England's Laura Davies has won 56 titles worldwide - but admits she would give up a few of them to claim the British Women's Open starting at Woburn today.

Davies, whose most recent triumph came last Sunday in the WPGA Championship of Europe at Gleneagles, won the title at Birkdale in 1986. The former world number one has had a great recent run with seven top 10 finishes - including two wins - in her last eight events.

But the return to Woburn after visits to Sunningdale and Royal Lytham has done little to enhance the field. America's Dottie Pepper and South Korea's Se Ri Pak are among the absentees.

Woburn was the annual venue from 1990 to 1996, but now it is included in a rolling rota along with Sunningdale, Lytham and Birkdale.

Sherri Steinhauer, the American who won in the wild storms at Lytham last year, is back to defend.

However, she admitted she was disappointed that only 25 of her compatriots had joined her. Scotland's Janice Moodie, the leading British player at number 15 on the US money list, and Catriona Matthew plus the English pair of Alison Nicholas and Trish Johnson are other leading British contenders.