Laura Davies Is Still in the Hunt

At age 51 Dame Laura Davies still has a pretty good game -- good enough to keep her in the mix at the Mizuno Classic in Japan. Unfortunately it's not being televised here in America (although I won't be surprised if GC decides to show highlights next Tuesday or Wednesday).



At the time I'm writing this, Laura is just over halfway through her second round and she's tied for the lead with Ilhee Lee, plus she's leading some names more familiar to American LPGA fans like Jessica Korda, Chella Choi, and Morgan Pressel (who led after the first round).

After the first round she told LPGA.com:

“I’m playing well. I’m looking forward to the last two days and if I putt well then I believe I have a chance to win. If I don’t putt well I have no chance because, like I said, years ago the players weren’t as strong but now they’re so good that you have to have every part of your game going to have a chance. If I can keep this going I have a chance.”

She also said:

“I still think I’m good enough. I still think I can win tournaments and while I still think I can win I’m still going to play. The only thing holding me back is putting and that’s what I believe and that’s why I keep going. The fact that I’m 51 is irrelevant really. If you can walk you can play golf which is nice.”

It's really hard not to like Laura Davies. She's always been a fun player to watch -- as Charley Hull once said, Laura just hits it, finds it, and hits it again. For those of you who don't remember, back when they played the J.C. Penney team event she used to team up with John Daly and the two would just blast away at the course. Needless to say, they were a favorite team with the fans!

At this point in her career, she only needs 2 more points to qualify for the LPGA's point-based Hall of Fame. (As you know, she'll be inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame next year.) That's two regular events or one major; a win at Mizuno would get her halfway there.

She also needs a third-place finish to gain a spot in the LPGA's year-end CME Group Tour Championship. It looks like she's got a good chance; the conditions have been tough (lots of wind) but she's handled it well so far.

Maybe this will be a breakthrough week for Laura. She's continued to win around the world; I for one would love to see her win on the LPGA Tour again.