Laura Davies opens up on Jon Rahm and Joey Barton at PGA Scotland event in Glasgow

Former world No 1 talks openly on hot topics during visit to Glasgow

Dame Laura Davies shows off her PGA Recognition Award, which was presented during the PGA in Scotland Annual Luncheon in Glasgow. Picture: Kenny Smith Photography

Laura Davies rattled through a wide variety of topics during a chat before her guest of honour appearance at the annual PGA of Scotland Luncheon in Glasgow, getting her teeth into both Jon Rahm’s switch to LIV Golf and Joey Barton’s controversial views on women commentators in sport.

Tackling Rahm first following his decision to sign for LIV Golf for a reported $450 million, the four-time major winner admitted she was mildly surprised by the sensational development after the Spaniard had previously been consistent in saying he had no desire to be part of the Saudi-backed breakaway circuit.

“It just goes to show that everyone has their price because I would never have considered he’d joining LIV Golf with the things he’d said but, ultimately, when they keep adding zeros and the numbers at the front are going up, it has an impact and, 100 per cent, I can’t blame him,” said Davies.

Rahm has made the switch after winning two majors in recent years and arguably being the game’s best player in that time. “Maybe he knows he’ll get to play in the majors for a good few years to come because of being exempt for those events and that’s good enough for him and he’s set up his family and his family’s family,” added Davies. “But I’m not sure at that age (29) that it would have been something I wanted to do because he’s so good that he can win more majors and he might still to do that. It looks to me that when you play LIV, your level comes down a tiny bit, though maybe not much because Brooks [Koepka] won a major this year.”

How damaging might Rahm’s decision be to golf in general as ongoing talks continue between the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund around a Framework Agreement, which has a 31 December looming?

“Well, we’ve already got Ludvig Aberg coming through, another superstar in the making,” mused the 12-time Solheim Cup player, who, even though she’s a sports nut, openly confessed she is not a big LIV Golf fan. “The trouble for these guys going to LIV is that there are guys going to fill their boots that are very good players. Take Cam Smith, for example. Would anyone actually know how he is doing with LIV and he was the Open champion before he went? No-one really knows how he plays any more.

“Don’t get me wrong. If anyone offered me that kind of money, I’d be there. I’m not criticising them, but they are easily replaced and the way these young boys and girls are coming through now, they are bigger and stronger and someone will be the world No 3 soon and maybe people won’t think about Jon Rahm.”

Davies enjoyed a stellar playing career, winning 20 times on the LPGA Tour and a record 45 times on the Ladies European Tour. But, in comparison to what she earned, the current prize pots up for grabs in professional golf, not just in the men’s game, are at an eye-watering level.

“My biggest cheque was $240,000 and that was at the JC Penney with John Daly (in 1999),” she recalled. “I think most of my winnings on the LPGA were between $60,000 and $90,000. I’d love to be playing at the top level at the moment. They are winning $2 million and next year the CME (the LPGA’s season-ending event) is going to be worth $4 million to the winner. so it’s all changed for the better and good luck to them. I’m not envious of these girls one bit as I love to see it.”

As for Barton, who claimed last week that women are not good enough to commentate on football because “they don’t understand the game”, huge Liverpool fan Davies admitted she was trying to tread carefully but, at the same time, also didn’t shirk away from that issue in her role as a Sky Sports commentator.

“People may not say it, but there’s always that, it’s in golf, too,” she said. “I don’t know why Joey would say something like that. But I’m a big fan of the fact that if you’ve been there and done it you can talk about it. It’s not so easy if you haven’t. Trish Johnson, Dottie Pepper, Morgan Pressel, all the girls who do golf. They’re all major champions and multiple winners. It’s not at the power level of men’s golf, but the pressure is no different.”