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I t’s not a stretch to say that Davis Love III was born to play golf. His father, Davis Love Jr., played at the University of Texas for Harvey Pennick—a legendary golf instructor and author—and the day before Love III was born, his father tied for 31st at the Masters (though he became more famous as one of the most respected and sought-after golf teachers in the world). The golf lessons the younger Love received are apparent the moment he steps onto the tee box. Less obvious are the life lessons he learned from one of the great teachers in the history of the game.
“My dad always respected the game and respected the people that played the game,” Love says on his home course at Sea Island, Georgia, where his father was the teaching director for many years. “He was the consummate pro. He said hello to everyone that came into the golf shop and knew everyone’s name on the golf course. He stood for everything that was good about the game of golf. So growing up and watching my dad, and hanging around with guys like Ben Crenshaw and Tom Kite, and getting to know guys like Byron Nelson is a big part of who I am.”
“I would be disappointed if I didn’t win a lot of golf tournaments, but I would be devastated if I wasn’t known for the things that my father was known for.”
Today, Davis Love III is one of the most popular and recognizable players in pro golf and has been among the P.G.A. Tour’s top earners for more than 20 years. Among golf insiders, he’s known for his ability to remember every cameraman or groundskeeper’s name, as well as for his unfailing charm and easy-going attitude. Love is a throwback to a time when how you carried yourself off the course was as important as your results on it.
That’s something Love learned largely from two men: his father and his idol, Bobby Jones, who won 13 of 19 major tournaments and later designed the Augusta National golf course. “I grew up idolizing Jones and I heard all the stories from the great players that played with him and saw him play,” Love says of the man who practiced law after he stopped playing competitively. “He was a driven champion and wanted to be the best and see how good he could get, but he also enjoyed things away from the game. He enjoyed studying and reading and expanding his horizons. He felt like golf was very important to him, but it wasn’t his whole life. He had other interests and was a well-rounded person. So I try to do both. I try to be a great golfer and a great father and person at the same time.”
The notion of life beyond the fairway was even more strongly instilled in Love by his father, who died in a tragic airplane accident in 1988, just as his son’s career was taking off. “I think golf is a lot like the game of life,” Love says reflectively. “We always have to play it as it lies. You hit the ball and then you make the best of it. I think that’s what we do in golf and that’s what you have to do in life. You do your best and you move on and you do the best on the next shot. Things don’t always work out as you envision them, but you have to make the best of it.”
With this philosophy, it’s not surprising that, unlike other golfers who spend their downtime pounding out shot after shot on the range, Love can be found snowboarding, riding his motorcycle, fishing, hunting or even working on his course-design company with his brother. If he plays golf in his free time, it’s only to spend time with his son, who is beginning to play seriously.
“I would be disappointed if I didn’t win a lot of golf tournaments and didn’t accomplish my goals,” Love says. “But I would be devastated if I wasn’t known for the things that my father was known for. Golf is a great game, but at the end of the day it’s just another sport. What makes it more than that is the way people act and what they stand for and how they conduct themselves on and off the course.”
Love is lucky to have it both ways: a down-to-earth outlook on life and a lot of hardware in his trophy case. He’s been on the Ryder Cup and President’s Cup teams for the last 12 years, and he will of course be remembered for winning the P.G.A. Championship in 1997. That title is closest to Love’s heart and not just because of the coveted Wanamaker trophy. Moments after he’d won, a rainbow broke out in the sky over Mamaroneck, N.Y., as Love was being congratulated by friends and family on the 18th green. “The biggest highlight of my career was winning the PGA championship at Winged Foot,” Love confirms. “Getting my first major, winning at a great course—it was just a great story. And winning under a rainbow and everybody remembering my father. It was a special moment and one I’ll always remember.”
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