On This Day in 2000, Davis Love III won the Hero World Challenge.
The son of Georgia Golf Hall of Fame member Davis Love Jr., Davis Love III’s journey to greatness began in Brunswick, Georgia. A graduate of Glynn Academy, Love attended the University of North Carolina, where he became a three-time All-American. During his collegiate career, he secured six tournament victories, including the prestigious ACC Championship as a sophomore.
Turning professional in 1985, Love quickly made his mark on the PGA Tour. He earned his first victory in 1987 at the MCI Heritage, launching a career that would include 21 PGA Tour wins. Among these triumphs was his memorable 1997 PGA Championship victory at Winged Foot, the last time a major championship was won with a wooden driver head.
Love’s longevity in the game is equally remarkable. In 2015, at the age of 51, he became the third-oldest player to win a PGA Tour event by claiming the Wyndham Championship. This victory placed him in an elite group with Sam Snead and Raymond Floyd as the only players in PGA Tour history to win tournaments across four decades.
Off the course, Love III’s contributions to the game have been recognized with some of golf’s most prestigious honors. He received the Payne Stewart Award from the PGA Tour and the Bob Jones Award from the USGA, both celebrating his exceptional sportsmanship and character.
In 2001, Love III was inducted into the Georgia Golf Hall of Fame, a fitting recognition of his outstanding achievements and enduring impact on the game of golf.
Love was inducted into the Georgia Golf Hall of Fame in 2001.