Dame Laura Davies is relishing the opportunity to strike the opening tee shot at Royal Troon and mark her historic 40th appearance at the AIG Women’s Open.
Ahead of starting proceedings at 6.30am on Thursday, Davies was presented with an official painting of the famous ‘Postage Stamp’ 8th hole by The R&A’s Chief Executive Martin Slumbers to celebrate the occasion and her longevity.
Davies began her run in the event as a 16-year-old amateur in 1980 at Wentworth, quickly going on to win the Women’s Open in 1986 at Royal Birkdale in only her second year on tour. Now the Englishwoman will follow Colin Montgomerie, who struck the first ball at Royal Troon’s staging of The Open in 2016.
The 56-year-old from Surrey, who tees off on Thursday in the company of Northern Ireland amateur Olivia Mehaffey and Canada’s Alena Sharp, said, “It’s a great honour. Martin mentioned that Monty had done it at The Open and I didn’t hesitate to say ‘yes’. I’m just delighted to have enjoyed longevity in my career.
“I’ll be nervous on the tee, not just in the circumstances but also with the predicted strong wind, so it’s going to be tough. I’m looking forward to it and I hope I hit a good one. It’s an early start, but I’m hoping we can get out there and maybe have a decent start. The condition of the course is about as good as I reckon you could have a links golf course.”
Martin Slumbers added, “I think it’s a great honour for Laura, she is the finest female golfer of her generation. Forty times playing in this event is a tremendous achievement and I wouldn’t put it past her to be hanging around there on Sunday. We’ve done this at The Open for the last few years, started it here with Colin. I think the first tee shot of the championship is something to really celebrate and I couldn’t think of a better person to hit that tee shot tomorrow morning.”
Golf fans who don’t have a subscription to Sky Sports can watch all the action live from Royal Troon via Sky’s free YouTube channel from 10.30am on Thursday by clicking here,
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