laura Davies. Nanna Koertz Madsen of Denmark and Matilda Castren of Finland – both 2021 Solheim Cup-winning rookies – will also play, as will Team Europe alumni, Anne Van Dam of the Netherlands.

Alison Lee

+Caroline Masson, a regular mainstay on the European Solheim Cup team with four appearances in the last 10 years, is another star name to commit to Sotogrande, alongside AIG Women’s Open champion and fellow German, Sophia Popov.

At La Reserva Club, located just 20km from Finca Cortesin, host venue of next year’s Solheim Cup, that European field will come up against a US pack led by the Korda sisters — former world No. 1 Nelly and six-time LPGA winner Jessica — and featuring the likes of defending Aramco Team Series — Sotogrande individual champion Alison Lee, Lindsey Weaver-Wright and record-breaker Kelly Whaley, whose eight birdies in a row during competition play earlier this year set a new LET benchmark.

The Aramco Team Series returns to Spain with its mixed team and individual format for the second year in a row, taking place August 18-20.

Bronte Law, who claimed the individual title at last month’s Aramco Team Series London event, said: “It should be quite the week. These Aramco Team Series events are so different to the golf we usually play. There’s something about competing both as a team and as a solo golfer at the same time that I feel almost brings out the best in a lot of us, so I can’t wait to get out on that first tee and under way in another one next month.

“The quality of the field really does speak for itself. I think some of us would be lying if we said we won’t be thinking about being back in this part of the world a year later for the Solheim. It’ll be a chance for quite a number of the players competing to go out and show what they’re made of and I’m looking forward to it.”

Matthew — who Law has chosen as her captain’s pick at no fewer than three previous Aramco Team Series events — said: “When the ATS events were first added to the LET calendar last year, we were told they wanted to try to raise women’s golf as best they could. I don’t think anyone can argue in saying that they really have done that and then some.

“Every tournament comes with a real air of grandeur, they are so well organised and the prize money is obviously fantastic, too. But it’s the golf side of it that I think us as players enjoy the most. Playing as a team is something we do rarely but is a format that brings so much added excitement and opportunity, for us as players and for those watching live or on TV. The vibe of these events in particular is so different, and we really love being part of them.”

Further big names announced include Australian Steph Kyriacou, Pia Babnik of Slovenia and Linn Grant of Sweden, who is currently sitting second in the LET’s Race to Costa del Sol rankings and in June became the first ever woman to win on the men’s DP World Tour with victory in the Volvo Scandinavian Mixed.

They will join a packed field that will also feature a host of Spanish stars, including Solheim Cup hero Carlota Ciganda, rising talent Ana Peláez Triviño, Nuria Iturrioz and Carmen Alonso.

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Ladies European Tour: Laura Davies dusts off clubs for Mithra Belgian Ladies Open

Matt Smith — Wed, 25 May 2022 10:34:50 +0000

Maja Stark. LET

By Matt Smith
While the DP World Tour boys are teeing it up in the Dutch Open at Bernardus Golf, the Ladies European Tour is taking place almost directly due south over the Netherlands border in Belgium from Friday to Sunday.

Following Tiia Koivisto’s triumph over Whitney Hillier at the Jabra Ladies Open in France last week, the carnival heads on to Belgium for the Mithra Ladies Open.

A strong field of 126 players representing 28 nations will be competing at Naxhelet Golf Club, near Liege.

The first event in Belgium since 1995 will be a familiar homecoming of sorts for one of the veterans of the game as Laura Davies — the winner of the first Belgian Open -back in 1985 — will dust off the clubs to compete.

The legend will be in good company alongside fellow English veteran Trish Johnson and a host of recent winners on the LET, including Lee-Anne Pace (SA Women’s Open), Maja Stark (Women’s NSW Open), Meghan MacLaren (Australian Women’s Classic), Linn Grant (Joburg Ladies Open) and Manon De Roey (Aramco Team Series – Bangkok).

De Roey leads the home charge of nine Belgian players and is joined by Charlotte De Corte, Lien Willems, Ellen Smets and Laura Gonzalez Escallon alongside amateurs Sophie Bert, Elise Bishop, Louise Cuyvers and Savannah De Bock.

Race to Costa del Sol leader Stark and Argentina’s Magdalena Simmermacher will also fancy their chances of adding to their trophy haul.

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Retirement is the farthest think from Laura Davies’ mind

Golf Digest Middle East — Sun, 22 Aug 2021 04:46:34 +0000

By John Huggan
It hadn’t been the best day of Laura Davies’ career. Not by a long way. But the 57-year-old Dame of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, was still happy enough to chat about the third-round 78 that will see her tee-off “bloody early” in Sunday’s final round of the AIG Women’s Open at Carnoustie. The biggest problem had been her driving. Too many fairways had been missed, too many dodgy lies had been found and virtually nothing of consequence had been made on the greens.

Still, as ever where Davies is concerned, there were moments to savour. The 208-yard 2-iron she ripped through the wind and drizzle to 10 feet at the last drew a deserved round of applause. So did the 2-iron that found the 16th green. And the 4-iron, 2-iron strategy the four-time major champion played the formidable 17th will be bettered by only a few of the other 65 players who made it through to the weekend.

“All the nice things I saw and heard after I made the cut just shows where I am in my career,” Davies said. “People think I’ve done well when I make the cut. I know there aren’t many 57-year-olds doing that, but I have to make the cuts before I can get comfortable. I’m not going to say I can win again. That’s not possible any more. I don’t think I’ve got the bottle for it. I do think I can have top-10s on the LPGA Tour though. The way I hit the ball the first two days was really quite good. I mean, I’ve just hit three 2-irons only maybe four or five players in this field could hit. The rest can’t hit 2-irons.”

That hint at what continues to drive her already illustrious career was quickly followed by some of the self-deprecation for which Davies has long been known. She has never been one to take herself too seriously.

“I have nothing else to do,” she said. “I still want to play golf at the top level. I still think I’m good enough. I’m still a decent player. But if I want to do really well, I have make cut after cut after cut and start waking up on the weekend raring to go rather than thinking ‘job done.’ The job isn’t done when I make the cut.

“Don’t get me wrong,” she continued. “I was delighted last night. And I saw what people were saying. It was very nice. And I got some nice applause out there. The people have been brilliant all week. They are paying tribute in a way. When you are as old as I am you become a bit of a novelty. It’s ‘look at old Laura over there, she’s doing well this week.’ But I have higher expectations of myself than others do. Maybe I need to work on that. I turned up this morning, tried too hard and got in my own way. The brain is chasing checks the body can’t keep up with.”

There are other things going on, of course. Not too long before she missed that 10-footer on the 18th green, Davies took her place amongst the Sky television commentary team. It will come as no surprise to hear that she is one of the most forthright members of that generally reticent community.

And there’s more, at least this week. As one of European Solheim Cup captain Catriona Mathew’s senior lieutenants, Davies will tonight sit down to help fill out the Old World side that will go to the Inverness Club in two weeks to defend the trophy won at Gleneagles two years ago. It will come as no surprise to hear that she can be relied upon to say what she thinks when it comes to even the most contentious or controversial selection matters.

“I think a couple of players have played their way in this week,” she said. “And a couple have done the opposite. The ones Beany [Matthew] wanted to play their way in have done enough. And the ones that were not quite in her thinking—there’s maybe seven of those—have three spots to fight over. Three of that group have separated themselves as I see it. I’m not sure it matters too much what they do this weekend. They’ve done enough. At the end of it all, there will be one incredibly disappointed player though. I don’t know who that will be. I can think of three players who will all fancy their chances. But one of them won’t get in.”

Davies’ experience will also come in handy in helping Catriona Matthew make her captain’s picks for the upcoming European Solheim Cup team. Andrew Redington

On the vague possibility that Annika Sorenstam might just be the wildest of wildcards, Davies was quick to pay her old friend and rival a few compliments. But she doesn’t see the Swede getting a call.

“Picking Annika would be a bit of a fiasco,” Davies said. “Yes, it would be brilliant in one way. But it would be an insult to the younger players. I think if we asked Annika she’d laugh at us. She’d say it was ridiculous. It’s one thing winning a seniors event with very short yardages, quite another playing Carnoustie and being asked to rifle 2-irons. It was an interesting idea though, one mentioned by more than one person.

“That said, it’s up to the captain to have everything cross her mind,” Davies said. “She’d be silly not to. Someone asked her the question and she did ask us what we thought. … I wasn’t so sure. I honestly don’t think, as good as Annika is, that she would fancy it any more.”

Laura does though. All of it. A true legend.

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The European Solheim Cup team has been announced, with one surprising captain’s pick

Golf Digest Middle East — Tue, 13 Aug 2019 07:22:42 +0000

Suzann Pettersen and Melissa Reid of Team Europe share a joke during practice for The Solheim Cup at the Des Moines Country Club on August 15, 2017, in West Des Moines, Iowa. (Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)

By Keely Levins
Eight members of the European Solheim Cup team qualified through points, which left four captain’s picks for Catriona Matthew to make on Monday for the event that begins Sept. 13 at Gleneagles in Scotland. The eight players who qualified were Carlota Ciganda, Anne Van Dam (the only rookie on the team), Caroline Hedwall, Charley Hull, Georgia Hall, Azahara Munoz, Caroline Masson and Anna Nordqvist. As expected, two of the captain’s picks were Bronte Law of England and Celine Boutier of France, the only European women to have won LPGA events in 2019. Matthew also selected Jodi Ewart Shadoff, who has played in two Solheim Cups, with a career record of 3-4-0. She is ranked No. 77 in the world and has had four top-10 finishes in 2019.

Matthew’s final pick was Suzann Pettersen, ranked No. 620 in the world, who has just returned to competitive golf. The last LPGA Tour event Pettersen played before starting her maternity leave was the 2017 CME Group Tour Championship. Pettersen and her husband, Christian Ringvold, announced the birth of their son in August 2018. Her first event back on the LPGA Tour was the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational, a team event where she played with Matthew. The pair missed the cut. Pettersen then played in the Aberdeen Standard Investments Ladies Scottish Open, where she shot 71-73 and missed the cut.

“Bronte and Celine’s excellent recent form speaks for itself in terms of why I selected them, and I think they are both going to have fantastic Solheim Cup debuts,” Matthew said. “I chose Jodi and Suzann for their vast experience, their recent good form and because I know exactly what they bring to the European team room. With our only other rookie being Anne Van Dam, who has also had an excellent year, I feel the experience of our team will be a great advantage to us along with the home crowd support.”

This will be Pettersen’s ninth Solheim Cup. She didn’t play in the 2017 competition due to injury. Her Solheim Cup record is 16-11-6, and she’s a 15-time winner on the LPGA Tour, including two majors. Because she is now playing on the team, Pettersen will no longer be a vice-captain. Instead, Mel Reid will join Laura Davies and Kathryn Imrie as a vice-captain.

Reid, who finished T-3 at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship this year, was a potential captain’s pick. Matthew didn’t address why she didn’t pick Reid, but Reid missed the cut in the last two events she played, the AIG Women’s British Open and the Ladies Scottish Open. Reid has missed seven other cuts this season and is ranked No. 104 in the world. She has played in three Solheim Cups, with a record of 4-6-2. She didn’t win a match in the 2017 competition.

“Catriona knows that match play brings out the absolute best in my game and that I will be ready to deliver points for her come September,” Pettersen said. “I honestly believe that my best contribution to our Solheim Cup campaign will be on the course, and I am very grateful to Catriona for having the confidence to choose me for this year’s team.”

Please give a warm welcome to @Beany25 European Solheim Cup team ??@carlotagolf ?? @Annevandam ??
Caroline Hedwall ?? @HullCharley??????? @georgiahall96 ??????? @AzaharaGOLF ?? @CaroMasson ?? @ANordqvist ?? @suzannpettersen ??@Jodi_Ewart ???????@brontemaylaw ???????@celineboutier ?? pic.twitter.com/OTrakiDPu0

— Solheim Cup Team Europe (@SolheimCupEuro) August 12, 2019

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Laura Davies completes women’s senior slam by winning Senior LPGA Championship wire-to-wire

Golf Digest Middle East — Thu, 18 Oct 2018 07:31:02 +0000

www.oquio.com.mx

By Keely Levins
This season, for the first time, the opportunity to win a senior slam on the women’s tour became possible. Thanks to the inaugural U.S. Senior Women’s Open that was held at Chicago Golf Club in July, the women’s senior major count grew to two.

Laura Davies claimed the first major victory in dominant fashion, winning by 10 strokes. In the following major, the Senior LPGA Championship, Davies again proved that her game in major condition: She won at French Lick Resort in Indiana by four shots over Helen Alfredsson of Sweden on Wednesday.

In the first year, it was available, Davies won the women’s two-event senior slam.

Davies, 55, won wire-to-wire in her fifth time playing in the event. After opening with a 4-under 68 in the first round of the 54-hole event, Davies rounded out the event with back-to-back 70s.

“The wind made a difference, and it was still cold,” she said of the final round. “It was still tough, but I think two-under today was a pretty good round. There are some shots out there, on 16, I nearly hit a horrible 7-iron into the water, but I got lucky today when I really needed to on 11 and 16 when I didn’t hit great shots. It’s the sort of course where you’ve got to be careful, but you’ve got to be brave as well. Because you’ll make bogeys if you’re trying to play it safe.”

It’s not altogether surprising that Davies won both — and not simply because of her World Golf Hall of Fame pedigree. Sure, she’s she won 20 times on the LPGA Tour, but it’s what she did in March that proved she still has the game. Davies played in the Bank of Hope Founders Cup, one of 15 LPGA events she played in 2018. She finished T-2 in that event, five shots back of winner Inbee Park. In the tie for second was Marina Alex and Ariya Jutanugarn, both of whom went on to win in 2018 and Jutanugarn became world No. 1. The ability still to contend on the LPGA, Davies certainly is a favourite in the senior majors.

Davies adds winning the Senior LPGA Championship and the slam to the four majors she won on the LPGA. This victory was her 86th professional win.

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Laura Davies dominates, wins inaugural U.S. Senior Women’s Open by 10 shots

Golf Digest Middle East — Mon, 16 Jul 2018 05:48:15 +0000

WHEATON, IL – JULY 15: Laura Davies of England plays a tee shot on the fifth hole during the final round of the U.S. Senior Women’s Open at Chicago Golf Club on July 15, 2018, in Wheaton, Illinois. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

By John Strege
The inaugural U.S. Senior Women’s Open was a success by virtually every metric, notably the outcome coming down to the two players likely to have the best chance to win.

Euphoric best describes the general reaction to a championship that came up short only on drama. Laura Davies of England took a five-stroke lead into the final round at Chicago Golf Club in Wheaton, Ill., and turned it into a victory lap.

Davies, 54, a World Golf Hall of Fame member, posted a bogey-free round of five-under par 68 on Sunday to win by 10 over another Hall of Famer, 58-year-old Juli Inkster. Davies’ 72-hole score was 16-under par 276, while Inkster finished at six-under par 286.

“It’s great, seeing this thing paraded down for the very first time,” she said of the trophy. “And I get my name on it first. You know, this championship will be played for many years, and there will only be one first winner. Obviously, quite a proud moment for me to win that.”

Only two other players finished under par — Trish Johnson of England, who was third at four-under 288, and American Danielle Ammaccapane, at one-under 291.

Both Davies and Inkster have remained active on the LPGA, playing 12 and nine events, respectively, this year. But only Davies has been competitive, having tied for second in the Founders Cup and losing to Inbee Park, No. 1 in the Rolex Rankings. Inkster has missed the cut eight times.

Davies was now won 85 professional tournaments around the world, but this was her first since 2010. Inkster, meanwhile, has four Legends Tour victories, her most recent win coming last year.

“I haven’t won for eight years. The pressure you’re playing under when you’re trying to just do something for yourself, prove to yourself you can still win, this ranks high up there,” she said. “And obviously because it’s a USGA event, it’s hard to compare tournaments, but this is very high on my list of achievements, I can assure you.”

But Davies has retained much of the power she displayed in her prime; she ranks 28th on the LPGA in driving distance, at nearly 262 yards. It enabled her to dominate the five par fives at Chicago Golf Club, 14th in Golf Digest’s latest ranking of America’s 100 Greatest. She played them in 15-under par, including two eagles that offset two bogeys.

The outcome was not in doubt on Sunday. Davies birdied two of her first four holes and Inkster bogeyed two of them. The final blow for Inkster came when she missed the green and short-sided herself at the par-3 13th hole, then muffed her chip, leading to a double-bogey.

Amy Alcott, 62, a past U.S. Women’s Open champion and a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame, as so many others, were, was effusive in her praise of the championship. “It was very emotional seeing the USGA sign, because I’ve had such a long history, since my teens, playing in USGA championships,” she said after tying for 42nd. “I thought the week just came off beautifully. The USGA did a great job. It was just so classy how everything was done, this inaugural event and how was it presented.”

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Inbee Park wins Founders Cup with a late run of birdies that ends Laura Davies remarkable bid

Golf Digest Middle East — Mon, 19 Mar 2018 05:49:32 +0000

PHOENIX, AZ – MARCH 18: Inbee Park of South Korea plays a tee shot on the first hole during the final round of the Bank Of Hope Founders Cup at Wildfire Golf Club on March 18, 2018 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

By John Strege
A tournament that built its foundation on nostalgia was gamely represented on Sunday by Laura Davies, who has contributed to the game’s history.

Davies, 54, threatened to turn back the clock in the Bank of Hope Founders Cup, which pays homage to the LPGA’s past of which she is a part, but ultimately she was bettered by Inbee Park, who has simply reset the clock.

When Davies had pulled within a shot of the lead, Park birdied four straight holes on the back nine at the Wildfire Golf Club in Phoenix to win by five, her 19th LPGA victory. Davies, Ariya Jutanugarn and Marina Alex tied for second.

Davies, who was bidding to become the oldest winner in LPGA history, followed a Saturday 63 with a Sunday 69 that was her first LPGA runner-up finish since 2007.

“I realized the record of how old I am now and not having won for God knows how many years on the LPGA, it would have been huge,” Davies, whose last victory was nearly 17 years ago, said. “But I’m actually quite pleased. It’s a great finish for me. I was four over after six on the first day. Just to get into this position is amazing.”

A World Golf Hall of Famer, Davies at least was beaten by a future Hall of Famer, a rejuvenated Park, who already has qualified for the LPGA Hall of Fame and was the youngest to do so, at 27.

Still, only 29, Park, who only two years ago was seriously pondering retirement to start a family, has had her interest in the game rekindled.

“When I was taking the long break [last year], I was just thinking, ‘I think I can do this life as well,’” she said. “Just kind of thoughts like that. I just love the breaks. Just really refreshes me. I’m not burned out. I’m happy to play golf again.”

Rounds of 63 and 67 on the weekend don’t foster unhappiness, of course, though she confessed to being somewhat surprised, given how long she took off. Last year, she played only 15 LPGA events and ended her year after the Women’s British Open in early August.

“I didn’t expect to win this early, obviously, after a long break,” Park said. “In Singapore [the HSBC Women’s World Championship a few weeks ago] I felt like my ball-striking was quite good and I just needed to work on the putter a little bit. And it worked pretty good this week.”

It was better than that on a bogey-free weekend when she made 12 birdies and an eagle, four of the birdies coming on the back-nine run on Sunday that served notice to the competition, that her form has returned two weeks before the LPGA’s first major, the ANA Inspiration.

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Laura Davies can break some crazy records with a win at the Bank of Hope Founders Cup on Sunday

Golf Digest Middle East — Mon, 19 Mar 2018 04:20:45 +0000

(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

By Ryan Herrington
There were low numbers to be had on Saturday at the LPGA’s Bank of Hope Founders Cup, where the scoring average for the third round at Wildfire Golf Club at JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge Resort & Spa in Phoenix was 69.723 (compared to 72.437 on Thursday and 71.814 on Friday). But it was a certain player who had one that makes for an intriguing storyline come Sunday.

When Laura Davies posted a bogey-free nine-under 63, it was the lowest score she shot in an LPGA event since the third round of the Wendy’s Championship for Children … in 2005. The 54-year-old moved up from T-32nd to T-4, three strokes back of 54-hole leader Inbee Park.

“It’s been in my mind and I know I can still play great golf, but it is all about the short game,” Davies said. “My short game is really coming around and a day like this tells me that we are really doing the right things.” Indeed, Davies needed just 24 putts on Saturday.

The goal now, of course, is to repeat the performance on Sunday. A victory would truly be turning back the clock for Davies, the last of her 19 LPGA wins having come at the 2001 Wegmans Rochester Invitational. That would break the record for the longest time between LPGA wins, a record that belongs to Dale Eggeling, who had 14 years, 11 months and 4 days.

It would also easily smash the record for the oldest player to ever claim an LPGA title, that mark currently owned by Beth Daniel after winning the 2003 BMO Financial Group Canadian Women’s Open at 46 years, 8 months, 29 days of age.

Working against Davies is the Achilles injury she continues to suffer from, one that might explain the opening 73 she shot in Phoenix.

“I’ll certainly have a crack at it,” Davies said. “I’ve given myself a chance now.”

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