Thursday 3rd June 2010: Europe’s number one player Laura Davies is full of confidence this week as she attempts to claim her third win of the 2010 season at the €250,000 ABN AMRO Ladies Open in the Netherlands.
Davies, competing at Golfclub Broekpolder in Rotterdam for the first time at the 54-hole event, has played in six Ladies European Tour events this year and won two of them: the Pegasus New Zealand Women’s Open and the UniCredit Ladies German Open presented by Audi.
She has led the LET’s Henderson Money List since the beginning of the season, having finished second at the Women’s Australian Open, joint eighth in Turkey and third at last week’s Allianz Ladies Slovak Open.
On the eve of the tournament, she explained: “My game has always been about confidence. If I’m confident, I normally do well. If I let the gremlins get in the head then I’m sometimes not very good at getting rid of them and I see bad shots rather than good shots and that’s a disaster for a player.”
Davies, looking to secure her 75th career title, added that she felt the 6411-yard par 72 course suited her style of play. “I think it does suit longer hitters because you can take a few more chances on the wide open holes and then the longer holes on the back nine like 10, 11, 12, the length might be a bit of an advantage. There are some really tough second shots and some tough drives too. The course is great and the weather is beautiful. I’m looking forward to a good week. I’ve got a great pairing tomorrow, playing with Christel Boeljon and Becky Brewerton.”
Davies has won all over the world over her 25-year career but never in the Netherlands and she added: “I obviously want to have a chance on Sunday morning. That’s the line I always use. If I wake up Sunday and feel like I have a chance to win then its job done. Whether you win or not is in the lap of the gods. You need luck; you need things going your way. Certainly to have a chance Sunday morning and be within three or four shots would be good.”
She is joined by a glittering cast including the defending champion, Tania Elosegui of Spain, who secured her maiden Ladies European Tour title 12 months ago at Eindhovensche Golf, as well as this year’s tournament winners, Melissa Reid, Maria Hernandez and Anja Monke, ranked second, fourth and seventh, on the Ladies European Tour’s Henderson Money List respectively.
Spanish rookie Hernandez, who won last week’s Allianz Ladies Slovak Open, will be one to watch along with last week’s runner-up Kristie Smith, another rookie, from Australia.
Home hopes will rest with the likes of Christel Boeljon and Marjet van der Graaff, who won the Comunitat Valenciana European Nations Cup together last year. Van der Graaff will be playing at her home course, while Boeljon lives just one hours’ drive away.
