Laura Davies

Amateur career A native of Coventry, Davies began as an amateur international player for Great Britain, compiling a notable record. She was the 1983 English Intermediate Champion, the 1984 Welsh Ladies Open Stroke Play Champion and the South Eastern Champion in both 1983 and 1984. and was a member of the 1984 Great Britain and Ireland Curtis Cup team.

Professional career Ladies European Tour Davies turned professional in 1985. She started her professional career on the WPGET (now Ladies European Tour) in 1985 when she won both Rookie of the Year and Order of Merit titles. She repeated the Order of Merit win in 1986 having won four titles, one of which was the Women's British Open (prior to it becoming a major).

In 1987, she went to the United States and won the U.S. Women's Open in an 18-hole playoff against Ayako Okamoto and JoAnne Carner. It was a victory that led the LPGA to amend its constitution. Davies was not a member of the LPGA Tour, so the LPGA changed its constitution to grant Davies automatic membership. Davies became the third non-U.S. citizen and the second European player, after Catherine Lacoste in 1967, to win the U.S. Women's Open. For six days, Davies was holder of both the U.S and British Open titles. The 1987 Women's British Open took place the week after the U.S. Women's Open and in her defence Davies finished tied second, one shot behind winner Alison Nicholas.

In 1994, she was the first golfer, male or female, to win on five different golf tours in one calendar year: US, Europe, Asia, Japan and Australia. and became the first European player to be ranked unofficial number one in the world on the Ping Leaderboard. She failed to make the cut, finishing second to last. She beat the LPGA Tour record for most eagles in a season, scoring 19 during the 2004 season.

Solheim Cup and other team appearances In 1990, she was a member of the inaugural European Solheim Cup Team. She returned as part of every European team through 2011. Davies is the only player to participate in the first 12 Solheim Cup matches on either the United States or European side. Davies is the all-time leader in points won in the Solheim Cup, breaking the record of Annika Sörenstam by winning a Saturday fourballs match partnered by Melissa Reid on 24 September 2011. Davies went on to increase her record point total to 25 by halving her singles match with Juli Inkster on 25 September 2011, as the Europeans captured the Solheim Cup for the fourth time. She was appointed as non-playing assistant captain for the European teams at the 2019, 2021 and 2023 Solheim Cup tournaments.

Davies was part of the LPGA team at the Wendy's 3-Tour Challenge three times between 1994 and 1996.

Davies also was part of a mixed team event of PGA Tour and LPGA Tour players at the JCPenney Classic four times between 1996 and 1999. Davies won the event in 1999 alongside John Daly.

She represented England at the Women's World Cup of Golf in 2000 (with Trish Johnson when winning individually), 2005 (with Karen Stupples), 2006 (with Kirsty Taylor) and 2007 (with Trish Johnson). She was a Captain's pick for the International Team at the 2006 Lexus Cup.

Senior career At 49 years of age in 2012, Davies won a senior tour event for the first time, the ISPS Handa Legends Tour Open Championship on the Legends Tour, where there was a minimum age limit of 45.

Davies was the first woman to compete among the men in a European Senior Tour event. She played in the 2018 Shipco Masters in Denmark, from the same tees as her male opponents.

In 2018, aged 55, Davies finished runner up at Bank of Hope Founders Cup on the LPGA Tour, including shooting a Saturday round of 63.

On 15 July 2018, Davies claimed the inaugural U.S. Senior Women's Open at Chicago Golf Club by shooting 16-under-par for a 10-shot victory over fellow Hall of Famer Juli Inkster. Then on 17 October, she made the "senior slam" by following that up by capturing her second senior major, the Senior LPGA Championship at French Lick Resort in Indiana with a score of 8-under-par, a four shot margin over Helen Alfredsson and Silvia Cavalleri.

Awards and honours In 1993, Davies was elected Honorary Lifetime Member of the Ladies European Tour, at the time named the WPGA Tour, for services to the tour. Davies was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 1988 Birthday Honours, In 2000, She was recognized during the LPGA's 50th anniversary as one of the top 50 players in the history of the LPGA. She was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) at the 2014 Birthday Honours, all for services to women's golf. In January 2013, the Golf Writers Association of America announced that Davies would be the year's recipient of the ASAP Sports/Jim Murray Award, which recognises a golfer for "cooperation, quotability and accommodation with the media." The other finalists were Luke Donald and Greg Norman. The award was presented at the annual GWAA dinner at Augusta, Georgia, on 10 April. In February 2015, Davies was announced as one of seven women, invited as the first female honorary members of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews. The other six women were HRH Princess Anne, Renee Powell, Belle Robertson, Lally Segard, Louise Suggs and Annika Sörenstam. They joined the existing 15 male honorary members, whom included President George H. W. Bush, Peter Thomson CBE, Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Gary Player. In 2015, she was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame. On 12 July 2016, Davies was presented with the "Spirit of Golf" Award from the Golf Foundation in a ceremony at Royal Troon. Davies is the first recipient of the prestigious honour.

Off-course activities

Davies published an autobiography in 1996.

Davies enjoys all sports and is an avid football fan and a Liverpool F.C. supporter. and she has in the past been fined by the Ladies European Tour for watching an England versus Spain European Championship football match on a portable television during the final round of the 1996 Evian Masters in France, a tournament she nevertheless won.

In 2001, Davies joined the BBC Sport commentary team member at The Open Championship. and has regularly appeared in the commentary box for major golfing events on the BBC.

Davies has built a nine-hole golf course (one full size green and greenside bunker plus nine tees) in the garden of her house.

In 2004, she hosted a celebrity fourball tournament for the charity Sport Relief.

Davies has always had an interest in gambling, having formerly been a bookmaker's assistant, and this interest led to her becoming a racehorse owner.

In 2006 Davies completed a 56-mile charity walk along the Great Wall of China to raise funds for Great Ormond Street Hospital. In 2012, she was named by the Golf Club Managers' Association's Golf Club Management magazine as the 32nd most powerful person in British golf due to her ability to inspire girls and women to play the game.

Football career In 1997, 33-year-old Davies signed a four-year contract worth $1 as part of a publicity stunt for newly established American soccer team Myrtle Beach Seadawgs in the USISL D-3 Pro League. She played in one league game for the club, a six-minute cameo in a 4–1 loss against New Jersey Imperials on 18 April 1997. The future United States national soccer team international Tim Howard made his away debut in the game. Howard wrote in his book that the Seadawgs had offered a bonus of $500 to any player who could assist Davies score a goal.

Professional wins (86) LPGA Tour wins (20) LegendLPGA Tour major championships (4)Other LPGA Tour (16)

LPGA Tour playoff record (2–8) LPGA majors are shown in bold.

Sources:

Ladies European Tour wins (45)

LPGA of Japan Tour wins (7) 1988 (1) Itoki Classic 1994 (1) Itoen Ladies Open 1995 (1) Itoen Ladies Open 1996 (2) Satake Japan Classic, Itoen Ladies Open 1999 (1) Takara World Invitational 2001 (1) Itoen Ladies Open

ALPG Tour wins (8) 1993 (1) Australian Ladies Masters 1994 (1) Australian Ladies Masters 2003 (1) ANZ Ladies Masters1 2004 (1) AAMI Women's Australian Open1 2008 (1) LG Bing Lee Women's NSW Open 2009 (1) Women's Australian Open1 2010 (2) Pegasus New Zealand Women's Open1, Kangaroo Valley Resort Classic

Ladies Asian Golf Tour wins (2) 1993 (1) Thailand Ladies Open 1994 (1) Thailand Ladies Open

Other wins (4) 1996 (1) JCPenney/LPGA Skins Game 1998 (1) JCPenney/LPGA Skins Game 1999 (1) JCPenney Classic (with John Daly) 2008 (1) Lalla Meryem Cup Note 1 Co-sanctioned by ALPG Tour and Ladies European Tour

Legends Tour wins (4) LegendLegends Tour major championships (2)Other Legends Tour (2)

Major championships Wins (4) YearChampionship54 holesWinning scoreMarginRunner(s)-up 1987 U.S. Women's Open 1 shot deficit−3 (72-70-72-71=285)Playoff 1 JoAnne Carner, Ayako Okamoto 1994 McDonald's LPGA Championship 1 shot lead−5 (70-72-69-68=279)3 strokes Alice Ritzman 1996 McDonald's LPGA Championship 2 shot deficitE (72-71-70=213)1 stroke Julie Piers 1996 du Maurier Classic 5 shot deficit−11 (71-70-70-66=277)2 strokes Nancy Lopez, Karrie Webb 1 In an 18-hole playoff: Davies 71, Okamoto 73, Carner 74.

Results timeline Results not in chronological order. ^ The Women's British Open replaced the du Maurier Classic as an LPGA major in 2001.^^ The Evian Championship was added as a major in 2013.

CUT = missed the half-way cut. WD = withdrew NT = no tournament "T" = tied

Summary Most consecutive cuts made – 11 (1992 du Maurier – 1994 U.S. Open) Longest streak of top-10s – 3 (1996 PGA – 1996 du Maurier)

Senior major championships Wins (2)

LPGA Tour career summary official as of 2023 season Includes match play and other events without a cut.1 Davies played in 1986 and 1987 as non-member of the LPGA Tour, why her money won was considered unofficial. 2 Davies's earnings of $37,549 at the 2010 Honda PTT LPGA Thailand were considered unofficial under LPGA rules and are not included in this total.

Ladies European Tour career summary 1 Davies's 2000 LET appearances, cuts made, wins, top tens, best finish and earnings include her win at the individual event at the 2000 TSN Ladies World Cup Golf with a first prize of £25,000, which was considered unofficial in the Order of Merit but counted among her LET wins. 1984 Curtis Cup (representing Great Britain & Ireland): 1984

Professional Solheim Cup (representing Europe): 1990, 1992 (winners), 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000 (winners), 2002, 2003 (winners), 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011 (winners) Praia d'El Rey European Cup (representing Ladies European Tour): 1999 (winners) World Cup (representing England): 2000, 2005, 2006, 2007 Lexus Cup (representing International team): 2006 Handa Cup (representing World team): 2013 (winners), 2014, 2015 The Queens (representing Europe): 2015 (playing captain) European Championships (representing Great Britain): 2018

Solheim Cup record Year Totalmatches TotalW–L–H SinglesW–L–H FoursomesW–L–H FourballsW–L–H Pointswon Points%Career4622–18–65–5–28–6–19–7–32554.35%199032–1–01–0–0 def. R. Jones 3&21–0–0 won w/ A. Nicholas 2&10–1–0 lost w/ A. Nicholas 4&3266.7%199233–0–01–0–0 def. B. Burton 4&21–0–0 won w/ A. Nicholas 1 up1–0–0 won w/ A. Nicholas 1 up3100%199431–2–00–1–0 lost to B. Burton 1 dn1–0–0 won w/ A. Nicholas 2&10–1–0 lost w/ A. Nicholas 2&1133.3%199653–2–00–1–0 lost to M. McGann 3&21–1–0 lost w/ A. Nicholas 1 dn,won w/ T. Johnson 4&32–0–0 won w/ T. Johnson 6&5,won w/ L. Hackney 6&5360%199853–1–11–0–0 def. P. Hurst 1 up1–1–0 lost w/ T. Johnson 3&1,won w/ C. Sörenstam, 3&21–0–1 halved w/ C. Sörenstam,won w/ L. Hackney 2up3.570%200041–2–10–1–0 lost to K. Robbins 3&21–1–0 won w/ A. Nicholas 4&3,lost w/ A. Nicholas 6&50–0–1 halved w/ R. Carriedo1.537.5%200252–3–00–1–0 lost to M. Mallon 3&21–1–0 won w/ P. Martí 2 up,lost w/ P. Martí 2&11–1–0 lost w/ P. Martí 1 dn,won w/ S. Gustafson 1up240%200341–2–11–0–0 def. M. Mallon, conceded on 150–0–1 halved w/ C. Koch0–2–0 lost w/ C. Matthew 2&1,lost w/ S.Gustafson 2&11.537.5%200553–2–00–1–0 lost to P. Creamer 7&51–1–0 won w/ M. Hjorth 2&1,lost w/ M. Hjorth 3&22–0–0 won w/ S. Pettersen 4&3,won w/ A. Sörenstam 4&2360%200742–1–11–0–0 def B. Lincicome 4&30–1–0 lost w/ B. Brewerton 2&11–0–1 halved w/ T. Johnson,won w/ B. Brewerton 2 up2.562.5%200920–1–10–0–1 halved with B. Lang0–1–0 lost w/ B. Brewerton 5&40.525%201131–1–10–0–1 halved with J. Inkster1–1–0 lost w/ M. Reid 1 dn, won w/ M. Reid 4&3 1.550%