By Tim Maitland
One of the all-time legends of women's golf, Laura Davies, found the old feeling of fearlessness and some new emotions too as she won the Australian Open in Melbourne to claim one of the last remaining spots at next month's HSBC Women's Champions in Singapore.
The 45-year-old Englishwoman fired the best round of a blustery final day – a five-under-par 68 – at the Metropolitan Golf Club to finish on a seven-under-par total of 285. Having started the day tied for eighth, Davies ran the whole gamut of emotions as she won by a shot from Tania Elosegui; but only after the Spaniard followed Davies' final-hole bogey with a double-bogey of her own on the 18th.
"I must admit, I thought I'd blown it," Davies confided, before revealing that it was the first time in her 24-year career that she'd been in the clubhouse with fingers crossed that those following would fail.
"You feel mean, because you're willing everyone to do really badly, whereas normally you're willing people to do well. I felt a little bit mean hoping people were going to miss," she confessed.
Davies, the first non-American to win the LPGA's in 1994 and a record seven-time winner of the LET (Ladies' European Tour) Order of Merit, went on to explain that she gets even more satisfaction knowing that the sponsors can now ignore her request for a special berth in the HSBC Women's Champions field and is adamant that wild horses won't keep her away from claiming the place she's earned herself.
"I'm really pleased that I've worked my way in myself and that makes it even sweeter. I've done it off my own back!" she exclaimed.
Davies missed the 2008 event because her step-father was undergoing triple-bypass surgery, but revealed she had been eager to make the trip to Singapore because of how highly she rated the world's local bank's previous ladies' event – the HSBC Women's World Match Play Championship.
"It was a shame because I loved the event when it was a match play event and I wanted to play it as a stroke play event," she said.
"I knew the match play event was first class, because I played it in it both years. I'm not surprised (the 2008 HSBC Women's Champions) was considered a great event. I heard they had a big event for the caddies and gave out awards and that it was a fun week on top of the golf. People came back to me very positive."
Davies added she'll arrive in Singapore confident about her chances against a world-class field because she feels she's finally rediscovered the ability to play without fear.
"This week I think I've played absolutely fantastic golf. I've felt really good over the ball; I've not had any negative thoughts. In the past two or three years I've stood over shots thinking about bad shots; rather than thinking about where I wanted to hit it, I was worrying about where I didn't want to hit it," explained Davies, a four-time Major winner who hasn't claimed an LPGA title since 2001.
"This week I had no negative thoughts at all. So I'm hoping that I've turned the corner mentally rather than anything else. It definitely helps not being very intelligent playing golf, because it's such a difficult sport mentally. The less you know, the better it is. I've always said that. I think I've always been stupid, but I'm getting more stupid," she joked.
The full Laura Davies interview
Q: Congratulations!
A: Thank you very much.
Q: The two best ways to win are leading by a mile or coming from behind with the best score of the day aren't they?
A: Exactly. Those were two really good rounds over the weekend, so I'm very pleased with that.
Q: You started well last year winning the New South Wales Open, but this is a notch up from that isn't it?
A: Nothing against the New South Wales Open, but this is obviously a very, very good championship course, a very good field and the conditions were really windy; you had to have all parts of your game going and luckily it's worked out well for me.
Q: The conditions were really tricky were they?
A: Very windy. All week was very windy. The first round was blowing, the middle rounds weren't so bad, but today after the first five or six holes the wind really got up.
Q: How strong was it? A two-club wind?
A: The first day it was at least that. Today, probably on a few holes going into the wind like number 10, 11; holes like that were definitely a two-club wind.
Q: And you shot 5-under today…
A: And I made a very poor bogey at the last.
Q: What was your feeling after that bogey?
A: I must admit I thought I'd blown it. I said to my caddie Johnnie "I think I've just blown this you know". Tania Elosegui had a one shot lead and doubled the last which was incredible really.
Q: Does it get any easier when you've finished and you're waiting?
A: That's the very first time I've ever been in the position where I'd actually waited for three or four groups to finish. I've never been in that position before. I think I must normally be better from the front rather than posting low numbers to win.
Q: Considering how many times you've won I would have thought you'd have exhausted very possible winning permutation?
A: Yeah, it's strange. Very strange.
Q: Different feelings?
A: You feel mean, because you're willing everyone to do really badly, whereas normally you're willing people to do well. I felt a little bit mean hoping people were going to miss. That's the nature of the game though; we all want to win.
Q: Is it strange to find new emotions in golf having done everything you've done in your career?
A: That's the thing about golf and that's why I still love playing; it's always different. No matter where you play in the world there's always something different going on. There's always a different course to play, different conditions… and that's what makes golf such a great sport for people. You can play so many years and it's not just for young people.
Q: What can we read into this win? How would you compare the state of your game compared to a year ago and compared to the past few seasons?
A: This week I think I've played absolutely fantastic golf. I've felt really good over the ball; I've not had any negative thoughts. In the past two or three years I've stood over shots thinking about bad shots; rather than thinking about where I wanted to hit it worrying about where I didn't want to hit it. This week I had no negative thoughts at all. Eight weeks ago when we played in Dubai in the last tournament I felt exactly the same, so I'm hoping that I've turned the corner mentally rather than anything else.
Q: An outsider would think with all your wins it would actually get easier and easier, but sometimes the more you know the worse it gets doesn't it?
A: Exactly. It definitely helps not being very intelligent playing golf, because it's such a difficult sport mentally. The less you know the better it is. I've always said that. Again, that's what makes golf what it is.
Q: So are you getting more stupid, or is it senile dementia starting to kick in?
A: I think I've always been stupid but I'm getting more stupid.
Q: You know this wins gets you a place at the HSBC Women's Champions. I presume you'll be claiming your place?
A: Oh, 100 per cent. I'd actually tried to get an invitation. I'm really pleased that I've worked my way in myself and that makes it even sweeter. I've done it off my own back!
Q: Even sweeter?
A: It does. I've worked my way in rather than through someone's kindness. It's nice that it's my golf that has got me there.
Q: The tournament itself, you'll be there hoping to win, wanting to win and aiming to win?
A: The day I turn up and don't think I can actually win is the day I won't be playing. If you can't win as a professional, just making up the numbers – even being someone who has been quite successful, you don't want to make the numbers up. The day I do that is the day I'll pack my bags up and go home.
Q: Can you remind me why you missed last year's HSBC Women's Champions?
A: My step-father had a triple-bypass operation and my Mum's not getting any younger and I just didn't want to leave her with someone else looking after her, so I took four weeks off, which unfortunately was in golf time. Some things are more important. It was a shame because I loved the event when it was a match play event and I wanted to play it as a stroke play event.
Q: Did you see or hear how well it was received? A lot of players and officials classed it as instantly among the top five on the schedule.
A: I knew the match play event was first class, because I played it in it both years. I'm not surprised it was considered a great event. I heard they had a big event for the caddies and gave out awards and that it was a fun week on top of the golf. I had heard. People came back to me very positive.
