Love earns lifetime card with 20th win
BY Bruce Young | US PGA Tour | 2008 Childrens Miracle Network Classic | Round Four | 10 Nov 2008
Davis Love won his first event in more than two years when he held off a surprising yet determined challenge from the rookie Tom Gainey, who until this week had finished no better than 39th in 24 starts in season 2008.
For Love, who made the commitment to play the latter season events and had reaped the rewards, this was a special week. He recorded only one bogey in 72 holes, his weekend total of 124 moving him though the field.
Love’s victory was his 20th on the PGA Tour and as a consequence joins a select group who have achieved such a feat and earned a lifetime exemption on the PGA Tour in doing so.
“I’ve been trying not to think about what that meant and I haven’t looked it up, so maybe you can explain lifetime exemption, what that means,” said Love after his round. “You know, I just remember that Lanny (Wadkins), when he won 20 was so excited and what a big deal it was to him and to a guy who was, ahead of me, that really separated Lanny from everybody else – that he had won 20 events. Back then that was a dream, fantasy.”
“But I’ve been saying all along I want to get to 20 because you can’t get to 21 or 22 or 23 until you get to 20, and 20 has been a long time coming.”
“So I’m just thrilled to come out on top and to accomplish really what I wanted to do this fall was to get out and compete and play to win, and not just to try and make the 125 and not just try to make cuts and just show up, but to come to play to win.”
“I did a real good job of staying in the present and just playing golf and enjoying these six weeks, and it paid off in the end.”
Gainey was particularly impressive in his first time in such a situation. A back nine of 30 saw him nearly catch the leader and it took all of Love’s experience and ability to close him out with a par at the last.
“You know, this week I was coming in with I-don’t-have-anything-to-lose attitude,” said Gainey.” 228 on the Money List, I got nothing to lose and everything to gain.”
Scott Verplank and Steve Marino finished in a share of 3rd place.
Jason Day was the best of the Australasians at 16th after his final round of 66. It was a case of too little too late for the man who turns 21 on Wednesday.
He finishes his rookie season with US$767,000 but will be required to attend the Final Stage of the Tour School if he is have any chance of regaining full status for season 2009.
Either way he is guaranteed as many as 20 starts next year but if he is able to regain full status he can be more selective in which events he plays.
Tim Wilkinson, Robert Allenby and Matt Jones finished 33rd in the final PGA Tour event of season 2008.
