DU MAURIER CLASSIC

July 31, 1999

Laura Davies

LAURA DAVIES: Not confident. I mean, there is a good lineup right behind me. Obviously, it is going to be hard. Two-shot lead, if I shoot the best round tomorrow, then I obviously win. That is my plan tomorrow: Get out, make some birdies, not make too many mistakes. That has been the key, last two days. I dropped two shots in two rounds, so got to keep it up.

LAURA DAVIES: Has been great. I had a 3-putt on No. 7. But it was a particularly difficult putt. Straight downhill at the end, it was from about 40 feet. So you can't say that was bad putting. Made some really good par-saving putts out there today, and didn't make a huge amount of birdie putts. But it was difficult. The pins were really hard today I thought.

LAURA DAVIES: That was obviously a disappointing second shot, because I hit a good drive, only 4-iron in there, fanned a 4-iron high, way up into the air. When I got up there, I was disappointed. You don't normally want to be in the rough. I figured it would be a lot easier to chip it on the rough, on that particular location, just stepped up, scary shot - any time you have got to hit it 50 feet; luckily played it perfect. Dropped it on the top shelf, saw it trickle on down. That was nice.

LAURA DAVIES: Perfect lie. I think without that, it would have been a really scary shot. You just have to trust your technique and hit the shot. And as it turns out, it worked very well, that one.

LAURA DAVIES: It was only 270, because pitching into the uphill - it was one of our measuring holes, so it was 270.

LAURA DAVIES: , I have been putting better recently. And obviously that is helping this week, because I am not shooting myself in the foot. I know these greens are tough, and I have handled them quite well. But, I mean, my ball-striking is that much better as well.

LAURA DAVIES: Most certainly, yeah. I haven't -- I can't say I have played great this year. But I have certainly played well enough to be in contention a good few weeks. Because of my putting, I have just been finishing sort of 15th and although that seems like -- how can you of a chance when you finish 15, usually there is only three, four shots in it between sort of winning and finishing just in the Top-10 these days, I would say it held me back a little bit.

LAURA DAVIES: Last time it lasted three years and I won 27 times. (Laughter). I will be hoping for that kind of success again. I think that will be asking a bit much. I am just happy now to not even think about putting anymore. I get out there and I am worried about keeping it in play and knowing if I hit all the greens, I am going to make a lot of birdies. That is what has been happening the last two months now.

LAURA DAVIES: I think there is a lot of good names. Karrie Webb having just shot 66 obviously is a worry. She is only 4 back. Dawn has played very, very well so maybe she is going to be dangerous tomorrow, 7 under. I mean, any of the names on that leaderboard potentially can go out and shoot the 66, 65. It is up to me to -- any time you have a lead, you have just got to be aggressive. You can't sit back because the minute you sit back, someone is going to come straight past you.

LAURA DAVIES: It was hard. The first few holes you felt very sort -- went out on the range; felt very stiff over the first few shots. By the time we got to tee off, I felt pretty good. We had a really good start. Birdied the third; that was it, I was off running.

LAURA DAVIES: No, I hate playing in the rain, it messes your hair up.

LAURA DAVIES: Yeah, all day today they were wrong. It was really annoying me today, to be honest, I hate that, if your score is wrong, chances are someone else's score is wrong. So I really like to know what is happening. They had me 8-under all day; had me at 7-under when I was actually 8 under; hopefully it will be right tomorrow.

LAURA DAVIES: No, I just -- I think it just shows how tough the pins were set up today. On the tougher holes we had the tougher pins that makes for tougher scoring obviously, so, no, I wasn't surprised people weren't throwing millions of birdies out there. Tomorrow could be completely different again. There could be some real chances, greens are getting a little bit softer because of the rain so you can throw the ball at the pin a bit more. Anything is possible tomorrow for any of the people, I mean someone who is sort of 2-under would struggle a bit. Certainly anyone 3-, 4-under is still in with a really good chance.

LAURA DAVIES: Not really, if I hit 3-iron off the tee, I am probably 20 yards behind their drives, maybe a little more on occasions with Juli because she is one of the longer hitters. But then I am making up at least 2-irons, actual clubs hitting, so probably I am hitting the same, maybe one more club in, but on the other hand, I am not the straightest driver in the world. If you start missing these fairways, I'd rather be hitting a 7-iron from 160 than a wedge out of the rough from 120. I mean, I just think it is a good strategy this particular week because the greens -- the fairways -- it is that much of a bonus to hit a fairway.

LAURA DAVIES: Apart from No. 3. I don't need to hit because that is a very tight driving hole. Today I hit 3-iron -- I think 3-iron, 5-iron today and 3-iron, 6-iron yesterday. I have had two really good eagle chances, I will be hitting 3 tomorrow; driver on all the other par 5s. I left myself 203 into No. 14 today. That was a long way in but I hit a great shot. Unfortunately just went through the back; had a tough chip; managed to scramble up-and-down. I'd rather have to hit really good 6-iron in there, then, like I said, slash around with a wedge.

LAURA DAVIES: Yeah.

LAURA DAVIES: Yes, hit it hard.

LAURA DAVIES: Yeah, I am just enjoying the whole week. The minute -- as soon as we got here I played the Pro-Am, I liked the course; I like the atmosphere; galleries are great. I have been fortunate to play with Dawn the first three days. Obviously they are cheering her on so it is quite exciting being out there with a group -- with a Canadian. They have been very fair to the rest of us. The whole week has just been very enjoyable; obviously would be more enjoyable if I sat here tomorrow with a two-shot lead.

LAURA DAVIES: Yeah, I don't know the statistics on them but I think I bogeyed No. 9, was it, one day; I 3-putted No. 9 first day. Other than that I think I have had just lots of birdies; haven't had any other bogeys on them.

LAURA DAVIES: I just made a few about -- sort of three months ago made a couple of decent putts in tournament rounds just to keep things going; then made a few more the next week and now I am feeling confident. I stand over every single putt now, I mean, on 17 I had a 40-footer up the ridge and hit the hole. My God, that would just not have happened the last 18 months. It just wouldn't have happened. I would have probably been eight feet short or 10 foot long. It is just a confidence thing, I suppose.

LAURA DAVIES: No, I think that is clever; that is a smart way to play. I am long enough. I see the others, they stood up there with drivers, they still have a narrow target. They can afford to miss the fairway even less that I can. I can at least sort of get it out if I knock it in there. No, I think it is smart. I don't think it is taking any advantage away. It certainly is not gambling. Gambling would be getting the driver out and being fool-hearty, really. Birdie No. 3, hit 3-iron off the tee 5-iron to about 20 feet. Hit really good putt; thought I holed it; actually just tapped in for the birdie. No. 6, hit 7-iron to about ten feet; holed that. Bogey on 7, hit a 3-iron off the tee and 8-iron that came up sort of pin-high right, was about 30 feet away. I ran it about five, six feet by; missed the one coming back. Birdie on 10, hit 3-iron off the tee, and my approach wedge, my A-wedge to about 20 feet. That was the longest putt of the day. I holed that one. No. 12 best hole I played all week, really good drive down -- straight down the middle. Then hit 3-iron to about eight feet. Unfortunately missed the putt. I hit a good putt; just misread that. So tapped in for the birdie. Then on 16 hit a good tee shot, 3-iron again, left myself with 8-iron in there. I thought I hit a very good shot, but it came up pin-high, just right in the rough. And it is just this tough chipping around these greens, I left it about sort of six feet short missed the par-putt. And then 18 driver, 4-iron into the green-side bunker up-and-down.

LAURA DAVIES: The 3-iron? 230 yards. 12 was driver. 3-iron, did I say 8-iron?

LAURA DAVIES: Oh, okay. About eight feet. 230 yards it was. Hit that hard as well.

LAURA DAVIES: She is hitting it well. Any time you are hitting it well, you have got to be confident. She has got a chance to win the one tournament that I imagine means more to her than any other event, I imagine, you know, she is going to be like me tomorrow, she is going to go out there and try win the event rather than sort of sit back, she is not going to sit back wait for me to make bogey. She is going to have to go out there and try and win it. I can only assume she will be looking forward to that.

LAURA DAVIES: I just won the Swedish Open about three weeks ago.

LAURA DAVIES: Haven't played in Japan at all this year.