IT SEEMED she might be drawn into controversy when she played a skins game with Tom Watson, Peter Senior and John Daly in Australia last winter. But Laura Davies handled the issue like a career diplomat, saying: "It's just a one-off thing, a fun thing. There's no place for women on the men's tour, just like there's no place for men on the women's."
That incident, as much as her renowned golfing skills, highlight the value of this remarkable player to the European women's game. It had been said that the WPGA needed a superstar like the rest of us need oxygen. Davies's arrival could not have been timed better.
She has certainly made a wonderful impact in this country, from her victorious appearance in the Ford Ladies' Challenge at Woodbrook in October 1993, to successive triumphs in the Irish Open at St Margaret's. Now she is the main attraction once more, as the tournament moves to Citywest GC.
The 32-year-old has certainly come a long way since her first, faltering swings yielded a round of 121. And she was very happy with it. At 15, she gained her first handicap, 26, and six years later she was playing off plus-five.
On her only experience of Augusta National, she played from the Masters' tees, reached the 500-yard 15th with a three-iron second shot and scored 83 for the round. In 1988, in a long-driving contest in Hawaii, she smashed the ball 351 yards. Later that year, she had a drive of 284 yards at Stoke Poges and in March of 1995, she drove the ball 376 yards at Philadelphia airport. All good fun.
Against that background, one could understand her dismay when she was accused recently of lack of dedication to her sport. It arose as a result of her final round of the Evian Masters in France when she carried a portable television set with her to keep up with developments in the European Soccer Championship quarter-final between England and Spain.
While admitting that she had watched some of the game during her round, she said: "I hope I didn't upset the sponsors. No one complained. But I didn't have the set on every five seconds, as was suggested. I had it on at three tees and a couple of fairways; never near a green or disturbing anyone."
As it happened, she shot a final round of 68 to retain the title by four strokes from Carin Hj Koch securing her fourth victory of the season. If anything, the incident served simply to highlight her passion for all sport.
Since her record-breaking triumph at St Margaret's 12 months ago, she has splashed out £137,000 on a red, second-hand Ferrari 456. She made the purchase in time to cruise down the German autobahns at 160 mph on her way to the Hennessy Cup in Cologne early this month.
"It's my most exciting purchase by far and at least double the amount I have ever spent on anything," she says. "From the time I turned professional 11 years ago, I dreamed about owning a red Ferrari and finally it's come true. It is the ultimate car.
"I know it's a lot of money, but I'm fortunate enough to have earned it and I would rather spend a million than be a millionaire. I play for the trophies, but when I drive down the road, having won a tournament, I think `Oh lovely, I can buy this or do that'. The great thing is that I've worked for it myself, which makes it all the better."
Earlier this season, she earned £1 million in prize-money and bonuses in only five weeks. She will be using this week's tournament as an important build-up to a rather special challenge. When Davies competes in the McDonald's WPGA Championship at Gleneagles, from August 8th to 11th, she will be seeking a unique double, given her triumph in the McDonald's LPGA Championship in the US earlier this year.
A particularly intriguing aspect of her appearance in last year's Irish Open was the range of bets which she and her caddie, Matt Adams, had on the outcome. It should have surprised nobody, given that she won about £9,000 on the 1994 US Masters victory by Jose-Maria Olazabal and she collected $14,500 from one session at a blackjack table in Las Vegas.
But she is also known for her generosity. After capturing the 1994 Thailand Open, she presented her local, female caddie with the diamond necklace she had just been presented with as part of the winner's prize.
Observers are thrilled by her remarkable power, but she is also capable of manufacturing the sort of finesse shots that are critical to a good score. As Meg Mallon, the 1991 US Open champion, put it: "The thing that amazes me is that she can hit it all over the world and still get it on the green. That's the big difference between her and the rest of us."
From the public's perspective, however, arguably her greatest attribute is her natural warmth and fun-loving charm. Indeed those who have watched her during successive Irish visits over the last three years, could well understand the reaction of David Feherty when he played with her in the JC Penney tournament in the US.
It was as much fun as I have ever had on a golf course," he said. Laura Davies enjoys her golf - and it shows.
