Davis Love III defied the odds to get back to the Tourney of Champs
At 51 years old, Davis Love III is by far the oldest — and perhaps most unlikely — player in the Hyundai Tournament of Champions field.
The sitting U.S. Ryder Cup captain made it into the winners-only event on Hawaii by virtue of his 21st PGA Tour win, coming last August at the Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, N.C. He became the third-oldest winner in PGA Tour history that Sunday, outlasting the likes of Tiger Woods for the win.
Though already the holder of a PGA Tour lifetime exemption because of his 20 career wins, Love did earn a ticket back to the Masters with his first win since 2008 at Disney World. He also was able to add an extra week to his Hawaii stay. Love had intended to play next week’s Sony Open in Hawaii and stick around for the Champions Tour opener, the Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai.
Perhaps chalk up that win last summer to the power of goal-setting.
“I never gave up on getting back here,” Love said to Golf Digest. “It was a goal. I thought I would [get back] because it was a goal.”
That goal came after undergoing foot surgery last April to deal with a nagging injury. It took him six starts to win again. Perhaps that’s why Love is so optimistic about Tiger Woods’ prospects upon his return — once healthy, of course.
“It’s like I keep saying about Tiger,” he said. “Getting a full season the last three to four years has been hard for me.”
Regardless of how Woods’ recovery from dual back surgeries goes in 2016, Love, who will play a full PGA Tour schedule, will have the 14-time major winner on his team at Hazeltine National for the Ryder Cup. Woods was appointed a vice-captain, along with Steve Stricker, Jim Furyk and Tom Lehman, to the U.S. team.
Ryan Ballengee is a Yahoo Sports contributor. Find him on Facebook and Twitter.
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