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Davies looks to seal New Star Money List in Austria

Laura Davies returns to Golfclub Föhrenwald in Wiener Neustadt, Austria , in pole position on the Ladies' European Tour's New Star Money List.

This week's €250,000 Siemens Ladies Austrian Open presented by Uniqa will be her final event of the season in Europe and the Englishwoman is intent on finishing the European leg of her 2006 season with a bang.

Davies, who captured the SAS Masters in Norway three weeks ago, has played in 11 events in Europe this season – her most since 1991, when she played 12 and finished fifth on the order of merit.

With the second ranked Gwladys Nocera absent from this week's field and €37,500 going to the tournament winner, it will be Davies' final attempt to seal the New Star Money List and she aims to make some serious headway.

“The main reason for being here is to hopefully win and get ahead in the New Star Money List,” Davies admitted ahead of the tournament. “Gwladys isn't playing here this week so there is a real chance for me to go further ahead.”

Davies is aiming to become European no.1 for the seventh time in a 20-year-career but she will not play in the Ladies European Tour's two remaining tournaments in England and Dubai .

She had arranged to walk the Great Wall of China in aid of Great Ormond Street before the Ladies English Open dates were moved to mid October and she cannot play in the Dubai Ladies Masters as she has already committed to playing in Korea .

Yet the current European number one hinted she is close to her best form by tying for second at last week's Nykredit Masters, which was her fifth second place finish of the season and she returns to the challenge of Golfclub Fohrenwald's woodland course golf already a proven winner in 2006.

“I like this course because it suits me,” said Davies, who tied for third with Spain's Marta Prieto last year, five shots behind the winner, Federica Piovano.

Last year in Austria , the 24-year-old Italian delivered a masterful display to claim her first Ladies European Tour victory, taking the title by a stroke from France 's Gwladys Nocera with an eagle putt at the 72 nd hole. She set the course alight in the second round, firing a course record ten-under-par 62.

This year, Davies' main adversary will be Sweden 's Sophie Gustafson, making her third appearance of the year in Europe .

“Sophie is the main opposition. She hits the ball a long way and she's playing well at the moment. This course suits me but it also suits Sophie. It's quite long but open, so you can take some risks off the tee. I would think Sophie will be in the top three at the end of the week.”

Gustafson, who won the LET order of merit in 2000 and 2003, is currently third in the New Star Money List having played just two tournaments: the Evian Masters, where she finished tied 19 th , and the Weetabix Women's British Open, where she finished tied second.

This week she aims to secure Solheim Cup points ahead of next year's match at Halmstad , Sweden .