Davies The One To Watch At Lpga Championship

There are 144 golfers vying for the LPGA Championship, but that’s just a detail. This tournament should be billed as Laura Davies against everyone else.

Davies virtually owns this 72-hole tournament, one of the four LPGA major championships. The 33-year-old Englishwoman won it last year and in 1994; in between she lost to Kelly Robbins on the final hole.

Davies also won at the Dupont Country Club course in 1993 when the tournament was known as the McDonald’s Championship.

“There are certain stops of the year that I really look forward to, and I’d say this is the No. 1 stop for me,” Davies said. “The last four years have been great.”

The 6,386-yard course is perfect for her crush-the-ball style. Davies led the tour last year with a driving average of 262.2 yards, a talent that helped her become Rolex Player of the Year.

“It’s a long golf course. That’s the key element,” Davies said Wednesday. “The par-3s are very long, and you’ve just got to have your A-game intact. Fortunately, I’ve always come here playing well.”

Not this time. Although she ranks fourth on the money list, Davies hasn’t had a top-10 finish in four events since winning the Standard Register Ping on March 23.

“It’s been a little bit disappointing, not because I haven’t been hitting the ball well but because of the way the putter’s been working,” she said. “If I get the putter working, then I’ll have a chance.”

The tournament has been plagued by poor weather the past few years. Last year’s event was shortened to 54 holes after the opening round was washed out. A thundershower is in the forecast for today’s opening round, but clear skies are expected for the weekend.

“I would love to see a dry tournament,” said Nancy Lopez, who ranks fifth on the money list after finishing 20th last year. “The course gets wet, it hurts the attendance and it puts me in a bad mood.”

If Davies’ long game is working and she finds her putting stroke, then it is highly likely she will win.