Laura Davies qualified for the Samsung World Championship with a recent surge that put her atop the Ladies European Tour money list. But it wasn't enough to turn her back on a commitment to a friend.
Davies had pledged to walk 90 kilometres of the Great Wall of China to raise money for Great Ormond Street, the hospital that is treating the one-year-old daughter of Helen Dobson. Davies and Dobson played on the Curtis Cup team together, and Dobson's daughter has Down's syndrome.
It can be a daunting walk, especially as the wall narrows.
``You know me, I never do anything I don't want to do,'' Davies told The Daily Telegraph newspaper in Britain.
It was rough, even after walking. The 43-year-old Davies stayed in farm houses with thin walls, hard beds, cold water and toilets that amounted to holes in the ground. And for meals? An evening bowl of rice.
``If I haven't lost weight, it will be a travesty,'' Davies said.
One thing she was sure to gain was respect.
© The Canadian Press, 2007
