ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, April 10, 1996 TAG: 9604100066
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-2 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: AUGUSTA, GA.
SOURCE: Associated Press
THE GOLFER will attempt to shed his label as ``the best golfer never to win a major'' at the Masters.
He's made $6 million and has a picture perfect swing. So why is Davis Love III still considered an underachiever?
Because he has inherited the dubious label of ``the best golfer never to win a major.''
Nick Price, Fred Couples, Tom Kite, and Corey Pavin all had it. They all had the terrible tag of major collapsers at one time in their careers.
Now, the burning brand of talent squandered is Love's burden to bear. Last year's Masters gave him hope that something will be done about it very soon.
He shot four straight sub-par rounds, including a final round 6-under-par 66, only to lose to Ben Crenshaw by a stroke. Love didn't lose the Masters. Crenshaw won it.
``It's a different feeling when you get down to the end of a major,'' Love said. ``Sometimes your desire to win makes you too excited, too nervous and you get in your own way. You try to tell yourself it's just another tournament but it's not. Your emotions get away from you. It's something you have to conquer.''
The North Carolinian's best year was 1992 when he won three times, including the Player's Championship.
Love, 31, has won 11 tournaments but until the 1995 Masters had been a big bust in the majors. He went all of 1994 without making the cut in a major. In his first 27 majors, Love missed 10 cuts and never finished better than 11th.
Last year, he had to win the week before the Masters at New Orleans just to get an invitation to Augusta.
``Last year showed me what I can do, how I can handle the pressure down the stretch,'' Love said. ``It meant a lot to me to hang in there with Ben. It was my first real run at a major. I shot the low round of the day playing with Greg Norman then walked off 18 with a chance to win. I liked the feeling. I liked the taste. I want to do it again.''
Love, who also tied for fourth in the 1995 U.S. Open, is one of the longest hitters on tour. He is one of the best iron players and has a solid short game except for occasional lapses on short putts. The death of Davis Love II, his father and teacher, in a plane crash was a setback but Love has begun to emerge as a patient player, one who can think his way around the course.
Love hears the remarks about his overall poor record in majors.
``I've played 10 years and if I go another 10 years and don't win a major then I'll feel like I left something out there,'' Love said. ``But I have a lot more confidence now than I've had before. I know I can do it.''
Augusta National Golf Club is a perfect setup for Love. He can reach the par-5s with iron second shots. He hits the ball high, which is a necessity because of the normally hard and fast greens. He can draw the ball, which also is an advantage because the course plays easiest for the right-to-left player.
``I feel comfortable here,'' Love said. ``This is my seventh Masters. I know my way around. It's time to win.''
Or, as his critics would say, about time.
LENGTH: Medium: 63 linesby CNB