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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 won the Players Championship in 1992 and 2003. He was in the top 10 of the Official World Golf Ranking for over 450 weeks, reaching a high ranking of 2nd.[2][3] He captained the U.S. Ryder Cup teams in 2012 and 2016.[4][5] Love was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2017.[6]
| Davis Love III | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
.jpg) Love in 2007 | |||||||
| Personal information | |||||||
| Full name | Davis Milton Love III | ||||||
| Born | April 13, 1964 Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S. | ||||||
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||
| Weight | 175 lb (79 kg; 12.5 st) | ||||||
| Sporting nationality |  United States | ||||||
| Residence | St. Simons Island, Georgia, U.S. | ||||||
| Spouse | Robin Love | ||||||
| Children | Alexia, Davis IV | ||||||
| Career | |||||||
| College | North Carolina | ||||||
| Turned professional | 1985 | ||||||
| Current tour(s) | PGA Tour PGA Tour Champions | ||||||
| Professional wins | 37 | ||||||
| Highest ranking | 2 (July 19, 1998)[1] | ||||||
| Number of wins by tour | |||||||
| PGA Tour | 21 | ||||||
| European Tour | 1 | ||||||
| Japan Golf Tour | 1 | ||||||
| Other | 15 | ||||||
| Best results in major championships (wins: 1) | |||||||
| Masters Tournament | 2nd: 1995, 1999 | ||||||
| PGA Championship | Won: 1997 | ||||||
| U.S. Open | T2: 1996 | ||||||
| The Open Championship | T4: 2003 | ||||||
| Achievements and awards | |||||||
| |||||||
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Davis Milton Love III was born on April 13, 1964, 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.[7][8]
Love attended high school in Brunswick, Georgia, and graduated from its Glynn Academy in 1982.
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Love played college golf at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, where he was a three-time All-American and all-Atlantic Coast Conference. He won six titles during his collegiate career, including the ACC tournament championship as a sophomore in 1984.[9]
In 1985, Love turned professional. He earned his PGA Tour card late in the season at 1985 PGA Tour Qualifying School. It was his first attempt at PGA Tour Qualifying school 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.
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.[10] 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.[11]
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. It was played at Winged Foot Golf Club near New York City, 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 runner-up 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.[12][13] This victory was the last major championship win achieved with a wooden-headed driver.[14]
Love has had success late in his regular career. 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.
Senior career
After failing to qualify for the FedEx Cup in 2014, Love made his Champions Tour debut at the Pacific Links Hawaii Championship.
Love's victory in the 2015 Wyndham Championship—at age 51—made him the third-oldest winner in PGA Tour history,[15] trailing only Sam Snead and Art Wall Jr. The win made Love the oldest PGA Tour winner in the PGA Tour Champions era (since 1980). It 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 Snead and Raymond Floyd.
Love's son Davis Love IV (better known as Dru Love) is also a professional golfer. Love has worked with his son at a number of tournaments. In 2015, his son earned a sponsor exemption into the RSM Classic while still an amateur; Love III serves as the host. After Love failed to qualify for the 2017 U.S. Open, he caddied for Dru, who made his professional debut. On December 16, 2018, Love and his son Dru won the Father/Son Challenge at Ritz-Carlton Golf Club in Orlando, Florida.[16]
Love has served as the captain of several national teams as a senior. In 2012, he was the captain of the American Ryder Cup team. Four years later, he was captain of the 2016 Ryder Cup. Six year later, Love captained the U.S. team to victory in the 2022 Presidents Cup.[17]
For the 2020 PGA Tour season, Love joined CBS as a full-time analyst.[18] In July 2020, Love announced that he was leaving his role with CBS in order to "focus on my family, play a few tournaments, and bring some stability back in a difficult year."[19]
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He and his wife Robin have two children.[20] On March 27, 2020, Love's home in St. Simons Island, Georgia, was destroyed in a fire. Love and his wife escaped without injury.[21]
Love is a Republican, and has donated money to Johnny Isakson and George W. Bush.[22]
- In 1997, his book, Every Shot I Take, received the United States Golf Association's International Book Award.[23]
- In 2008, Love III won the Payne Stewart Award
- In 2013, he earned the Bob Jones Award
- In 2017, Love III was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame
- 1984 North and South Amateur, Middle Atlantic Amateur
PGA Tour wins (21)
| Legend |
|---|
| Major championships (1) |
| Players Championships (2) |
| Other PGA Tour (18) |
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | To par | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Apr 19, 1987 | MCI Heritage Golf Classic | 70-67-67-67=271 | −13 | 1 stroke |  Steve Jones |
| 2 | Aug 19, 1990 | The International | 14 pts (8-0-15-14=14) | 3 points | Steve Pate,  Eduardo Romero, Peter Senior | |
| 3 | Apr 21, 1991 | MCI Heritage Golf Classic (2) | 65-68-68-70=271 | −13 | 2 strokes | Ian Baker-Finch |
| 4 | Mar 29, 1992 | The Players Championship | 67-68-71-67=273 | −15 | 4 strokes | Ian Baker-Finch, Phil Blackmar, Nick Faldo, Tom Watson |
| 5 | Apr 19, 1992 | MCI Heritage Golf Classic (3) | 67-67-68-67=269 | −15 | 4 strokes | Chip Beck |
| 6 | Apr 26, 1992 | KMart Greater Greensboro Open | 71-68-71-62=272 | −16 | 6 strokes | John Cook |
| 7 | Jan 10, 1993 | Infiniti Tournament of Champions | 67-67-69-69=272 | −16 | 1 stroke | Tom Kite |
| 8 | Oct 24, 1993 | Las Vegas Invitational | 67-66-67-65-66=331 | −29 | 8 strokes | Craig Stadler |
| 9 | Apr 2, 1995 | Freeport-McMoRan Classic | 68-69-66-71=274 | −14 | Playoff | Mike Heinen |
| 10 | Feb 11, 1996 | Buick Invitational | 66-70-69-64=269 | −19 | 2 strokes | Phil Mickelson |
| 11 | Aug 17, 1997 | PGA Championship | 66-71-66-66=269 | −11 | 5 strokes | Justin Leonard |
| 12 | Oct 5, 1997 | Buick Challenge | 67-65-67-68=267 | −21 | 4 strokes | Stewart Cink |
| 13 | Apr 19, 1998 | MCI Classic (4) | 67-68-66-65=266 | −18 | 7 strokes | Glen Day |
| 14 | Feb 4, 2001 | AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am | 71-69-69-63=272 | −16 | 1 stroke |  Vijay Singh |
| 15 | Feb 9, 2003 | AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am (2) | 72-67-67-68=274 | −14 | 1 stroke | Tom Lehman |
| 16 | Mar 30, 2003 | The Players Championship (2) | 70-67-70-64=271 | −17 | 6 strokes | Jay Haas,  Pádraig Harrington |
| 17 | Apr 20, 2003 | MCI Heritage (5) | 66-69-69-67=271 | −13 | Playoff | Woody Austin |
| 18 | Aug 10, 2003 | The International (2) | 46 pts (19-17-5-5=46) | 12 points |  Retief Goosen, Vijay Singh | |
| 19 | Oct 8, 2006 | Chrysler Classic of Greensboro (2) | 69-69-68-66=272 | −16 | 2 strokes | Jason Bohn |
| 20 | Nov 9, 2008 | Children's Miracle Network Classic | 66-69-64-64=263 | −25 | 1 stroke | Tommy Gainey |
| 21 | Aug 23, 2015 | Wyndham Championship (3) | 64-66-69-64=263 | −17 | 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 by birdie on second hole |
| 8 | 2001 | Buick Invitational | Frank Lickliter, Phil Mickelson |
Mickelson won with double-bogey on third extra hole Love eliminated by par on second hole |
| 9 | 2003 | MCI Heritage | Woody Austin |
Won with birdie on fourth extra hole |
PGA of Japan Tour wins (1)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | To par | Margin of victory |
Runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | May 3, 1998 | The Crowns | 64-71-67-67=269 | −11 | 8 strokes |  Rick Gibson,  Masanobu Kimura, Brian Watts |
Other wins (15)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | To par | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dec 2, 1990 | JCPenney Classic (with Beth Daniel) |
67-70-62-67=266 | −12 | 5 strokes | Jay Haas and Nancy Lopez |
| 2 | Nov 8, 1992 | World Cup (with Fred Couples) |
134-139-140-135=548 | −28 | 1 stroke | Sweden − Anders Forsbrand and Per-Ulrik Johansson |
| 3 | Nov 15, 1992 | Kapalua International | 65-71-72-67=275 | −17 | 1 stroke | Mike Hulbert |
| 4 | Nov 22, 1992 | Franklin Funds Shark Shootout (with Tom Kite) |
65-69-59=191 | −25 | 1 stroke | Billy Ray Brown and  Nick Price, Fred Couples and Raymond Floyd, Hale Irwin and Bruce Lietzke |
| 5 | Nov 14, 1993 | World Cup of Golf (2) (with Fred Couples) |
137-140-141-138=556 | −20 | 5 strokes | Zimbabwe − Mark McNulty and Nick Price |
| 6 | Nov 13, 1994 | World Cup of Golf (3) (with Fred Couples) |
132-129-137-138=536 | −40 | 14 strokes | Zimbabwe − Tony Johnstone and Mark McNulty |
| 7 | Nov 12, 1995 | World Cup of Golf (4) (with Fred Couples) |
133-136-138-136=543 | −33 | 14 strokes | Australia − Robert Allenby and Brett Ogle |
| 8 | Nov 12, 1995 | World Cup of Golf Individual Trophy | 65-67-68-67=267 | −21 | Playoff | Hisayuki Sasaki |
| 9 | Dec 3, 1995 | JCPenney Classic (2) (with Beth Daniel) |
66-65-63-63=257 | −27 | 2 strokes | Helen Alfredsson and Robert Gamez |
| 10 | Nov 9, 1997 | Lincoln-Mercury Kapalua International (2) | 67-66-67-68=268 | −20 | 4 strokes | Olin Browne, David Toms |
| 11 | Jul 11, 2000 | CVS Charity Classic (with Justin Leonard) |
60-66=126 | −16 | 3 strokes | Steve Elkington and Craig Stadler |
| 12 | Dec 3, 2000 | Williams World Challenge | 67-64-71-64=266 | −22 | 2 strokes | Tiger Woods |
| 13 | Dec 14, 2003 | Target World Challenge (2) | 70-72-63-72=277 | −11 | 2 strokes | Tiger Woods |
| 14 | Dec 16, 2012 | PNC Father-Son Challenge (with son Dru Love) |
60-61=121 | −23 | 1 stroke | Larry Nelson and son Josh Nelson |
| 15 | Dec 16, 2018 | PNC Father-Son Challenge (2) (with son Dru Love) |
62-56=118 | −26 | 3 strokes | Stewart Cink and son Connor Cink, John Daly and son John Daly II, Retief Goosen and son Leo Goosen |
Other playoff record (1–3)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1991 | Isuzu Kapalua International | Mike Hulbert |
Lost to birdie on first extra hole |
| 2 | 1995 | World Cup of Golf Individual Trophy | Hisayuki Sasaki |
Won with par on fifth extra hole |
| 3 | 2008 | CVS Caremark Charity Classic (with Billy Andrade) |
Paul Goydos and Tim Herron, Rocco Mediate and Brandt Snedeker, Camilo Villegas and Bubba Watson |
Villegas/Watson won by 1 stroke in three-hole aggregate playoff |
| 4 | 2015 | PNC Father-Son Challenge | Fred Funk and son Taylor Funk, Larry Nelson and son Drew Nelson, Lanny Wadkins and son Tucker Wadkins |
Team Wadkins won with eagle on first extra hole |
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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
Results not in chronological order in 2020.
| Tournament | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | CUT | |||
| U.S. Open | CUT | T33 | ||
| The Open Championship | CUT | CUT | T23 | |
| PGA Championship | T47 | CUT | T17 |
| Tournament | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | T42 | T25 | T54 | CUT | 2 | T7 | T7 | T33 | 2 | |
| U.S. Open | 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 | ||
| U.S. Open | CUT | T7 | T24 | CUT | CUT | T6 | CUT | CUT | T53 | |
| 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 | 2017 | 2018 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | CUT | T42 | |||||||
| U.S. Open | T6 | T11 | T29 | ||||||
| The Open Championship | CUT | T9 | CUT | ||||||
| PGA Championship | T55 | T72 | CUT | CUT | CUT | CUT | CUT | CUT |
| Tournament | 2019 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | ||
| PGA Championship | CUT | |
| U.S. Open | ||
| The Open Championship | NT |
Win
Top 10
Did not play
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
NT = No tournament due to COVID-19 pandemic
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 | 32 | 16 |
| Totals | 1 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 21 | 36 | 101 | 62 |
- Most consecutive cuts made – 8 (2001 U.S. Open – 2003 Masters)
- Longest streak of top-10s – 3 (1998 Open Championship – 1999 Masters)
Wins (2)
| Year | Championship | 54 holes | Winning score | Margin | Runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | The Players Championship | 3 shot deficit | −15 (67-68-71-67=273) | 4 strokes | Ian Baker-Finch, Phil Blackmar, Nick Faldo, Tom Watson |
| 2003 | The Players Championship (2) | 2 shot deficit | −17 (70-67-70-64=271) | 6 strokes | Jay Haas, Pádraig Harrington |
Results timeline
| Tournament | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Players Championship | T14 | CUT | DQ | CUT | T24 | CUT | 1 | T67 | T6 | T6 | T46 | DQ | T57 | T10 |
| Tournament | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Players Championship | T48 | CUT | CUT | 1 | T33 | T8 | CUT | T75 | T54 | CUT | T4 | T12 | CUT | T48 | CUT |
Win
Top 10
Did not play
CUT = missed the halfway cut
DQ = disqualified
"T" indicates a tie for a place.
Results not in chronological order before 2015.
| Tournament | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Championship | T16 | NT1 | 8 | T40 | T41 | T11 | WD | T28 | ||||||||||
| Match Play | R64 | 4 | R32 | R32 | 2 | R16 | 2 | R64 | R32 | |||||||||
| Invitational | T10 | 35 | T5 | T11 | 3 | T4 | T13 | T4 | T6 | T19 | WD | |||||||
| Champions | ||||||||||||||||||
1Cancelled due to 9/11
Top 10
Did not play
QF, R16, R32, R64 = Round in which player lost in match play
"T" = Tied
WD = Withdrew
NT = No tournament
Note that the HSBC Champions did not become a WGC event until 2009.
| Season | Wins (majors) | Earnings ($) | Rank[24] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 2016 | 0 | 222,422 | 189 |
| 2017 | 0 | 257,270 | 187 |
| 2018 | 0 | 97,920 | 209 |
| 2019 | 0 | 271,216 | 193 |
| 2020 | 0 | 35,025 | 228 |
| 2021 | 0 | 0 | - |
| Career* | 21 (1) | 44,944,195 | 16[25] |
*As of the 2021 season.
Amateur
- Walker Cup: 1985 (winners)
Professional
- Dunhill Cup: 1992
- World Cup: 1992 (winners), 1993 (winners), 1994 (winners), 1995 (winners), 1997
- Ryder Cup: 1993 (winners), 1995, 1997, 1999 (winners), 2002, 2004, 2012 (non-playing captain), 2016 (non-playing captain, winners)
- Presidents Cup: 1994 (winners), 1996 (winners), 1998, 2000 (winners), 2003 (tie), 2005 (winners), 2022 (non-playing captain, winners)
- Wendy's 3-Tour Challenge (representing PGA Tour): 1996 (winners), 1998, 2012 (winners)
- Every Shot I Take, 1997, ISBN-10 0684834006[26]
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