Sport

Love back in the groove

Back at one of his favourite hunting grounds, Davis Love III shot his lowest score of the year to share the first-round lead …

Fri Apr 18 2008 - 01:00

Back at one of his favourite hunting grounds, Davis Love III shot his lowest score of the year to share the first-round lead in the Heritage Classic at Hilton Head Island yesterday.

The five-times champion birdied the first two holes at Harbour Town Golf Links on the way to a five-under-par 66, finishing level with Justin Leonard and Lucas Glover.

Love, who missed the US Masters last week for the first time since 1990, was delighted to be close to his best, having battled to regain form after an ankle injury last September.

"I think my swing and all my strokes are there," the 44-year-old PGA Tour veteran told reporters. "Just mentally, I've got to be more committed mentally throughout the day.

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"It's getting close. This is my eighth tournament out of 11 weeks when I started back, which is too much. If my therapist started adding up the number of rounds and the number of balls I've hit, he'd tell me to take a week off or two. I'm ahead of schedule. I'm feeling better. I'm excited about playing."

Love, who tore ligaments in his left ankle after stepping into a hole during a practice round last September, says he might cut back on his rigourous schedule away from the course.

"I can always reassess after this weekend," he added. "I've got the Players (Championship) and qualifying for the US Open coming up, so I could slow it down a little bit after this week."

Winner of the US PGA Championship in 1997, Love was thrilled to birdie the first two holes for an outward nine of four-under 32.

"Best start I've had this year," he said. "I've been putting myself behind the eight-ball usually the first nine holes or first day or first hole, it seems like every round.

"So it's nice to birdie the first two and get off to a good start, get a good round and get ahead of the eight-ball rather than behind it."

Love won the last of his five Heritage Classic titles in 2003 but always feels uplifted when he returns to the picturesque Harbour Town layout.

"It helps, certainly, to be comfortable," said the Georgia native who is seeking his first PGA Tour title since the 2006 Greensboro Classic. "Does it help five strokes a day? No. But it certainly helps a stroke here or there."