Dame Laura Davies has featured in every edition of the AIG Women's Open since her debut in 1980; Davies' exemption as a former champion will end after this year's event on the Old Course at St Andrews, live on Thursday from midday on Sky Sports Golf
Monday 19 August 2024 14:22, UK
The last time the AIG Women’s Open was held without Dame Laura Davies in the field, Nottingham Forest were champions of Europe, Margaret Thatcher had just become Prime Minister and the Boomtown Rats were top of the UK music charts.
That changes for the 2024 contest, held on the iconic Old Course at St Andrews, as Davies has elected against using the final year of her exemption as a former champion and making another appearance in the final women's major of the year.
Davies made her debut in the event as a 16-year-old amateur in 1980 and has featured in every edition since, claiming a four-stroke victory in the 1986 contest before it was recognised as a major, but has decided not to make a record-breaking 44th consecutive Women's Open start.
"I'm just not playing enough golf now to warrant a spot in the field," said Davies, who will be part of Sky Sports' coverage of the event. "As it gets closer, I'm getting sadder and sadder with the fact I'm not going to be playing there.
"It has been a week that I've always looked forward to. It was a really tough decision, but I think it's the right decision. I wouldn't be looking forward to it because my game is not good enough."
Davies has only played a limited schedule in recent seasons and had to withdraw mid-round from last year's event at Walton Heath due to a wrist injury, with the 60-year-old struggling to adjust to maintaining her competitive sharpness alongside her broadcasting work.
"Since I've been commentating, I've played less and less golf," Davies said. "I'll still play some seniors golf, but when I turn up to play against younger players, the game is just not good enough.
"Initially, when I was just doing five or six events commentating a year, it was fine because I was playing enough golf. I had a spell where I didn't play for eight months and by the time I came back and tried to play, the game was just gone and the mindset was gone."
Davies had the option of signing off her major career at the Home of Golf and joining some of golf's all-time greats in finishing at St Andrews, although the lure of crossing the iconic Swilcan Bridge one more time in tournament play wasn't appealing.
"If you're just turning up because you just want to cross the bridge at 18, it's for the wrong reason," Davies said. "I like to be the centre of attention for playing great golf, not just for the sake of being there. That doesn't appeal to me at all, to be honest with you. They'd have wanted me to do it and I'd have hated every second of it.
"I went to play the US Senior Open a few weeks ago and if I'd have done well there, I might have regretted it [not playing the AIG Women's Open] a little bit. As it turns out, I got heat stroke and didn't even finish 36 holes in the end.
"I hit it OK but I only went like 27 holes before I had to withdraw. If I'd had a nice top five, top 10 finish there and played good golf in the back of your mind, you always see you've got one more in you and that might have been the regret, but now it's not."
Watch the AIG Women's Open this month live on Sky Sports. The preview show is live on Wednesday August 21 from 4pm on Sky Sports Golf, while coverage of the opening round starts on Thursday August 22 at midday.
Sky Sports+ which has officially launched and will be integrated into Sky TV, streaming service NOW and the Sky Sports app, giving Sky Sports customers access to over 50 per cent more live sport this year at no extra cost. Find out more here.
