England’s leading lady, Laura Davies

Carly Booth, amateur, Scotland (+3)
Q. How did you finish?
Booth: Double-bogey, bogey.
Q. You were level after 15.
Booth: I was level through 16.
Q. What happened?
Booth: I hit a good shot but the wind took it left. I had to chip out sideways. I hit it nicely on the green, about 20 foot.
Q. You missed a wee one there.
Booth: Well, not very wee.
Q. About five feet?
Booth: It was about seven.
Q. It’s a challenging golf course though isn’t it? You’ll probably only be about three or four shots off the lead.
Booth: Well, I played well. I had quite a few putts today.
Q. What is the goal this week – making the cut?
Booth: Yeah, making the cut. If I can do pretty much the same tomorrow, I’ll have a chance.
Q. How is your summer going generally? Are you pleased with the way you are playing?
Booth: Yeah. I am hitting it well. It’s been a good year.
Q. Maybe go back to America this winter?
Booth: Maybe, not sure yet…
Laura Davies, England, (+4)
Q. You were at The Solheim Cup last week with several hundred people greeting you on the first tee, today there were about a dozen. How did your day today compare with last week?
Davies: Today I had zero fun. I didn’t enjoy one moment of it. The weather was horrendous. Horrific. Nasty. The course is great – it would be a lovely venue if the weather was ok. But unfortunately it is ruining it for players and spectators.
Q. Is it making the course longer?
Davies: Not longer, just more difficult. Every single shot is hard work. I didn’t play badly today, at all, and I shot four-over. The weather’s making it an unenjoyable week so far, and hopefully it will cheer up.
Q. You have always supported new tournaments on the Ladies European Tour. What made you want to play Scotland so soon after Solheim?
Davies: It’s the Scottish Open, I had heard about The Carrick, and I am glad I came here. I have to say, though, the bunkers are horrific. There is too much sand in them and it is making it unfair. The bunkers themselves are great, they’re fun, but the way they have the sand going is not fair.
Q. You possibly haven’t had the chance to see, but on one BBC debate page there is somebody calling for you to be made a Dame. What do you say to that?
Davies: (Laughter). That’s a new one! That’s nothing to do with me. Who started that then?
Q. It was a very keen Laura Davies fan, I think. I can’t remember the person’s name.
Davies: Very nice of them, but I don’t think it will ever happen. I am just a golfer, really. People that get that have done a lot more than I have done.
Mhairi McKay, Scotland (+2)
Q. Tell us about your round.
McKay: I got off to a good start. The weather obviously turned down the middle. But I hung in there. I should have birdied four but I missed a short putt. Then the last six holes I didn’t really make the putts I had been making earlier on. I had a bad drive on five, which led to a bogey with the conditions, and then a poor shot into eight from close to the green.
Q. With the wind, rain and cold – it must have been difficult.
McKay: I tried to stay as warm as possible – but I didn’t have the woolly hat on! Other girls had the woolly hat.
Q. Your body has become American, even if you haven’t.
McKay: I do like the warm weather. I was talking to Janice (Moodie) and Catriona (Matthew) about playing in the Pro-Am, and how far your ball is flying, how to get your club head speed up…
Q. Would you be taking a club more today than you would in America?
McKay: Yeah, in the wind, (inaudible and background noise) definitely. It’s a survival battle out there today.
Q. You finished on plus-two, didn’t you?
McKay: Yeah, it’s not a disaster. I felt it could have been a wee bit better, but there we go.
Q. What other things did you have in your bag?
McKay: I did have another layer – I’ve got the polo neck and the shirt, and I did have another slipover in there…
Q. Thermals?
McKay: No, It’s not too bad. But I do have the mitts and the trousers…
Q. When was the last time you wore so many clothes on the golf course?
McKay: Korea. (To Elspeth Burnside) Did you come out that year? That was the coldest I think I have ever been. That was on the LPGA about three or four years ago. It was, like, in June. That year I played with my long underwear on, my trousers, my rain pants, I had a t-shirt on, a polo neck on, a woolly sweater and then a slipover. That was the coldest I had been. You just have to club-up and be much more realistic in your expectations. You are not going to carry the ball that far, you just have to realise that the wind’s going to affect the ball a lot more. It’s survival. We’re not that far to the clubhouse and then you can get a cup of coffee.