Laura Davies returns to the Solheim Cup for a third time in the role of vice captain. The winningest player in the history of the biennial event with a record 25 points, Davies was part of every European team from the inaugural event in 1990 to 2011.
A 20-time winner on the LPGA, Davies owns 87 professional titles worldwide. The 59-year-old entered four LPGA events this year as well as the U.S. Senior Women’s Open, which she won in 2018.
Golfweek caught up with Davies before she heads to Spain next week to assist captain Suzann Pettersen. The event will take place on Spanish soil for the first time at Finca Corestin, Sept. 22-24. Team Europe, winners of the last two editions, has never won three in a row.
This is the strongest team Europe has ever fielded. How much do you think the vibe will be different this time around as they are clearly not an underdog playing on home soil?
“If you really analyze it, the Americans will still be slight favorites on paper, but once you put in that European home advantage, that’s when I think it becomes 50-50.”
“Hopefully it will come down to the last match again. I don’t think I could stand the last putt again, certainly the last match will do. Having two putts might be nicer.”
“If we play our absolute best and the Americans play their absolute best, I can’t split them.”
What type of player does the course favor?
“I think it’s a really good match play course, a very fair course. You hit a good shot, you get rewarded. You hit a poor one and you’re going to be on the side of a mountain and good luck. Having said that, there’s plenty of room. The fairways are very wide.”
Opening with a drivable par 4 and the strategy there, what do you think the atmosphere will be like with that unique setup?
“When I went there, they told us they changed the routing of the course because they really felt the the grandstand up on the rocks will be spectacular. … Certainly a drivable par 4 for me is fantastic because you have 15 minutes between tee times – in foursomes/fourballs – and I think 12 in the singles. So there’s plenty of time to go for it.”
“I don’t think everyone will go for it, but I think 80 to 90 percent will have a go.”
What’s been the secret to Europe’s success of late?
“It’s difficult to tell. I’ve never been in an American team room, so I’m sure their team spirit is great.”
“The European Team always seems to bring out the best in these players. You want to do so well for your teammates, and it seems to bring out a different level of performance. Certainly putting changes. People who may be a feel putter dropping it in the front start hitting it firm and in the middle.”
“Team environment certainly makes you a slightly more aggressive player, I think. Which is good on this course.”
Lexi Thompson heads into this year’s Solheim struggling mightily. Is it possible to find your game on such a pressure-packed stage?
“Yeah, without a doubt. I’ve done it a few times. I’ve gone in not playing well and I’ve played really well and made points and holed putts I hadn’t been holing all year because it’s match play. If it was a stroke play event, I’d say you’d get found out within the first couple of holes.”
“Match play really does take all of those constrictions off you, the weight of the world on your shoulders in individual golf. Match play can really help if you’re struggling.”
“I can only speak for myself, but that’s the way I was. I’ve seen other players coming in poorly and all of a sudden match play is on the menu and they turn into the players we all think they were.”
What’s your favorite Solheim Cup memory?
“I think it has to be Dalmahoy (1992) when Catrin Nilsmark holed that winning putt. We were gigantic underdogs. We didn’t even deserve to be on the golf course with them and somehow we beat them. They were a team full of Hall of Famers and we were just a bunch of European players. I was in my fifth year on tour, most of them hadn’t been on tour that long and we were up against the likes of Lopez, Sheehan and Bradley. Winning that one was pretty spectacular.”
How would you describe Suzann Pettersen the captain verses Suzann the player?
“As a player, she was always very feisty. She’s very calm. She makes really good decisions; she talks things through. .. Ultimately it’s her decision. She’s not as feisty as a captain as she was as a player. Having said that, once the gun goes off on Friday, I’m sure she’ll revert back to, ‘Come on, let’s win this thing.'”
“So far she’s been really calm and fun to work with, to be honest with you.”
Who are you most curious about in terms of performance next week?
“I’m really looking forward to seeing Linn (Grant) and Maja (Stark). They are childhood friends. They were great rivals for a while there, didn’t get on particularly well, now they’re best of mates again. I just think for them to be debuting together, whether they ultimately get paired we’ll have to wait and see, but to see teammates like that, come up at the same time and can they go and build up a really good Solheim cup record together over the next 10 years or so?”
What’s your playing schedule like the rest of the year?
“I’m not playing anymore, I’ve had enough. Struggled at the British Open, hurt my wrist a little bit. Didn’t do well in Scotland, the conditions were hard. Then went to the U.S. Senior and really didn’t enjoy that at all. I’m certainly not going to play more this year. I might play a few seniors event next year, but for regular tournaments probably not going to play anymore.”
“I’m down to play the British Open at St. Andrews. It’s my very last one because I‘m 60, obviously, and my exemption runs out. If I play any decent golf leading up to that I might enter it, but I’m leaving it open for that. If you’re not enjoying it there’s no point, and I didn’t enjoy what I played in this year.”
“A year’s a long time, but at the moment I would say 100 percent not playing. But like I said, a year’s a long time. Might find a bit of a game between now and then and just fancy going out in style, I suppose, is the only way you could say it. To play St. Andrews as your very last professional tournament would be quite something, wouldn’t it?”
“We shall see.”
