PORT STEPHENS, Australia, Feb. 12 (UPI) -- The pressure was enormous Thursday in Australia for golfer Laura Davies when she became the first woman to tee off in a European Tour event.
The former world No. 1 from England hardly slept Wednesday night in anticipation of her first tee shot Thursday at the ANZ Championship.
Yet she outdrove both Peter Senior and Jean van de Velde and, after finally shaking a case of the nerves, managed a credible 3-over-par 75.
Using the modified Stableford points format applied here, Davies' five bogeys and two birdies translated into a minus-1. She is 19 behind first-round leader Nick O'Hern of Australia but confident a good showing on Friday will be enough to make the cut.
"(Being) minus-1 to the field looks terrible, to the guys who are shooting 18 points, but in a way I am quite pleased with it," said Davies, who was playing her first competitive round in two months.
"I have given myself a chance if I have a really good day tomorrow to make the cut. If I can get seven or eight points tomorrow I can make the cut."
