Golf: Laura Davies, the first woman to compete in an Australasian or European men's tour event, has ruled out playing with her male counterparts again in the near future after missing Friday's cut at the ANZ Championship."You never say never but no at this stage if I was invited to play at another event," said England's Davies, who carded a two-round 14-over-par 158 and beat just one other player.
Former women's world number one Davies scored -13 points and finished above Australia's injured Shane Tait, who tallied -21 points after suffering a back problem late in his second round of the modified stableford event that rewards attacking golf.
Asked if she was disappointed, the 40-year-old Davies told reporters: "No, not really, because I had a go. I'd rather have had a go then not made the cut and finished poorly than just sat back and turned the invitation down because I would have already been wondering but now I know."
With the modified stableford players get eight points for an albatross, five for an eagle, two for a birdie, none for a par, minus one for a bogey and minus three for a multiple bogey.
Briton Steve Webster leads the field with +27 points after a pair of 66s at the Horizons Golf Resort near Newcastle, about 200kms north of Sydney.
Davies, who blamed a lack of sleep and nerves for her three-over-par 75 on Thursday, fared worse on Friday with nine bogeys and a double-bogey in her 83.
The big-hitting Davies is the latest woman to make a high profile appearance against her male counterparts.
Fourteen-year-old Michelle Wie narrowly failed to become the first woman to make the cut in a men's PGA Tour event at last month's Hawaiian Open.
Sweden's Annika Sorenstam, who won two of last year's four women's golf majors, became the first woman in 58 years to play a PGA Tour event at the Colonial in May 2003.
Australia's former world number one Greg Norman, speaking in Melbourne last week, called for an end to women competing in men's tournaments, adding that they should stay in their "rightful" place on their own tour.
Tournament leader Webster, seeking his maiden win on the European Tour, said that after missing the cut in last week's Heineken Classic in Melbourne he went back to the driving range on Saturday for a four-hour lesson with 1991 U.S. Masters winner Welshman Ian Woosnam.
"I probably owe him a lot at the moment," said 29-year-old Webster. "He got me hitting it really well. I was swinging terribly and he told me that. It gave me a bit of a kick up the (pants) and here I am."
Australia's overnight leader Nick O'Hern was second on +26 points after the Perth left-hander shot a 69 and added eight points to his first round tally of +18.
Title holder Paul Casey fired a nine-under-par 63 including 10 birdies and one bogey to edge within four points of the lead on +23 points, alongside France's Thomas Levet who carded +14 points in his 65 on Friday.
Australia's Peter O'Malley (+10) and New Zealand's Michael Campbell (+11) were equal fifth on +22 points.
