In the first year that there have been two majors on the Senior LPGA Tour, Dame Laura Davies has won them both after a wire-to-wire win at the Senior LPGA Championship.
In the first year that there have been two majors on the Senior LPGA Tour, Dame Laura Davies has won them both after a wire-to-wire win at the Senior LPGA Championship presented by Old National Bank.
Davies’ first major came in Chicago in July, when she trounced the field to win the U.S. Senior Women’s Open by ten clear shots. In much the same way this week, Davies dominated, leading after every round of the 54-hole event, though this time around her win wasn’t a walk in the park. Her final round of 70 left her at 8-under par and four strokes ahead of Helen Alfredsson and Silvia Cavalleri, both of whom levelled with Davies on the front nine of the final round.
At 55, Davies still remains one of the most powerful players in women’s golf, and on a day when the wind gusted to more than 25mph, her strength became a key component to her victory. As the rest of the field struggled to break par in the final round, Davies simply overmatched the star-studded leaderboard.
As Davies continues to make the headlines, there is a real optimism about the future of competitive golf for senior women.
“I wish there were more of them to play in,” Davies commented after bagging her second senior major.
When asked if she thought the Senior LPGA would lead to more tournaments for the over-45 set, three-time U.S. Women’s Open champion Hollis Stacy commented, “I think so.”
“I think the LPGA, the USGA and the PGA of America realize that the fastest growing segment of golf is women.”
“And they realize that most economic decisions in this country are made by women, especially women over 50. I think they see the opportunity here.”
So, the seeds have been planted, but how those roots will grow next and where they go, only time can tell.
Image credit: Christian Petersen/Getty Images
