Most nine-year-old boys in America dream of growing up to be
professional sports heroes. Davis Love III was no exception.
But while fame and glory are usually the impetus behind such
dreams, Love wanted to be a professional golfer because he loved the game. He
simply didn’t want to do anything else.
Today, Love still lives for the game. True, the stakes are a
little higher. At 24, Love has a wife and a baby on the way. But the child-like
obsession burns brighter than ever. And although most know Love as one of the
PGA Tour’s longest hitters, many more will soon discover the big picture. Davis
Love III has arrived as a bona fide young lion on the professional golf circuit.
Sure, his distance off the tee is already legendary. Last year,
his second full season on Tour, Love finished first in driving distance with a
staggering 285.7 average. But his win at the 1987 MCI Heritage Classic opened
many an eye. Love not only won at Harbour Town, he came within one shot of the
tournament record of 14-under par 270. More importantly, he proved that his game
was solid all around.
This rise to stardom is a natural progression for Love. He began
to play golf shortly after learning to walk. As a child, Love followed his
father, Davis Love, Jr., around on the PGA Tour. The elder Love, of course,
went on to become one of the most respected teacher/tacticians in the game.
Growing up in such a golf rich environment, Love’s potential was overshadowed
only by the pressure to perform on an exemplary level. After a relatively
unsuccessful junior career, Love and his father began work on a swing that would
last. One that would produce results.
In time, the work paid off. Love enjoyed a glorious collegiate
career at the University of North Carolina, earning All America honors three
consecutive years and winning the 1984 Atlantic Coast Conference championship
and the prestigious North/South Amateur at Pinehurst No. 2. A Walker Cup team
member in 1985, Love qualified for the PGA Tour in the fall of that year and won
more than $100,000 in his first full campaign. In addition to his win at Harbour
Town last year, he also finished second at Colonial and made nearly $300,000 for
the year, good for 33rd on the final money list.
Love’s character and his respect for the game was perhaps best
evidenced at this year’s Players Championship at Sawgrass. In Friday’s second
round Love was two-under par when he noticed that his putter was bent, an
infraction under the Tour’s rules on altering equipment. Although no one,
including playing partners Jack Nicklaus and Payne Stewart, caught the gaffe,
Love promptly called the officials. He was subsequently disqualified, perhaps
costing him a hefty paycheck.
Just a few days after the TPC incident, we had the opportunity to
sit down with Love at his Sea Island home. Rather than being disheartened over
the affair, as many younger players might have been, Love was in good spirits
and already hard at work preparing for his first Masters appearance. And
although he would miss the cut at Augusta by just one shot, the consensus is
strong that Love will be around for many more shots at that, and other, coveted
prizes on the PGA Tour.
Was there an inordinate amount of pressure on you growing up in
the shadow of your father?
There wasn’t really any pressure from my family, or any
self-imposed pressure. When I was first playing in junior tournaments, everyone
thought I should play well because my dad was a pro. So there was pressure from
other players. The feeling was that if I played well, it was because of my dad.
If I didn’t play well, I should have because of my dad. It was kid stuff. But my
dad only wanted us to play if we wanted to and if we enjoyed playing. If we
wanted to play hockey or soccer or anything else, he would let us do that, too.
He was very good for us. He knew how to get us started without forcing anything
on us.
