Davies wants better funding for European women's golf

Lytham St Annes - British veteran Laura Davies has called for more financial backing for European women's golf, saying players are short of tournaments to hone their skills.

Davies, 54, is teeing off at the Women's British Open at Royal Lytham and St Annes on Thursday after cruising to victory at the recent inaugural US Senior Women's Open.

Davies has always played a mix of LPGA and Ladies European Tour (LET) events but she is not impressed with the current state of the LET.

"It's not good, is it?" she said. "I mean we've not got enough tournaments and I feel sorry for all the young girls that are great players. They need to play in tournaments.

"It's not easy to get to America, play in the Symetra (tour), try and get on the LPGA tour. So I know everyone behind the scenes is working incredibly hard trying to get things going."

She said women's golf needs more support.

"We just need the backing of corporate Europe really to see the value in us, because I think we're well worth it," she said.

"What the magic formula is, I don't know. I'm a golfer. I don't get involved in that side of it, and I just wish them the best because we deserve a good strong European Tour."

Over the next four days Davies is hoping to provide a boost for European golf. "I'm playing well and know I can still contend," she said. "I'm looking forward to it."

"My first 'British' was back in 1980 at Wentworth," she said. "It was on the East course at Wentworth. I can't remember who I played with but I remember the atmosphere.

"It was very low-key. I won it in 1986 at (Royal) Birkdale and then we went to Woburn. All of a sudden we started playing the links rotation, which I think made the golf tournament what it is today.

"So the more times we play on the great links courses, the better it is because that's what the British Open is all about."