Davies Going for Golfing Gold

Laura Davies, one of Britain’s leading sports stars, will be going for golfing gold in the ISPS Handa Ladies British Masters taking place at Buckinghamshire Golf Club on the outskirts of the capital just after London 2012 The eyes of the world are fully focused on London for The 2012 Olympic Games but Britain’s Laura Davies is relishing the opportunity to celebrate when the ISPS Handa Ladies British Masters takes place on the outskirts of the capital in a fortnight’s time. The tournament will be played the week after the Olympic Games and before the Paralympic Games on Thursday 16th to Saturday 18th August at Buckinghamshire Golf Club in Denham, just a 20 minute drive from the city of London. Not surprisingly, Davies, from Lyne in Surrey, is thrilled to be playing at home on her own doorstep and at such an exciting time for British sport. Laura in London “I’m really looking forward to competing in front of a home gallery with the support of the British public so it will be one of the highlights of the year for me,” Davies said. Davies admits that she’d love to be competing at the Games, which is a possibility in four years time in Rio de Janeiro, when golf returns to the Olympics for the first time since 1904. Britain’s most successful golfer, she has won the Ladies European Tour order of merit a record seven times and racked up 79 tournament wins including four major championship victories, but says that playing in the Olympics would be the icing on the cake. “To me the Olympic Games are the ultimate sporting events and of course I would love to represent my country playing in it. Whether or not I will play, I don’t know, but I will certainly be watching it on television this year and cheering on Team GB. “I am playing in the Ladies Irish Open this week, but it is a very special time for the country and I hope that the festivities carry over to the ISPS Handa Ladies British Masters, which will  give sports fans a taste of what’s to come in Rio in four years time.” The ISPS Handa British Masters is being played for the first time at Buckinghamshire Golf Club, which has excellent rail links, with Denham train station located right next to the golf course. The journey from London Marylebone takes around 21-24 minutes, while by car, the venue is near Junction 1 of the M40. Tickets for the ISPS Handa Ladies British Masters are on sale now and can be purchased via Ticketmaster. This will be the only time that the women’s tour visits the south of England in 2012, so make that you don’t miss out on seeing the finest women golfers in action. About the course: Buckinghamshire Golf Club is a stunning but accessible parkland course, created by former European Tour player and Ryder Cup Captain John Jacobs O.B.E, in 1992. Former Irish Open champion John O’Leary is also closely associated with the club, having been the Director of Golf for 15 years. A relaxed and informal atmosphere in which to eat, drink and play golf sets the Buckinghamshire apart from other golf courses in the UK. The course runs in two loops of nine, starting and finishing at the clubhouse. The fairways wander through three distinct areas incorporating woodland, lakes and rivers and undulating links style land providing a great variety of golfing terrain. The venue has hosted a number of top amateur and professional tournaments, including The Senior Tournament of Champions, from 1996-2000, the Andersen Consulting World Championship of Golf European Final in 1997 and The Kingdom of Bahrain Trophy – Seniors Tour Championship in 2007. About ISPS: ISPS is a ‘General Incorporated Association’ based in Tokyo.  The organization was founded by Japanese philanthropist, Dr Haruhisa Handa in 2006 to support charitable causes throughout the sporting world.  ISPS has fostered partnerships with golf governing bodies worldwide to help develop the game at every level and promote blind and disabled golf. ISPS’s heritage in supporting blind and disabled golf and Dr Handa’s commercial and philanthropic investment in golf has formed the foundation of its wider mission for golf to become a Paralympic sport. For further information please see www.ispsgolf.com