BOSTON, May 2, 2017 – It has been nearly 20 years since England’s Laura Davies traveled with her golf clubs to the Badger State. The big-hitting Briton tied for 11th at the 1998 U.S. Women’s Open held at Blackwolf Run in Kohler, Wis.
But Davies will return to Wisconsin later this month to compete in The Legends Tour’s Red Nose Day Walgreens Charity Championship, set for May 20-21, at Geneva National Resort in Lake Geneva, Wis.
“It seems like a lifetime ago,” said Davies, of her last competition in Wisconsin. “I can’t wait to get back there.”
Davies will be one of the headliners in the championship that brings 54 LPGA legends just north of Chicago to compete for a $300,000 purse. Davies’ golf resume includes 84 wins worldwide, including 20 LPGA Tour victories and four major championships.
She landed on the radar of American golf with her win at the 1987 U.S. Women’s Open, which also awarded her membership as an LPGA rookie in 1988. Davies would go on to post 109 top-10 LPGA finishes, earn more than $9 million in prize money, compete on 12 European Solheim Cup teams and become a fan favorite around the world.
Once she was eligible to compete on The Legends Tour at age 45, Davies was initially hesitant to venture far from competition on the LPGA and her beloved Ladies European Tour, but she won her Legends Tour debut at the 2012 Legends Tour Championship. That first win came with a two-stroke victory over Beth Daniel.
“About 10 years ago, I said I wouldn’t play Legends Tour events, but I’m glad I changed my mind,” said Davies, who has four top-10 finishes in seven Legends Tour starts. “I love playing in the Legends events and it’s great fun meeting up with all the old familiar faces and trying to beat them again.”
As a longtime stalwart on the European Solheim Cup team, Davies brought her love of team play to the Legends Tour’s former Handa Cup international team competition. She competed in the 2013, 2014 and 2015 matches and was undefeated in her team matches with fellow Great Britain native Trish Johnson in 2013, when the World Team finally toppled the American squad. In that event, however, Davies lost her singles match by one stroke to Daniel of Team USA.
“Winning is everything and it doesn’t matter which tour,” added Davies, who was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2015. “There is no better feeling and I need no more motivation than that.”
While Davies’ legendary tee shots have grabbed attention in the golf world for decades, she also has attained top citizen merits in her homeland. Davies was named as a Member of the British Empire (M.B.E.) by Queen Elizabeth II in 1988, and a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (C.B.E.) in 2000 -- one of the highest honors that can be bestowed upon a British citizen.
And while Dame Davies has propelled herself into royal circles for her exemplary prowess over the years, when she arrives in Wisconsin later this month, one could bet the only circle this legendary competitor will be thinking about is moving into the winner’s circle on The Legends Tour once again.
For more information about The Legends Tour, visit www.thelegendstour.com.
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