General / Ralph Ellis / 14 January 2010 /

With Lee Westwood, Paul Casey, Ian Poulter and Ross Fisher in the world's top 20 it's an optimistic time for English golf. Betfair remembered another English golfer who could win Majors this year, so we went to meet evergreen Laura Davies to see what might be in store . . .

Hi Laura, tell us about your targets for 2010

I know I've played a long time, but I'm more serious about my game than ever. I want to win the money list, that's how I see it. For the last two years it's not been particularly good, but I feel I'm hitting it as well as ever at the moment and can compete with anyone.

So have you been practising hard?

Not in the winter, not since I got home from Dubai four and a half weeks ago. Not that you could have done much in this weather anyway.

You could spend 12 hours a day on the driving range...

I've never done that. It doesn't suit me. I just love the competition, and I'm really looking forward to getting off to a quick start again, except this year rather than playing rubbish in the summer I want to be playing really well. The best practice is on the course.

You won't be liking the snow then...

It's not nice, is it? And I can't get my car up the drive. I'm having to park it half way down the hill. I've had Ferraris and other sports cars before, but at the moment I've got a Mercedes AMG 55. It's rear wheel drive so it slips around all over the place

When do you escape to warmer weather?

On the 24th, I'm playing in a small tournament in Canberra first as a bit of a warm-up, then the Australian Players' championship, then over to New Zealand for another before the big one when I defend the Australian Open at the start of March

That was the highlight of last year for you...

It was, definitely, the only win of the year. I lost a couple of play-offs and had a few close things, but that was the only actual win.

Is getting in the LPGA Hall of Fame an ambition?

It has to be because I only need two points, which means either two LPGA events or one major, for it to happen. I think this year, the way I've been playing, I can do it. It matters to me not so much for being on the list of names but because to get there I'll have won more tournaments. I couldn't imagine not winning again. It's what I play for.

How about the state of women's golf, it seems to be getting a better profile every year?

Yes it is, the ladies tour is an international tour, more so than the men's tour. The LPGA is where all the top international players go because it's the strongest tour. In men's golf there are so many tournaments every week all over the world it's more fragmented. Michelle Wie has finally won her first tournament, she will kick on now and become a really good player, there are all the young American girls and all the Koreans, so it's looking good really. If the economy was better the LPGA would be flying.

Are you excited about Michelle Wie's potential?

I've always said one day she would be the number one player and I've got no reason to change that. I still think she has everything you need.

Is it doing her good not trying to play with the men any more?

That experiment should have been cut short a long time ago. It was fine the first year but after that it should have been stopped

How will the Tiger Woods situation affect the men's game?

It will be interesting. If you believe some of the stories I've heard they suggest Tiger won't play at all this year. If anything that could benefit the ladies game because some sponsors will feel that if he won't be there for a while, they might lose interest, and we could be the beneficiaries of that, but for the men's tour it could have some serious effects. Personally, I hope he'll be back sooner rather than later. I'm a sports fans and I enjoy watching him play

Change the subject completely, how are your racehorses?

I've actually stepped away from that for a while. I spend so much time away I decided I'd wait until I retire before I got back into racing even though I really loved it. I had a couple of shares in some horses two seasons ago, and one of them - Jolly Boy - won lots of prizes. It was brilliant and I'll do it again when I retire

How soon is that coming then?

It's a long way off, yet. I've got a good few years left in America, and then probably a season or so just in Europe before I hang the clubs up. At the moment I'm playing so well, I played brilliant in Dubai a few weeks ago which was horrible, because the year was just ending. But I feel ready to take that form forward again. I think I'll know when it is time to quite. A couple of years ago I was playing so badly in America that I thought: 'This is ridiculous, I'm not enjoying it'. Then two weeks later I won in Austria so you think: 'Oh well I'll keep going'

We hope you do, thanks for your time, and we've a free £50 bet for charity...

Great Ormond Street is the charity I do everything with - and can I back Rory McIlroy to win the PGA Money list, please? With no Woods he's great value if I can back him at [26.0].

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