Great Britain's Laura Davies gets her kicks away from the golf course
Davies is an avid football fan, and Liverpool and the England national team are her twin passions away from the golf course.
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Ask Laura Davies (GBR) to name her favourite club and she is unlikely to select one from her golf bag. It would be Liverpool Football Club.
Davies, who will be competing in the Glasgow 2018 European Championships, is an avid football fan, and Liverpool and the England national team are her twin passions away from the golf course.
She has always tried to combine her love for the two sports, although, on one occasion, it landed her in trouble with the golfing authorities.
During the 1996 Evian Masters tournament in France (known as the Evian Championship since 2013), the final round coincided with England's quarter final match against Spain in that year's European football championship.
Davies and her caddy nipped off to watch some of the action on the course on a portable television during her round and was subsequently fined. She won the tournament and England triumphed in a penalty shoot-out.
"The fine was just 50 euros so that wasn't a real problem," Davies said. "It was a match I didn't want to miss so it was worth paying the fine."
She managed to avoid being fined while winning the U.S. Senior Open on 15 July this year after listening to England's victory over Sweden in the World Cup quarter finals via her mobile phone and an earpiece. "I would hit a shot and then put the earpiece back in," she said. "I managed to avoid a fine on that occasion."
She is a lifelong Liverpool fan but her involvement on the golf tour prevents her from attending many matches.
"It doesn't matter where I am in the world, I always try to watch Liverpool games on television," Davies said. "The most memorable game was when Liverpool played AC Milan in the Champions League final [in Istanbul in 2005].
"We were three-nil down at half-time and I was ready to switch off the TV. But I was watching it with a Manchester United fan so I decided I wouldn't spoil his fun. The comeback was amazing [Liverpool went on to win in a penalty shoot-out]."
Now, she is ready to line up in her chosen sport when she plays in the Mixed Team Championships alongside Callum Shinkwin (GBR) at Gleneagles' PGA Centenary Course on 11 August.
