Laura Davies may have turned 48 a fortnight ago but she remains adamant that age is irrelevant when it comes to winning golf tournaments.

As a winner of 79 titles worldwide over a 26 year career, she should know. She collected five trophies last season and was part of the European team that lifted The Solheim Cup crystal trophy in Ireland in September.

“If you’re good enough, you’re good enough. It doesn’t matter if it’s 20 years ago or 20 years from now,” she told media during a press conference ahead of the Sanya Ladies Open in Hainan, China.

“Age is like… in golf, everyone always goes on about it. Tom Watson nearly won the men’s British Open last year at 60 years old. I’ve got 11 years on that. If you’re good enough, you’re good enough: it doesn’t matter how old you are.

“I just play where I like the golf courses. If I play a tournament one year and don’t like the course, I don’t go back, but on the whole, the courses I like, I would play and keep playing. What’s to slow down for? I’m still good enough. This year I’ve not played well but I have played well, I’ve just not holed any putts. The scoring could have been very different this year.”

Davies putting at Yalong Bay GC

Davies’ season-best finish is a share of seventh at the New Zealand Ladies Open on the Ladies European Tour, where she is currently ranked 42nd on the Henderson Money List, compared with second in 2010.

She has won at least one tournament in every year bar 2005 since turning professional in 1985, so is playing in each of the final four events of the 2011 Ladies European Tour season in an attempt to keep up her exemplary record.

The four-time major champion still has a strong love for the game and feels that she has a good chance at the Yalong Bay Golf Club, which is hosting the €200,000 event for the second successive year.

“This is my sixth visit to China. I always enjoy coming here and haven’t done well so far in China but hopefully this year will be different,” said Davies, playing at the venue for the first time.  

“I like the course. It was very windy yesterday, so difficult to work out the golf course, how it’s going to play this week. Hopefully the wind drops down and it becomes a chance to make many birdies because the fairways are quite generous, the greens are big enough; it’s a very good course for my game and I think it’s going to suit very well.”

As ever, she has high hopes and added: “My goal for this week is to try and win: try to win the tournament because that’s why we’re here. We’re not here to have a holiday; we’re here to try and win a Chinese tournament and obviously it’s very important for me.”