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OMEGA DUBAI LADIES MASTERSDecember 2, 2013Laura DaviesDUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES LAURA DAVIES: We're treated like royalty, and come out to a golf course which I love, everything is perfect, so I can't think of any bad things about this week. Q.  And what are your thoughts on the tournament in general? LAURA DAVIES: Yeah, looking forward to it. Obviously going to have to play very good golf. Shanshan, she'll probably be the one to beat, her and Stacy, obviously No. 1 and No.2. Q. Inaudible. LAURA DAVIES: Well, obviously to win, that's the number win thing and I feel like I'm playing well. Not quite like last year‑‑ long game‑wise, I'm feeling really good, really confident. I can't remember when I used‑‑ over the years that I've used the most, and that was the way I went about it. I can't remember these particular ones. I think one of them is when I had my really good run in the mid 90s. That's going to be my first one to have a go. Putting‑wise, everyone says my stroke looks good. I feel like my stroke's good, but my pace is probably a little bit out. So I'm going to go with a putter that hopefully gets the ball coming off a little bit softer. I tend to be over‑hitting with the pace, and that's the sort of thing we're going to try and work on. Q. Is putting something that you've struggled with before? LAURA DAVIES: No. These greens are great. I feel like if you‑‑ you have to obviously play well but I feel like I've putted well around these greens so that's the good side of it. There's not much to them which is what I like. I don't like these huge, massive greens they have started building. There's a couple of big greens out there, but overall, they are really fair greens. And if you start reading them correctly and you're obviously putting well, you can make a lot of putts. Q. How did you fair here before? LAURA DAVIES: Over the first couple years, I think I finished first, second, third, fourth or fifth three years, and then I missed the cut about three years ago, which was very distressing. Last year, I think I played pretty well, but I had one bad round as I remember it. So haven't been in contention the last couple of years. But early on, I was in contention the first three years I played it. Like I said, it's a course I like. You can take a few chances on the par 5s, which is what I always like to do. The par3s are very strong. It's just a really good test for ball‑strikers. Usually it comes out that good ball‑strikers do well out here, which is good. Q. Can you just talk a bit more about the field? Obviously this year, Lexi Thompson is not going to be here and I don't believe Michelle is going to be here but you have a whole raft of Solheim Cup players and Charley will be here, so just how do you assess it? Maybe it doesn't have the stellar, big names from stateside but still could be quite a competitive event regardless. LAURA DAVIES: Well, I think now we've got Stacy in the field. That's one of the bigger American names we've ever had. So you know, Lexi's obviously won it and it's a shame she's not back here to try and win it again. But the Tour School in America has cost us quite a few big names Lee‑Anne Pace, Rebecca Flood, who has just won a tournament a couple of months ago. But overall I think the strength of the field, you said yourself Charley Hull is here and she's obviously an exciting new prospect and everyone wants to see her play. She'll have a very good chance around here because like I said, it's a good chance for high ball‑strikers of which she is obviously one. I think field strength‑wise, it's very high at the top. There's a lot of strength at the top of the field so that's always a good thing for the galleries. They want to see the Stacy Lewises of the world, so it's good she's here. Q. The Money List is wrapped up, isn't it; does that distract away from the event? LAURA DAVIES: Yeah, it's a shame. It's always nice if the last event comes down to the last few holes, like I had with Lee‑Anne a couple years ago, and then last year it was very close between I think Carlota and‑‑ that's right. It adds an extra flavour. But on the other hand, it's nice that this tournament stands out and everyone is out to win it. So you're not worried about Money Lists, so we know who has won all that. More concentration purely on winning this event which is obviously a good thing for this event. But it is a little bit I guess disappointing being there's no Money List. There's the Rookie of the Year thing still up for grabs and that will be interesting. Q. Does it need a Final Series like the mens? Or the money distribution, does it need to be planned out? LAURA DAVIES: Well, it's difficult, because we get big tournaments like this one and then we get tournaments that haven't got the big money in Europe for rest of the year. So if you win the Evian Masters, you've almost certainly won the Money List, like Suzann won the Evian. It's a very difficult equation really because that's just the way it is on the women's game. But I think, this is an unusual year, but it's not come down to a bit of a shootout. It would be lovely to have a Final Series, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, all the big places out here. It would be fantastic for us, but I don't think it necessarily needs it. It's a good stand‑alone event as it is. Q. Could you just talk about Charley, just what you've seen of her and your impressions of her? As you said, she's had a phenomenal year, Solheim Cup, etc. How do you see her progressing? LAURA DAVIES: Well, I had heard of her, the name, roughly when she was an amateur. And her very first tournament after two rounds we were paired together. I thought, oh, this will be interesting. Well, she shot 65. I shot 71 I think. So six shots later I'm thinking, yeah, this girl can play. That was her very first event and she backed that up with four more seconds. So she opened out here career with five seconds which I don't think that will ever be repeated again; among the women, it will never happen again. And she showed her personality the Solheim Cup, was the star of the show and probably won the Solheim Cup‑‑ she played great, but what Charley put in it for the rest of the team, you'll hear about her more and more. I think she needs to get the win sooner rather than later because obviously she had another chance last week. I wasn't in India but I was watching. She's a good friend now. It would be nice to see her win one‑‑ but not at my expense this week. Yeah, if she can get that win‑‑ I don't even think with her mentality, I don't think she'll be worrying about that. But I just think it would be nice for her now. Q. What's impressive, whenever you saw her at close quarters? What was it about her game that impressed you the most? LAURA DAVIES: Well, she had one particular shot on the long par 5 in Morocco when she put it up against this tree, and you see most of the girl that are not as strong, because Charley is very strong. She's not a big girl at all but she's very strong and she maneuvered her body, and I thought, what's she trying here and all of the sudden she's hitting just short of the green, got up‑and‑down and made a birdie. And I could just tell from that point, she doesn't just do‑‑ if she's got a shot to go for, then she'll go for it and that was the most impressive thing I think of that whole week. I only played the one round but she shot the 65 and that shot stood out for me. Q. Maybe an assessment of women's golf coming up through the ranks, you've got Charley, Lydia Ko, you have China, as well, perhaps gunning for the Olympics so they are going to have the whole raft of youngsters coming through the ranks. It's looking good for women's golf internationally going forward I would assume? LAURA DAVIES: Absolutely. You see a lot of young girls coming through now, that young 15‑year‑old. But it was the women first that came through with the really young players that contended straightaway. And you've mentioned all the ones and there's a few more out there that are not hard to find them, and you're going to start hearing their names. When I turned pro, I think I was 21 and that was considered a bit daring in those days, at 21, turning pro. But now, 15, 16, they are out there on Tour and they are not just competing and making up their numbers. They are winning events. Lydia winning the Canadian Open back‑to‑back is ridiculous really. She's obviously going on a huge star‑‑ she already is but when she gets full‑time on the LPGA she's going to be huge and Charley, as well. Women's golf is in a really good state. Q. And just an assessment of your year, you finished‑‑ you've been consistent throughout the year but perhaps you haven't shot maybe the low, low numbers and that has not come through in what you've earned on the Money List. So how do you assess it? LAURA DAVIES: That's thing. I feel like I've played some really good golf this year. I've missed way too many cuts and quite a lot of them by one or two shots which is heartbreaking, because you know if you can just get into the weekend, you can make up ground. I think I finished 118th on the LPGA Money List and I'm 48th on our Money List at the moment and that's just not good enough. I know just because you get a bit older doesn't mean you can't still compete week‑in, week‑out. I've played a lot of events this year and it's just pure disappointment. But, obviously if I can have a good week this week, I can get well inside the Top‑10 on the Money List which is the good side, and then looking forward to next year, Australia on the 9th of January. So my enthusiasm for is still right there. If I can just harp back to the putting again, it makes all the difference, it really did. Q. You mentioned your age, I won't bring it up‑‑ LAURA DAVIES: It's no problem. Everyone gets older. Q. You've obviously hit a landmark year this year only a few months ago. Have you had time to‑‑ are you the type of person to reflect upon what you've achieved in your life and your golf career and what you want to do going forward? LAURA DAVIES: I never look back. All I want to do is win my next tournament. I remember what my last tournament win was, but I want to know what my next one is. So one day when I sit back and I don't play as much‑‑ because I always think I'll play a few tournaments on The European Tour. I'm a life member and they can't get rid of me now so I can play on for a few more years‑‑ as I say, not competitive but I see myself out here for another five or six years trying to win tournaments. You know, that's all you can really ask from a pro, they are always trying to win and trying to compete and do their best. I certainly don't see myself getting near the end yet. Q. Is that still a goal‑‑ LAURA DAVIES: If I had a goal it would be to win a major championship because that would get me into the Hall of Fame and that would probably shut up a few doubters that probably think once you get to this age, you should probably scurry away. Fred Couples or Vijay Singh, I use them as an example. People don't ask them when they are retiring and they are both well over 50. So it's slightly different in the women's game. There's always that question. But yeah, all I want to do is win. I really, really want to win more on the LPGA. I haven't competed‑‑ I haven't got close for nearly 18 months to winning an event, and trouble is, you need to be in contention. You can't just go straight in and win. It doesn't happen. You have to have a few chances and then you'll probably win one. So consistency, come back to putting again, that has to be the goal. But I'm not giving up on winning any way, shape or form. Q. These younger players coming through‑‑ LAURA DAVIES: It's great. Charley is, what, 17, I could be her mother‑‑ I could almost be her grandmother if things had gone‑‑ I consider her a mate. We are going to watch a football match soon, I was given some tickets for my 50th and asked her if she'd like to come, and we are going to hopefully see the Chelsea game if our diaries work out. And she's a mate; although it's a huge age gap, we do the same things. So it's ageless, really, when you're playing professional sport. Q. How do you feel playing with these youngsters? Do you communicate with them when you play? LAURA DAVIES: Absolutely. Like I say, I get on well with them. They are nice. Some of them are shy. Some of them are outgoing. Charley is probably one of the shy ones. But it's always fun to get out there and play golf with them and try and beat them, because they want to beat me and I want to beat them and it's a professional sport. Once you're on the course together, you just want to win. That's what professional sport is all about, not to finish second. Q. LPGA Tour actually announced a great schedule for the next year, and most pundits believe that it is because of girls like Lydia Ko and Lexi Thompson playing and winning at such a young age. What are your thoughts on them and Charley Hull, the three? LAURA DAVIES: Yeah, I think that's exactly why the sponsors are excited to see these young girls, Lexi, especially when you see her play, plays a really aggressive, long‑ball hitting game, and I think people are now excited to watch women play golf again. You've gone from the short hitting side to where the girls are hitting it longer now. That's really what the sponsors want to see in their Pro‑Ams. They want to have people out there playing a really dynamic form of golf. So I think it's perfect timing with these youngsters coming through, and the Commissioner is obviously doing a really good job. Q. Does that bode well for the Olympics? You'll obviously have the men's product which will presumably be quite strong and now the women's could well‑‑ it could show up quite well? LAURA DAVIES: Yeah, I think it will do. I think that's my one regret that we didn't get it in in the Atlanta Olympics when there was a big movement to try and get it in there, and obviously I'd have walked into the Great Britain team at that time. It would be a huge struggle for me to get in‑‑ I need two or three really good years now to get in the Olympics. It's not something I've completely given up on but I have to say it's a massive long shot. But I think, yeah, it's going to be a great competition. You've got lots of good, young Americans. Obviously the Koreans will have a good team, the Taiwanese are coming through. Everyone is coming through with really good young players. So it will be a spectacle. I think people are going to watch it. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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