Age: 60
Davis Love III
Age: 60
Davis Milton Love III (born April 13, 1964) is an American professional golfer who has won 21 events on the PGA Tour, including one major championship: the 1997 PGA Championship. He also won the prestigious Players Championship in 1992 and 2003. He was in the top 10 of the Official World Golf Ranking for over 450 weeks and reached a high ranking of third.
Love captained the losing 2012 U.S. Ryder Cup team.
Background and family
Love was born in Charlotte, North Carolina, to Davis Love, Jr. and his wife, Helen, a day after his father competed in the final round at the 1964 Masters Tournament. His father, who was a former pro and nationally recognized golf instructor, introduced him to the game. His mother is also an avid low-handicap golfer. His father was killed in a 1988 plane crash.
He attended high school at Glynn Academy, Brunswick, Georgia, and later the University of North Carolina (1983-85), where he was a three-time all-American and all-Atlantic Coast Conference golfer. He won six titles during his collegiate career, including the ACC tournament championship in 1984.
Love turned professional in 1985, earning his PGA Tour card in the autumn of 1985, on his first attempt. He quickly established himself on the PGA Tour, winning his first tour event in 1987 at the MCI Heritage Golf Classic, at Harbour Town Golf Links. He would later win this event four more times, setting a record for the most victories in the tournament. Love and Fred Couples won four straight times from 1992-95 for the United States in the World Cup of Golf, a record for this event.
Love was a consistent contender and winner on the PGA Tour in the 1990s and early 2000s, but the most memorable win came at the 1997 PGA Championship, his only major championship victory. The 1997 PGA Championship was played at Winged Foot Golf Club, and just four players in the field finished under-par for the week. Love's winning score was 11-under-par, five strokes better than Justin Leonard. When Love sank his birdie putt on the final hole of the championship, it was under the arc of a rainbow, which appeared as he walked up to the 18th green. In the telecast, CBS Sports announcer Jim Nantz made the connection between the rainbow and Love's late father, Davis Love, Jr., who was a well-known and beloved figure in the golf world.This victory was the last major championship win achieved with a wooden-headed driver.
In 1994, Love founded Love Golf Design, a golf course architecture company, with his younger brother and caddie, Mark Love. The company has been responsible for the design of several courses throughout the southeast United States. Completed in 1997, Ocean Creek is his first signature course and is located on Fripp Island, South Carolina. Love also designed the Dunes course at Diamante in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, which is ranked among Golf Magazine's Top 100 courses in the world.
In 1997, Love published the book Every Shot I Take, which honors his father's lessons on life and golf. The book received the 1997 United States Golf Association's International Book Award. That year, he developed and designed his own golf course in Harnett County, North Carolina. The course, Anderson Creek Club, won an award for "Best New Course in North Carolina" in 2001. He and his wife Robin have two children.
On November 9, 2008, Love earned his 20th PGA Tour win at the Children's Miracle Network Classic, which gave him a lifetime exemption on Tour.
His victory in the 2015 Wyndham Championship—at age 51—made him the third oldest winner in PGA Tour history, trailing only Sam Snead and Art Wall, Jr. This win also brought Love into select company in another PGA Tour distinction: he became only the third player to win on the Tour in four different decades, joining Sam Snead and Raymond Floyd.
After failing to qualify for the 2014 FedEx Cup, Love made his Champions Tour debut at the Pacific Links Hawaii Championship.
Love was named the captain of the U.S. 2016 Ryder Cup team in February 2015.
Love is the oldest PGA Tour winner in the Champions Tour era (since 1980), having won the Wyndham Championship in 2015 at 51 years, 4 months, 10 days.
Love is the tournament host of the RSM Classic. In 2015, son Davis IV (better known as Dru) earned a sponsor exemption into the event. Dru missed the cut.
Legacy
- Has a portion of I-95 named after him. In 1998, the segment of I-95 which extends in Georgia from the McIntosh County line to Highway 341 at exit 7A and B was designated the "Davis Love III Highway."
- Love hit the second longest drive ever officially recorded in competition play at the 2004 Mercedes Championships. His 476-yard drive was still 39 yards short of Mike Austin's record.
- He also has a restaurant named after him in his hometown of Sea Island, Georgia, called the Davis Love Grill.
Amateur wins (2)
- 1984 North and South Amateur, Middle Atlantic Amateur
Professional wins (37)
PGA Tour wins (21)
Legend |
Major championships (1) |
Other PGA Tour (20) |
No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Apr 19, 1987 | MCI Heritage Golf Classic | −13 (70-67-67-67=271) | 1 stroke | Steve Jones |
2 | Aug 19, 1990 | The International | 14 points (8-0-15-14) | 3 points | Steve Pate, Eduardo Romero, Peter Senior |
3 | Apr 21, 1991 | MCI Heritage Golf Classic | −13 (65-68-68-70=271) | 2 strokes | Ian Baker-Finch |
4 | Mar 29, 1992 | The Players Championship | −15 (67-68-71-67=273) | 4 strokes | Ian Baker-Finch, Phil Blackmar, Nick Faldo, Tom Watson |
5 | Apr 19, 1992 | MCI Heritage Golf Classic | −15 (67-67-67-68=269) | 4 strokes | Chip Beck |
6 | Apr 26, 1992 | KMart Greater Greensboro Open | −16 (71-68-71-62=272) | 6 strokes | John Cook |
7 | Jan 10, 1993 | Infiniti Tournament of Champions | −16 (67-67-69-69=272) | 1 stroke | Tom Kite |
8 | Oct 24, 1993 | Las Vegas Invitational | −29 (67-66-67-65-66=331) | 8 strokes | Craig Stadler |
9 | Apr 2, 1995 | Freeport-McMoRan Classic | −14 (68-69-66-71=274) | Playoff | Mike Heinen |
10 | Feb 11, 1996 | Buick Invitational | −19 (66-70-69-64=269) | 2 strokes | Phil Mickelson |
11 | Aug 17, 1997 | PGA Championship | −11 (66-71-66-66=269) | 5 strokes | Justin Leonard |
12 | Oct 5, 1997 | Buick Challenge | −21 (67-65-67-68=267) | 4 strokes | Stewart Cink |
13 | Apr 19, 1998 | MCI Classic | −18 (67-68-66-65=266) | 7 strokes | Glen Day |
14 | Feb 4, 2001 | AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am | −16 (71-69-69-63=272) | 1 stroke | Vijay Singh |
15 | Feb 9, 2003 | AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am | −14 (72-67-67-68=274) | 1 stroke | Tom Lehman |
16 | Mar 30, 2003 | The Players Championship | −17 (70-67-70-64=271) | 6 strokes | Jay Haas, Pádraig Harrington |
17 | Apr 20, 2003 | MCI Heritage | −13 (66-69-69-67=271) | Playoff | Woody Austin |
18 | Aug 10, 2003 | The International | 46 points (19-17-5-5=46) | 12 points | Retief Goosen, Vijay Singh |
19 | Oct 8, 2006 | Chrysler Classic of Greensboro | −16 (69-69-68-66=272) | 2 strokes | Jason Bohn |
20 | Nov 9, 2008 | Children's Miracle Network Classic | −25 (66-69-64-64=263) | 1 stroke | Tommy Gainey |
21 | Aug 23, 2015 | Wyndham Championship | −17 (64-66-69-64=263) | 1 stroke | Jason Gore |
PGA Tour playoff record (2-7)
No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1989 | Nestle Invitational | Tom Kite | Lost to par on second extra hole |
2 | 1991 | NEC World Series of Golf | Jim Gallagher, Jr., Tom Purtzer | Purtzer won with par on second extra hole |
3 | 1992 | Nissan Los Angeles Open | Fred Couples | Lost to birdie on second extra hole |
4 | 1995 | Freeport-McMoRan Classic | Mike Heinen | Won with birdie on second extra hole |
5 | 1996 | Buick Challenge | Michael Bradley, Fred Funk, John Maginnes, Len Mattiace |
Bradley won with birdie on first extra hole |
6 | 1996 | Las Vegas Invitational | Tiger Woods | Lost to par on first extra hole |
7 | 2000 | GTE Byron Nelson Classic | Phil Mickelson, Jesper Parnevik | Parnevik won with par on third extra hole Mickelson eliminated with birdie on second hole |
8 | 2001 | Buick Invitational | Frank Lickliter II, Phil Mickelson | Mickelson won with double bogey on third extra hole Love eliminated with par on second |
9 | 2003 | MCI Heritage | Woody Austin | Won with birdie on fourth extra hole |
Japan Golf Tour wins (1)
- 1998 The Crowns
Other wins (15)
- 1990 JCPenney Classic (with Beth Daniel)
- 1992 Franklin Funds Shark Shootout (with Tom Kite), World Cup of Golf (with Fred Couples), Kapalua International
- 1993 World Cup of Golf (with Fred Couples) (2)
- 1994 World Cup of Golf (with Fred Couples) (3)
- 1995 World Cup of Golf (x2) (team title with Fred Couples (4) & individual title), JCPenney Classic (with Beth Daniel) (2)
- 1996 Wendy's 3-Tour Challenge (with Fred Couples and Payne Stewart)
- 1997 Lincoln-Mercury Kapalua International (2)
- 2000 CVS Charity Classic (with Justin Leonard), Williams World Challenge
- 2003 Target World Challenge (2)
- 2012 Wendy's 3-Tour Challenge (with Jason Day and Nick Watney) (2), PNC Father-Son Challenge (with son Davis IV "Dru")
Major championships
Wins (1)
Year | Championship | 54 holes | Winning score | Margin | Runner-up |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1997 | PGA Championship | Tied for lead | −11 (66-71-66-66=269) | 5 strokes | Justin Leonard |
Results timeline
Tournament | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 |
---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | DNP | DNP | CUT | DNP |
U.S. Open | DNP | DNP | CUT | T33 |
The Open Championship | DNP | CUT | CUT | T23 |
PGA Championship | T47 | CUT | DNP | T17 |
Tournament | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | DNP | T42 | T25 | T54 | CUT | 2 | T7 | T7 | T33 | 2 |
U.S. Open | DNP | T11 | T60 | T33 | T28 | T4 | T2 | T16 | CUT | T12 |
The Open Championship | CUT | T44 | CUT | CUT | T38 | T98 | CUT | T10 | 8 | T7 |
PGA Championship | T40 | T32 | T33 | T31 | CUT | CUT | CUT | 1 | T7 | T49 |
Tournament | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | T7 | CUT | T14 | T15 | T6 | CUT | T22 | T27 | DNP | DNP |
U.S. Open | CUT | T7 | T24 | CUT | CUT | T6 | CUT | CUT | T53 | DNP |
The Open Championship | T11 | T21 | T14 | T4 | T5 | CUT | CUT | CUT | T19 | T27 |
PGA Championship | T9 | T37 | T48 | CUT | CUT | T4 | T34 | CUT | CUT | CUT |
Tournament | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | DNP | CUT | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | T42 |
U.S. Open | T6 | T11 | T29 | DNP | DNP | DNP | |
The Open Championship | CUT | T9 | CUT | DNP | DNP | DNP | |
PGA Championship | T55 | T72 | CUT | CUT | CUT | CUT |
DNP = Did not play
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10.
Summary
Tournament | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top-5 | Top-10 | Top-25 | Events | Cuts made |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 10 | 20 | 15 |
U.S. Open | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 10 | 23 | 16 |
The Open Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 11 | 26 | 15 |
PGA Championship | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 29 | 16 |
Totals | 1 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 21 | 36 | 98 | 62 |
- Most consecutive cuts made - 8 (2001 U.S. Open - 2003 Masters)
- Longest streak of top-10s - 3 (1998 Open Championship - 1999 Masters)
Results in World Golf Championship events
Tournament | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Accenture Match Play Championship | R64 | 4 | DNP | R32 | R32 | 2 | R16 | 2 | R64 | DNP | R32 |
CA Championship | T16 | DNP | NT1 | 8 | T40 | T41 | T11 | DNP | WD | DNP | T28 |
Bridgestone Invitational | T10 | 35 | T5 | T11 | 3 | T4 | T13 | T4 | T6 | DNP | T19 |
HSBC Champions | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | DNP |
1Cancelled due to 9/11
DNP = Did not play
QF, R16, R32, R64 = Round in which player lost in match play
"T" = Tied
WD = Withdrew
NT = No tournament
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10.
Note that the HSBC Champions did not become a WGC event until 2009.
PGA Tour career summary
Season | Wins (majors) | Earnings ($) | Rank |
---|---|---|---|
1985 | 0 | 0 | - |
1986 | 0 | 113,245 | 77 |
1987 | 1 | 297,378 | 33 |
1988 | 0 | 156,068 | 75 |
1989 | 0 | 278,760 | 44 |
1990 | 1 | 537,172 | 20 |
1991 | 1 | 686,361 | 8 |
1992 | 3 | 1,191,630 | 2 |
1993 | 2 | 777,059 | 12 |
1994 | 0 | 474,219 | 33 |
1995 | 1 | 1,111,999 | 6 |
1996 | 1 | 1,211,139 | 7 |
1997 | 2 (1) | 1,635,953 | 3 |
1998 | 1 | 1,541,152 | 11 |
1999 | 0 | 2,475,328 | 3 |
2000 | 0 | 2,337,765 | 9 |
2001 | 1 | 3,169,463 | 5 |
2002 | 0 | 2,056,160 | 21 |
2003 | 4 | 6,081,896 | 3 |
2004 | 0 | 3,075,092 | 10 |
2005 | 0 | 2,658,779 | 13 |
2006 | 1 | 2,747,206 | 16 |
2007 | 0 | 1,016,489 | 96 |
2008 | 1 | 1,695,237 | 48 |
2009 | 0 | 1,622,401 | 52 |
2010 | 0 | 1,214,472 | 73 |
2011 | 0 | 1,056,300 | 88 |
2012 | 0 | 989,753 | 100 |
2013 | 0 | 303,470 | 165 |
2014 | 0 | 284,800 | 173 |
2015 | 1 | 1,263,596 | 75 |
Career* | 21 (1) | 44,060,343 | 6 |
*As of the 2014-15 season.
U.S. national team appearances
Amateur
- Walker Cup: 1985 (winners)
Professional
- Dunhill Cup: 1992
- World Cup of Golf: 1992 (winners), 1993 (winners), 1994 (winners), 1995 (winners), 1997
- Ryder Cup: 1993 (winners), 1995, 1997, 1999 (winners), 2002, 2004
- Presidents Cup: 1994 (winners), 1996 (winners), 1998, 2000 (winners), 2003 (tie), 2005 (winners)