Dame Laura Davies has made 43 consecutive AIG Women's Open appearances and she could now make the ultimate farewell – at the Old Course at St Andrews in 12 months' time.
The Englishwoman won the event back in 1986, before it was afforded Major status, and she is now eyeing a send-off in Fife. Past winners who are 60 and under are exempt and Davies will leave her fifties in October this year.
Davies was part of the Celebration of Champions event at St Andrews last summer, ahead of the 150th Open, but 2024 will only be the third time that the Women's Open has visited the Old Course – Davies missed the cut both years.
"I'm probably not going to play any more regular tour events," Davies told Sky Sports. "I'm going to be playing some seniors tour events next year and then, if I feel my game is good enough, I will have a go at St Andrews," Davies told Sky Sports ahead of her commentating role this week at Walton Heath.
"It's my favourite golf course in the world so couldn't be better, but I'm not going to go there if I'm playing really horrible golf. Hopefully the senior events I play in will be enough to have some kind of game going in."
This year's championship was a bit of a write-off for Davies who was forced to withdraw after just six holes on Thursday. After finding the heather on various occasions and dropping nine shots, Davies had to call time on her efforts.
"I just kept hitting it in the deep rough and I went for one too many. I had been kind of hacking my way down the first three or four holes and then got to six and it was a really bad lie in the brambles. I went for it when I probably should've taken a drop and I just felt something in the wrist pop. On the tee shot on seven I felt it again and I thought 'do you know what, I'm way over par, I'm getting in everyone's way and it really hurts', so I called for a ruling.
"The doctor has a look at it and said it was a rumbling tendon, which I don't think I've had before! I don't think I could have played today so I think it was the right decision. It's disappointing but sometimes you've got to know when it's getting close to the end."
Davies has spent more time in the Sky Sports commentary box in recent times than on the course and she will again be a vice-captain at the Solheim Cup in Spain, working alongside captain Suzann Pettersen as Europe go for a third straight win.
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