Aug. 10, 2003

Two weeks ago Davis Love III was in Chapel Hill conducting a clinic for former college teammate John Inman at the Carolina Golf Camp. Later this week he will be at Oak Hill in Rochester, N.Y., trying to win his second PGA championship, but Sunday in Castle Pines, Colorado, he nearly lapped the field in winning The International for a second time.

When Love captured this event for the first time in 1990 it was the second win of his pro career. This triumph was his 18th career victory, and the fourth time in 2003 the 39-year-old former Tar Heel All-America has wound up in the winner's circle. It's his best showing since 1992 when he won three times including the Greensboro tour stop at Forest Oaks Country Club, but Love confesses there's no comparison. "This is the best I've ever played in my career," he said.

The modified Stableford scoring system gave the golfers 8 points for double eagle, 5 for eagle and 2 for birdie. There were no points awarded for making par, and golfers actually lost points for making bogeys--minus-1--or worse--minus-3 for double bogeys or higher.

Leading wire-to-wire for the first time in his career, Love jumped out to an 8-point lead Thursday when he piled up 19 points. He added 17 more points Friday for a tournament-record of 36-points at the halfway point, and he increased his lead to 10-points. "I basically won it with my putter the first two days," Love reflected.

His lead was still 10-points starting Sunday's final round even though he added only 5-points in Saturday's third round, but Love knew he had won only one of the last eight events in which he had held the 54-hole lead. That was the National Pro-Am at Pebble Beach earlier this year. However, he was not about to beat himself at The International.

"My strategy was to get the ball in the fairway, and give myself a chance at birdie," he said. Using his 2-iron which had been turned into the loft of a 1-iron, Love got off to a real good start. He made nice birdie putts at holes 1 and 3, and then hit a good shot within 2-feet at the par-3 4th hole.

Another birdie at the par-5 17th hole was sandwiched between bogeys at holes 16 and 18, but Love finished with 46-points and won by 12-points--a tournament record--over Vijay Singh and Retief Goosen. His fourth win in 2003--he's only the eighth golfer in 20 years to win four times in the same season-- was worth $900,000, and lifted him from fourth to the top of the money list with $5,122,038. He has now won nearly $25.2 million during his career.

Even before signing his card, an emotional Love told a nationwide TV audience he was dedicating this win to his wife Robin. In a Wednesday news conference he had denied he and Robin were having martial problems.

Referring to the suicide death of his wife's brother-in-law--Jeff Knight--this summer, Love admitted, "The tragedy in my family has spurred some rumors. I don't know if they started on Tour or at home, but the rumors are crazy, unfounded and vicious.

"Some really mean things were said about her that are completely untrue. It's just not fair because he's a good person. As friends of mine have said, we don't give Robin enough credit, and this is before the rumors started.

"I wanted her to be here, but we decided it was best for her to put the kids (a 15-year-old daughter and a 9-year-old son) in school Monday morning and have life go on as normal."

Robin may be at her husband's side this week for the 85th PGA championship. Davis Love won the event in 1997 at Winged Foot, and after tying for fourth in the British Open and demolishing the field at The International he may be ready to earn his second major.

If he does, Davis Love III will certainly be the 2003 Player of the Year on the PGA Tour. However, it should be an honor he's already earned.