JNT, one of my readers from across the pond, requested some analysis on the LPGA's greatest Liverpool supporter.  Now approaching the age of 47, Laura Davies is clearly on the downside of her career but can she regain enough of her former talent to possibly win again?  2009 was the first season of Laura's LPGA career (dating back to 1987 as a non-member) that she did not collect a Top 10 finish.  She finished 87^th on the money list, which earned her Position #115 on the 2010 Priority list.  Davies will certainly have the opportunity to contend this year but I don't believe she will be able to.

During the first eight seasons of the 2000s, Laura was always an 11-35 finisher on the money list with 5-6 Top 10s per year.  She usually missed 3-4 cuts per season during that span but would threaten to win at least a couple of times.  Even in her worst of those eight years (2006) she managed one second-place finish.  In 2007 she recovered to make multiple runs at earning the final two points she needs to automatically qualify for the LPGA Hall of Fame - unfortunately coming up short each time.  The last two years however, she missed six cuts each year with only one Top 10 in 37 starts.

The reason I don't believe Davies will be making a comeback?  Here are her driving distance numbers over the last six years:

I've said before that one year does not a trend make, but two years certainly does.  I wouldn't expect a 47-year-old player to suddenly regain the 10-15 yards per drive she lost from over a couple of years before.  Laura built her wonderful career on crushing the ball farther than anybody - its proximity to the fairway be damned.  Even taking lesser clubs off the tee has never helped her accuracy to a significant degree.  Now that her length relative to the rest of the Tour has been negated, a Davies return to prominence would be a miracle for sure.