Laura Jane Davies CBE (born 5 October 1963 in Coventry, England) is an English professional golfer.

She is considered the most accomplished English female golfer of modern times being the first non-American to finish at the top of the LPGA money list. She also won the LET Order of Merit a record seven times: in 1985, 1986, 1992, 1996, 1999, 2004 and 2006.

She currently has 69 professional wins worldwide, 20 on the LPGA including four majors. She is a member of U.S. based LPGA Tour and a life member of the Ladies European Tour. She needs only one major victory or two regular tour wins to enter the LPGA Hall of Fame.

Amateur career
As an amateur Davies was an international player for Great Britain with a notable record. She was the 1983 English Intermediate Champion, the 1984 Welsh Open Stroke Play Champion and the South Eastern Champion in both 1983 and 1984. She was also a member of the Great Britain and Ireland Curtis Cup Team in 1984. She turned professional in 1985.

Professional career
Laura Davies started her professional career on the WPGET (now LET) tour in 1985 when she won both Rookie of the Year and Order of Merit titles. She subsequently won the Sports Journalists’ Association Peter Wilson Trophy as International Newcomer of the Year 1985. She repeated the Order of Merit win in 1986 having won four titles, one of which was the British Women’s Open (prior to it becoming a major).

In 1987 she went to the United States and won the U.S. Women’s Open in an 18-hole playoff against Ayako Okamoto and JoAnne Carner. It was a victory that led the LPGA to amend its constitution. Davies was not a member of the LPGA Tour, so the LPGA changed its constitution to grant Davies automatic membership. Since 1988 Laura Davies has played on both the LPGA and LET tours.

In 1988 Davies won twice as a rookie on the LPGA Tour, three times on the LET Tour and once in Japan, becoming the first woman ever to win on all three major Tours in the same year.

In 1990 she was a member of the inaugural European Solheim Cup Team. She returned as part of the winning European team in 1992.

In 1994 she was the first golfer, male or female, to win on five different golf tours in one calendar year: US, Europe, Asia, Japan and Australia. and became the first European player to be ranked unofficial number one in the world. She was named the Sports Journalists’ Association Sportswoman of the Year 1995 and 1996.

Davies is the only player to participate in all ten Solheim Cup teams to date (1990-2007) on either the United States or European side.

Davies was part of the LPGA team at the Wendy’s 3-Tour Challenge three times between 1994 and 1996.

She represented England at the Women’s World Cup of Golf in 2005 (with Karen Stupples), 2006 (with Kirsty Taylor) and 2007 (with Trish Johnson). She was a Captain’s pick for the International Team at the 2006 Lexus Cup.

In 2004 Davies was the first woman to compete in the men’s European Tour, entering the ANZ Championship in Sydney, Australia. She failed to make the cut, finishing second to last.

Davies currently holds the LPGA record for most eagles in a season, scoring 19 during the 2004 season.

Other awards and honors
Davies was awarded an MBE in 1988 and a CBE in 2000.

Off-course activities

Davies enjoys all sports and is an avid football fan and a Liverpool FC supporter. She organises the annual football match at the Evian Masters Tournament in France and she has in the past been fined by the Ladies European Tour for watching an England versus Spain European Championship football match on a portable television during the final round of the 1996 Evian Masters in France, a tournament she nevertheless won.

She is also the captain of the Rest of the World team in the annual Rest of the World V Australia cricket match held during the ANZ Ladies Masters.

In 2001, Davies joined the BBC Sport commentary team member at The Open Championship. and has regularly appeared in the commentary box for major golfing events on the BBC.

Davies has built a nine-hole golf course (one full size green and greenside bunker plus nine tees) in the garden of her house. In 2004 she hosted a celebrity fourball tournament for the charity Sport Relief.

Davies has always had an interest in gambling being a former bookmaker’s assistant and her interest has led to her becoming a racehorse owner.

In 2006 Davies completed a 56 mile charity walk along the Great Wall of China to raise funds for Great Ormond Street Hospital.

Professional wins (69)

LPGA Tour (20)
1987 (1) U.S. Women’s Open
1988 (2) Circle K LPGA Tucson Open, Jamie Farr Toledo Classic
1989 (1) Lady Keystone Open
1991 (1) Inamori Classic
1993 (1) McDonald’s Championship
1994 (3) Standard Register PING, Sara Lee Classic, LPGA Championship.
1995 (2) Standard Register PING, Chick-fil-A Charity Championship
1996 (4) Standard Register PING, LPGA Championship, du Maurier Classic, Star Bank LPGA Classic
1997 (1) Standard Register PING
1998 (1) PageNet Championship
2000 (2) Los Angeles Women’s Championship, Philips Invitational Honoring Harvey Penick.
2001 (1) Wegmans LPGA

Ladies European Tour (40)
This list is incomplete. Her LET profile states she has 39 wins but only lists wins from 1991 on.
1985 (1) Belgian Open
1986 (4) British Women’s Open, Greater Manchester Tournament, two other wins
1987 (1) BMW Italian Ladies’ Open
1988 (2) BMW Italian Ladies’ Open, one other win
1990 (1) AGF Biarritz Open
1991 (1) Valextra Classic
1992 (3) The European Ladies Open, The Ladies’ English Open, BMW Italian Ladies’ Open
1993 (1) Waterford Dairies English Open
1994 (2) Irish Open, Skoda Scottish
1995 (4) Evian Masters, Guardian Irish Open, Woodpecker Women’s Welsh Open, Wilkinson Sword English Open
1996 (3) Evian Masters, Wilkinson Sword English Open, Italian Open di Sicilia
1997 (2) Ford-Stimorol Danish Open, Hennessy Cup
1998 (1) Chrysler Open
1999 (4) Chrysler Open, McDonald’s WPGA Championship, Compaq Open, Praia d’El Rey European Cup (team event)
2000 (1) TSN Ladies World Cup Golf Ind
2001 (1) WPGA International Matchplay
2002 (1) P4 Norwegian Masters
2003 (1) ANZ Ladies Masters
2004 (1) AAMI Women’s Australian Open
2006 (2) SAS Norwegian Masters, Volvo Cross Country Challenge
2007 (1) UNIQA Ladies Golf Open

Other (9)
1988 (1) Itoki Classic (JLPGA)
1993 (1) Australian Ladies Masters
1994 (1) Australian Ladies Masters
2001 (1) Itoen Ladies Open (JLPGA)[34]
2008 (1) LG Bing New South Wales Open (ALPG)

Team appearances
Amateur
Curtis Cup (representing Great Britain & Ireland): 1984

Professional
Solheim Cup (representing Europe): 1990, 1992 (winners), 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000 (winners), 2002, 2003 (winners), 2005, 2007
Women’s World Cup of Golf (representing England): 2005, 2006, 2007
Lexus Cup (representing International team): 2005 (winners)