Laura Davies and Melissa Reid ready for HSBC Women’s Championship

Europe’s most successful female golfer, Laura Davies, and one of Europe’s hottest prospects, Melissa Reid, have been handed invitations to the prestigious HSBC Women’s Championship event in Singapore from the 23-26th February.

The field for the tournament, played at the Tanah Merah Country Club in Singapore, is comprised of some of the best female golfers in the world game. The top 20 in the Rolex Women’s World Rankings (as of the 31st December) and the 2011 LPGA Tour victors will be joined by Davies and Reid, who were given the two sponsors’ exemptions.

Giles Morgan, Group Head of Sponsorship for HSBC, explained: “We wanted to acknowledge the magnificent achievements of Europe’s 2011 Solheim Cup team by awarding two of their key members this opportunity. Laura is Europe’s most accomplished female golfer with over 80 professional victories, and Mel is one of Europe’s most exciting prospects.”

Both Davies and Reid spoke to Golfshake, to discuss the tournament and their thoughts on the season ahead.

Grateful for the opportunity

Reid was rightfully thrilled to be selected to play in the tournament: “It is a fantastic opportunity and I am very grateful. These are the sorts of fields I want to be playing in week in, week out.” Davies, on the other hand, has played the course two or the times before, and views the Tanah Merah Country Club as a “really strong layout” and “a fun course that you can try and attack.”

Karrie Webb will defend this week, a golfer that Davies feels is one of the best to have ever played the game. In an interview with Reuters, she affirmed: “I put Lorena Ochoa and Annika Sorenstam at the very top of our tree of modern-day players, with Karrie Webb, Beth Daniel and possibly myself on the next level.” Davies, the four-time major champion, is no stranger to playing in tournaments with such high profile golfers, but for Reid, it is something that she is relatively new to.

Benefits of strong fields

She described it as “weird to be in a field of such high calibre golfers,” but feels it is something that can only help her develop as a player: “I hope it shows my strengths and weaknesses”, she said, shrewdly recognising that these experiences will highlight the work she has to carry on doing to be as good as she possible can. It can only be of benefit to play with such successful golfers, and golfers whose achievements she is aiming to emulate. She considers Davies to be in that bracket: “I feel comfortable around Laura, and take in everything I can. Playing with the best players can only strengthen your game.”

Respective futures

Even though there is a significant age difference between the two, both players will be expecting more victories in the near future. Davies has plans to carry on playing into her mid-50s. “I will keep playing until I can’t win and I still feel that I can win.”

Work to be done

Reid recognises there is a lot of work to be done to reach the lofty heights of Davies’ achievements. As with any tournament, she feels the key to success in Singapore will be a “sharp short game.” I asked her about her aspirations for the season, and if she feels she is ready to start competing in the majors: “I hope so. I work very hard and I hope it all pays off,” said Reid. She has been paying particular attention to her short game and her mental game, which she feels will be of paramount importance in improving upon her finishes in the majors as a professional.

Majors and Asian influence

It was announced in 2011 that the Evian Masters, Europe’s flagship event, will be a major on the LPGA Tour schedule from 2013 onwards. Davies feels the Evian Masters, to be renamed ‘The Evian’, has earned the right to major championship recognition, and doesn’t see any issue with an increased number of major championships on the ladies golfing calendar: “The Evian Masters has done so much women’s golf,” she said.  Davies wouldn’t be averse to seeing more majors added to the schedule in the future, either. “One day one of the Asian events will take up the status of a major”, adds Davies. “Asian women’s golf is so strong. It is something that the authorities have to look into.”

Reid is no stranger to golf in the East. She has played in Malaysia and China, but doesn’t have fond memories of the latter, having been bitten by a snake during the second round of the Sanya Ladies Open in 2010. She expects to play far more golf in the Orient, however, as “that is where the tour is going.” Unfortunately, the Ladies European Tour is struggling for investment in Europe, and the fact of the matter is that Asian nations haven’t been affected by a recession that has crippled many European economies.

Best of luck

The signs, though, are positive for European golf, if not the economy. The 2011 Solheim Cup success introduced some relatively new names to the golfing public, and Reid’s invitation to Singapore is testament to that. Davies’ credentials warrant no further discussion, and all that remains is to wish both the ladies the best of luck in Singapore and, indeed, for the season ahead. Let’s hope their prospective success in Asia will facilitate further investment and draw further sponsorship to the ladies game.

For more information on the HSBC Women’s Champions 2012, visit the tournament website at www.hsbcgolf.com/womens