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 Love is captain of the United States team for the 2016 Ryder Cup at
Hazeltine. He was an assistant captain for the U.S. team in the
Presidents Cup last month in South Korea, and at the age of 51, he
still plays a full schedule on the PGA Tour, winning the Wyndham
Championship in August.
This week, he will perform his duties as tournament host of the RSM
Classic and also will be in the field at Sea Island Resort in Sea
Island, Ga.
"I think this is the best time of year to be here," said Love, who
has been heavily involved in the tournament since its inception in
what was then the Fall Series in 2010. "I've lived here since I was
15 years old. October, November is a great time.
"This resort, these golf courses, this place, the way the tournament
has been run the last five years, I think it sells itself, so I
think you could have it really almost in any slot in the six or
seven weeks (of the fall schedule on the PGA Tour), and we'd come
out with basically the same field, so I'm not concerned about that.
"It's been an incredible five years, and I'm excited to work just as
hard through 2020 (the length of the current contract) to keep this
tournament growing."
Perhaps because of the demands on his time and the pressure of
playing before the home fans, Love has not played particularly well
in four of the previous five editions of the tournament, which was
known as the McGladrey Classic until a recent name chance.
However, three years ago he opened with 65-66-66 and was tied for
the lead with Jim Furyk through 54 holes before closing with a
1-over-par 71 to wind up in a tie for fourth. He finished four
strokes behind winner Tommy Gainey, who shot 60.
"Home-field advantage is good and bad," said Love, who has not
finished in the top 30 in the other four years of the tournament and
missed the cut twice.
"You know, you're comfortable with the golf course, but you've also
got the pressures of playing at home and expectations.
"You try a little too hard, and I know Jim Furyk and I certainly,
the last group (that) year were trying too hard to win because it
would have been neat for either one of us to win this event."
Love proved in the Wyndham that he can still win against the young
guys, posting bookend 64s to prevail by one stroke over Jason Gore.
He claimed his third victory in what started out as the Greater
Greensboro Open at Sedgefield Country Club.
At 51 years, 4 months, 10 days, Love became the third-oldest winner
in PGA Tour history, trailing Sam Snead, who won the last of his
eight Greensboro titles at Sedgefield in 1965 at 52 years, 10
months, 8 days; and Art Wall, who captured the 1975 Greater
Milwaukee Open at 51 years, 7 months, 10 days.
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"Any victory now is going to be really sweet when you're over 50,"
said Love, whose previous victory was at the 2008 Children's Miracle
Network Classic at Disney World. "To have your name thrown out there
with Sam Snead at any point is incredible. For some reason, this
(Greensboro) tournament has been good to guys in my age group."
It was Love's 21st victory on the PGA Tour, including the 1997 PGA
Championship and the Players Championships in 1992 and 2003, and it
put him on the doorstep of the World Golf Hall of Fame.
Love is not ready to start acting his age. He has no plans to play
full time on the Champions Tour with the 50-and-older set anytime
soon, although he will play selected events on the senior circuit.
"I'm going to play mostly regular tour," said Love, who played three
events on the Champions Tour in 2015, with his best result a tie for
third in the Principal Charity Classic. "There's some tournaments
like the First Tee at Pebble (Beach), I hope I get to withdraw from
that one, as well, because it's opposite Tour Championship (which he
hopes to qualify for).
"But there are some tournaments out there that I've played or I want
to play, but it's going to be mostly regular tour. I just feel like
the advantage as Ryder Cup Captain, come next summer, if I'm playing
in the events with the guys (who will make the U.S. team), watching
them play, getting to hang out with them -- and we don't really know
the team.
"We know obviously Jordan Spieth is on a roll, got a lot of points.
But it could be some new guy. Looking right now (at) Justin Thomas,
Brooks Koepka, guys that have not played on a team before. So it
would be nice for me next year to be around those guys a little bit
more."
As we said -- busy, busy, busy.
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