Davis Love III Achieves A Career-Long Dream

Disney World has made billions upon billions of dollars through branding itself as the place where miracles happen and dreams come true.

The PGA Tour descended upon Disney’s Magnolia and Palm courses this week with the hopes and dreams of many players resting upon their ability to play themselves into the top 125 on the Tour’s money list, thus ensuring their 2009 PGA Tour playing privileges. 

Several players were indeed able to play themselves into, or stay within, the top 125, certainly celebrating the fact that they will live at least another year of the dream that is life on the PGA Tour.

However, it was a renowned veteran that managed to steal the show this week by achieving a career-long dream that less than one percent of players who ever pick up a golf club are able to attain.

In the middle of the 2007 season, Davis Love III suffered a broken ankle which prematurely ended his year and has nagged him for most of the 2008 season.

Davis Love III has played the past six straight weeks of the PGA Tours’ fall season, which is quite rare for a veteran player of Love’s stature.

Love approached the fall season with two goals in mind. 

His first goal was to work on his game pain-free for the first time since his 2007 ankle injury. 

Love’s second goal was to play his way into the top 125 on the Tour’s money list and avoid having to use one of his career earnings exemptions at the still fairly young age of 44. 

Love has had an up-and-down Fall season.  Nevertheless the period has been far better than the rest of his 2008 season for him.

Love finished third at the Turning Stone Resort Championship, but then proceeded to miss the cut the following week at the Valero Texas Open. 

Love then finished sixth at the Shriners Hospital Open, hosted by Justin Timberlake, and 11^that the Frys.com Open the next week before again missing the cut at the Ginn sur Mer Classic last week.

Love began this week’s event in the 119^th spot on the money list. 

After five straight weeks on the road, Love could have easily stayed at home this week and hope to remain within the top-125, while also knowing that he had a career earnings exemption in is back pocket if needed.

But Love decided to attend the year’s final event with the hopes of another strong, confidence building finish. 

The American, who began his final round two strokes behind co-leaders Scott Verplank and Steve Marino, managed to take the tournament lead by the back-nine. 

Love carried a one stoke lead to the 72nd hole over the 288^thranked Tommy Gainey, who came within a hair of his own Disney World miracle.

Love pushed his tee shot out to the right and followed by hitting a wedge a little too cleanly resulting in his ball flying clear over the green before resting in a bunker. 

As would have been expected from the most accomplished player participating in this event, Love hit his sand shot to within three feet of the cup and then confidently rolled his putt into the center of the hole for his 20^thcareer PGA Tour win. 

Most would think that winning a fall series tournament like the Children’s Miracle Classic would be a trivial achievement for a player of Love’s stature. However, this win has allowed Love to accomplish something that an extremely small number of players are ever able to accomplish. 

Love’s 20^thcareer win guarantees a lifetime exemption on the PGA Tour. 

Love will never have to worry about using a career earnings exemption, never have to fear an embarrassing return to Q-School and will likely never have to play six weeks in a row during the PGA Tour’s fall series.   

The security Love has gained this week with his 20^th PGA Tour win is without question a career-long dream come true.