Laura has always been on the ball in Perthshire
Dame Laura Davies has long enjoyed going down memory lane at Gleneagles, given her a deep affection for Perthshire, both on and off the course.
Now she hopes to write a new chapter in her love affair with the area by helping Scotland’s Catriona Matthew lead Europe to Solheim Cup glory.
The decorated Englishwoman has twice left Gleneagles with silverware, having won the McDonald’s WPGA Championship of Europe in 1999 over The King’s Course, and then the WPGA International Matchplay Championship two years later.
That second success came over The PGA Centenary Course – host venue for this month’s Solheim Cup – when Davies defeated home hope Janice Moodie in the final.
During those events, the 55-year-old had fun off the fairways too.
She even took to playing football matches with caddies against local players in a nearby village!
The ball will be a more familiar size when she returns to Scotland to lock horns with the United States from September 13-15.
Davies said: “I’ve done well at Gleneagles in the past. I’ve won twice round there
and enjoyed all the courses. I’ve not played The Queen’s in competition, but certainly the other two. I can even go back to when The PGA Centenary was called The Monarch’s (renamed in 2001).
“I used to play a little football there too. We had a game against a local side over at Muthill, which was good fun.
“One year, one of my caddies suffered a broken rib, and there were a few other incidents over the years! I loved it.”
“The game at Muthill was an 11-a-side game, but I also played five-asides for many years. But I’ve not played football for around three years because of an Achilles injury.
“But I have good memories of Gleneagles.”
Davies brings a wealth of experience to the European team.
She is both the event’s leading points scorer, with 25 from 46 matches, and as the player with the most appearances, a dozen from 1990 through to 2011.
She is joined by Mel Reid and Kathryn Imrie as the three vicecaptains who will be supporting Matthew, after Reid was brought in following Suzann Pettersen’s team selection.
While Pettersen’s pick has raised eyebrows due to her lack of competitive golf over the last two years after she took time out to have her first child, Davies has no concerns.
She can point to the fact that the Norwegian is a veteran in her own right, having had eight previous Solheim Cup jousts herself.
Davies added: “We have a mix of youth and experience, which we are pleased with.
“Suzann made her intentions clear that she was going to try to get ready to play, and she clearly showed enough to the captain.
“Everyone is absolutely delighted to have her in the team. She has the experience, she has got the fire – and she has got the firepower too.”
Matthew was initially unsure whether Davies would accept the vice-captaincy role.
The four-time Major champion, regarded as Britain’s most successful female golfer with 87 professional wins, has declared that she never wants to be Solheim Cup captain.
But Davies is fully enthused for the supporting role.
She said: “Solheim Cups always come around really quickly.
“You think two years is a long time, and then all of a sudden here we are. The team is announced, the captain is ready and everything is in place.
“The event has always held a very special place in my heart, right from the first one in 1990.
“Many of my fondest memories have been made during the Solheim Cup, and I’m hoping that this one at Gleneagles will be the best yet.
“It’s just nice to be part of it, and if the players need any help at any time, that is why the vice-captains are here.
“The captain is the one they obviously listen to, but we are here too.
“I think we have a good chance against the Americans. I’m confident we will play well.”