Player Profile - Laura Davies

This week's player profile highlights the distinguished career of women's golf legend Laura Davies.

Born in 1963 in the small city of Coventry, England - Laura Jane Davies grew up in the scenic setting of the English midlands. Showing a great aptitude for golf, she was a relatively young entrant to the game, winning several championships as an amateur and taking part in the Great Britain and Ireland Curtis Cup before turning professional at the age of twenty-one.

In 1985, Davies embarked on her professional career in earnest. Playing on the WPGET, now known as the LET, the young golfer made her mark from the outset, winning both Rookie of the Year and the Order of Merit for 1985. The following year, she won the Order of Merit again after four victories on the WPGET including the British Women's Open. 1987 saw Davies make her American debut, winning the U.S. Women's Open by weathering a three-way playoff. As the young Briton was not a member of the LPGA, her victory caused the American organization to change its constitution, making her an automatic member. Even as a young professional Davies was pushing the boundaries of achievement in women's golf, a trend that was set to continue throughout her career.

Throughout the 1990s Davies dazzled golf fans with a string of victories and golf records. In 1992 she was part of the victorious European team that contended the European Solheim Cup. In 1994 she made history by being the first golfer in history to have won on five different tours in a year, with victories in the US, Europe, Australia, Japan and Asia. In 1995 and 1996 she was selected as the Sports Journalists' Association Sportswoman of the year. Davies is also the only golfer to compete in every single Solheim Cup from its inaugural in 1990 to the present. 2004 saw Davies break traditional barriers in golf when she contested the men's tour at the ANZ Championship in Australia. At the weekend, she became the oldest player to win on the Women's tour when she won the UNIQA Women's Golf Open in Australia, just a month before her forty-seventh birthday.

In addition to winning numerous championships and awards in the golf world, Davies has twice been recognised by the British government for her achievements in sport. In 1988 she was awarded an MBE, and in 2000 she received a CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire), one of the highest honours bestowed on citizens of the United Kingdom.

Davies is well-known for her unique strategy when preparing for tournaments which includes almost never playing practice rounds, preferring to hone her already impressive skills on the driving range and practice green. Having built a nine-hole golf course at her home in Ottershaw, Surrey the veteran golfer has hosted charity golf events on her estate demonstrating her generosity towards others.

Laura Davies is truly a legend of women's golf. Her precision golf game and years of experience combine to make her a formidable rival and much loved and respected as a team mate. She will no doubt continue to entertain golf fans with her excellent game for years to come.