Davis hoping to make cut in Virginia
England’s Karen Stupples and Scotland’s Catriona Matthew head the British challenge in the Michelob ULTRA Open at the Kingsmill Resort in Virginia which starts tomorrow.
But for Laura Davies, the tournament offers a last chance to make a cut on the American circuit before she returns to play on the Ladies’ European Tour at next week’s Swiss Open.
Davies has not made a weekend in seven starts on the LPGA Tour this year, although she did have a top 35 finish at the LET’s ANZ Ladies’ Masters in Australia in February.
But she can draw on decent past performances at Kingsmill, with top 20 finishes both last year and in the inaugural 2003 season.
Stupples’ goal this year was to be more consistent, and a fourth place in Hawaii at the start of the year followed by a couple of top 20s has put her at number 32 on the money list, with Matthew the best of the Britons at number 28.
American Cristie Kerr, who won in Nashville last week, defends the title, while others in the list of favourites include Annika Sorenstam, Karrie Webb and Mexican Lorena Ochoa.
By her own high standards, world number one Sorenstam has not had the best of starts to the year, and is currently at number four on the money list with her sole victory coming in the Mastercard Classic in Mexico in March.
Ochoa, with one win and four seconds, is top of the money list with $744,859, $139,999 ahead of Webb, who captured the first major of the season, the Kraft Nabisco Championship.
