Tiger Woods is not the only player making it to the golf course despite big surgeries. Even 60-year-old Davis Love III is in the same plight. He had an exceptionally decorated career on the PGA Tour. Having turned pro back in 1985, the American professional earned 21 career victories, which includes one major championship: the 1997 PGA Championship. Davis Love III was also inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame and has also won two Players Championships, in 1992 and 2003. But old age is hitting up to him.
Love III underwent an open-heart surgery very recently, this week to be precise. This was confirmed by CBS golf anchor Jim Nantz during Saturday’s Farmers Insurance Open. Nantz, who spoke with the 60-year-old Love just before heading on air to call the final round at Torrey Pines, shared that Love had been released from the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, earlier that day.
The surgery, which addressed a leaky valve first diagnosed a decade ago, had been planned well in advance. The golfer told Nantz, “I went in healthy and I came out healthier.” The 21-time PGA Tour winner said he’d drive in March and play golf in April.
Davis Love III has been suffering a lot in the past decade. He had hip replacement surgery on his left hip in 2017 and another surgery on his right hip in 2021, and of course there has been the prevailing neck issue, which has caused hindrances in his game. His condition deteriorated so much that he even had to withdraw from an event last year.
Davis Love III withdrew from the 2024 RSM Classic
The only PGA Tour event that Davis Love III was a part of last season was the RSM Classic. However, he had to withdraw from that. Not that he was doing particularly well, though. Opening the round with a bogey and carding two double bogeys in the front nine itself, his score was an 8-over after he finished the ninth hole. Overall, he struggled to an 82 in Round 1. His struggles Friday included a quadruple-bogey 8 on the second hole, where his drive found the water.
“There was a plan, like a schedule for me to break the record at (The RSM Classic) like two years ago,” said Love who wanted to break Mark Brooks’ record for most career starts on the PGA Tour. “And then I had my hip replaced, and things started going. I’ve probably missed five years of the last 10 due to injury.”
Love withdrew from the 2024 RSM Classic due to a sore wrist. Despite receiving injections two weeks before the tournament, the treatment didn’t provide relief. As a result, he required surgery on his left thumb to address the issue.
Do you think 2025 will be the year of the comeback for him? Stay tuned to find out!
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