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Davies back in a betting mood

On a favorite course, and with new confidence, she sees herself challenging for a hall of fame win.

By BOB HARIG

© St. Petersburg Times,
published June 21, 2001

Laura Davies loves to gamble, and she has been known to put down a few pounds on various sporting events in her native England.

But the long-driving Davies wouldn't have dared wager on herself in recent months, so bad was her state of mind -- and game.

For more than a year, Davies did not win on the LPGA Tour. Worse, she started missing cuts at an alarming rate -- five this year, more than all last season. And the biggest advantage she had, hitting the long ball, was all but gone. Davies got spooked with the driver in her hands, a long form of the yips.

"It's been devastating stuff, really," Davies said. "I've always been a player who's been in contention. I was just striking the ball poorly, and I've never struck it that badly. I think I do have a handle on it now."

Davies, 37, feels better after a victory two weeks ago at the Rochester International. She fired a final-round 64 Saturday at the Evian Masters in France. And she begins play today in the LPGA Championship.

That's significant for two reasons. Davies has a chance to earn entry into the LPGA Hall of Fame while playing on one of her favorite courses.

The third major championship of the season takes place at DuPont Country Club in Wilmington, Del., where Davies has won two LPGA Championships and also won a regular tour event.

"Of all the golf courses we play, this is the only one where the long hitter has the advantage," Davies said. "There's out of bounds (at other courses), and you're always asking the caddie for another ball. Here you've always got another shot. That's why I like it. I can have fun with the driver."

Funny, but that club has been killing Davies of late. At the U.S. Women's Open, she teed off mostly with irons. And even that didn't help. She finished the first round bogey, bogey, double bogey, double bogey and ended up missing the cut.

She recently had different shafts put into her irons but wondered when her fears about the driver would subside.

"I've been uncomfortable with it for about 10 or 12 months, for what reasons I don't know," Davies said. "Some of the courses we've played have been short, and I was nowhere near where I could take it out of the bag. Sometimes I would hit it badly and was questioning whether I needed it. Then when I wanted to hit it, I couldn't convince myself that I don't need my driver.

"When I hit it well, there's nothing better, but when I'm off line, there's little margin for error the way I hit it."

For most of the tournament in Rochester, Davies left the driver in the bag, managing her way around the course with long irons. Even while leading, Davies said, "I'm a head case, really. I'm incredibly negative right now. My problem is that I stand on the tee and look at trouble instead of looking at the middle of the fairway. I'm not expecting too much this weekend. I'm setting myself up for a big disappointment."

Negative thinking aside, Davies completed the tournament with just four bogeys and one double bogey, which came on the last hole when the result was no longer in doubt.

And it put her in position to enter the LPGA Hall of Fame this week. Under the revised hall criteria, a player gets two points for victories in major championships, one point for a regular tour victory, one point for Player of the Year and one point for winning the Vare Trophy for best scoring average.

With 20 victories, including four major championships and one Player of the Year award, Davies has 25 points, two shy of the hall. She can get in with a victory in a major or two victories in regular events.

Davies won the McDonald's Championship at DuPont in 1993 and the LPGA on the same course in two of the first three years, 1994 and 1996.

Winning won't be easy, with leading money winner Annika Sorenstam, U.S. Women's Open champion Karrie Webb (seeking the final piece of a career Grand Slam) and two-time defending LPGA champion Juli Inkster in the field.

Perhaps now, Davies would bet on herself to beat them.

"It's probably the most important victory of my entire career," Davies said. "I was telling my friends that if this bad play keeps up, I'm thinking about having some time off. Now, all those thoughts are out the window. I'm ready to play every tournament now. This is huge."

LPGA Tour

WHAT: LPGA Championship.

WHEN: Today-Sunday.

WHERE: Wilmington, Del.

COURSE: Dupont Country Club (6,408 yards, par 71).

PURSE: $1.5-million.

WINNER'S SHARE: $225,000.

TV: 4-6 p.m. today-Friday, Golf Channel; 4-6 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, Ch. 10.

NOTES: Juli Inkster won last year. Rachel Teske won the Evian (France) Masters on Saturday.

PGA Tour

WHAT: Buick Classic.

WHEN: Today-Sunday.

WHERE: Harrison, N.Y.

COURSE: Westchester Country Club, West Course (6,722 yards, par 71).

PURSE: $3.5-million.

WINNER'S SHARE: $630,000.

TV: 3-6 p.m. today-Friday, ESPN; 3-6 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, Ch. 28.

NOTES: Dennis Paulson won last year. Retief Goosen won the U.S. Open on Monday in Tulsa, Okla.

Senior PGA Tour

WHAT: FleetBoston Classic.

WHEN: Friday-Sunday.

WHERE: Concord, Mass.

COURSE: Nashawtuc Country Club (6,773 yards, par 72).

PURSE: $1.4-million.

WINNER'S SHARE: $210,000.

TV: 1-3 p.m. Friday, PAX; 6-8 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, CNBC.

NOTES: Larry Nelson won last year. Gil Morgan won the Instinet Classic on Sunday in Princeton, N.J.

Other tournaments

PGA EUROPEAN TOUR: The Great North Open, today-Sunday, Northumberland, England. (TV: 10 a.m.-1 p.m. today-Friday, 9 a.m.-noon Saturday-Sunday, Golf Channel.)

BUY.COM TOUR: Dayton Open, today-Sunday, Centerville, Ohio.

NGA HOOTERS TOUR: Michelob Light Classic, today-Sunday, Wilmington, N.C.

CANADIAN TOUR: Vancouver Open, today-Sunday, Vancouver, British Columbia.

JAPAN GOLF TOUR: Mizuno Open, Friday-Sunday, Okayama, Japan.

ASIAN PGA TOUR: Singapore Open, today-Sunday.

PGA EUROPEAN CHALLENGE TOUR: Gunther Hamburg (Germany) Classic, through Friday.

PGA EUROPEAN SENIOR TOUR: Palmerston Trophy Berlin (Germany), Friday-Sunday.

FUTURES TOUR: Innerform Golf Challenge, today-Sunday, Grand Rapids, Mich.

JAPAN LPGA: Osaka (Japan) Women's Open, Friday-Sunday.

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