Traverse City Record-Eagle

Sports

Related Photos

July 10, 2008

Love along for the Kyle Petty ride

Golfer to ride first leg of trip prior to the British Open

By MIKE ECKERT

TRAVERSE CITY If Davis Love III contends for a British Open title next week at Royal Birkdale, he can give some credit to a weekend stop at Grand Traverse Resort.

"Golf is a mental game and everyone has to prepare differently," Love said. "Some guys have to play the week before. I like to be relaxed and in a good mood."

He's planning on doing just that.

Love, a 19-time winner on the PGA Tour, arrived in Traverse City Thursday evening in preparation for the Chick-fil-A Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America that starts Sunday morning. The eight-day motorcycle ride spans 3,000 miles before finishing in Savannah, Ga.

After qualifying for the Open Championship last week at TPC Michigan in Dearborn, Love will have to cut his motorcycle ride short. He will fly to England Monday after running the first leg of the ride to Wisconsin.

While Love is in Traverse City, he will take in the Cherry Festival parade on Saturday, and get in some golf at The Bear.

"I've got to practice and this is a good place to kick it off," Love said. "I'll miss out on doing something Sunday, but I'll get a good week in over there. This is my third time at Birkdale, so I don't need four or five days there to get ready."

When Love tees off on The Bear, it will be his first encounter with the famed Jack Nicklaus design.

"I'm excited to see it," Love said. "I heard it's hard. There are several other courses here I'd like to play... we will see how much time we have."

The golf game has been coming around for Love, who missed three cuts in the first half of the season. However, in his last three starts, he's finished tied for 24th, 53rd and then tied for 27th last week at the AT&T; National.

"I'm excited about the way I'm playing," Love said. "Like Fred Couples said to me last week, 'every hole I get to, you've got the longest drive on it.'"

Love said it wasn't easy coming back from an ankle injury that sidelined him for much of the second half of 2007.

"I've been making a lot of cuts and playing well, I just haven't got in the top 10 yet."

While Love is getting back from an injury, the PGA Tour is currently in a state of change after Tiger Woods announced his knee and leg injuries will sideline him until 2009.

Woods' absence, however, doesn't affect the way Love approaches each week.

"The way I always look at it is the scores aren't going to change," Love said. "To win, you still have to play at your best. At the British, someone is going to have a really good score, and you have to do better to beat them. It doesn't matter what the name is.

"Sure, it will be nice not to have Woods post a 10-under, because that would just be another distraction. But for veteran players like us, not having him there doesn't change our mind-set."

While focused on his game on the golf course, Love is able to focus on other things during his off time, such as motorcycles.

"Against my mother's wishes, I got into it about 20 years ago," Love said. "I love riding, and what happens when you start is you end up with a bunch of friends (who also ride)."

Love was featured on the TV show "American Choppers" when his wife Robin had the famed Orange County Choppers crew build him a bike.

Unfortunately for those hoping to get a glimpse of the custom ride in Traverse City, the chopper stayed at home. Instead, Love will drive a Harley-Davidson for the Petty ride, an event he's made room for in his schedule each of the last few years.

"About four or five years ago we got it going and we've made it a big part of our summer," Love said. "We look forward to it every year as much as anything else."

Yes, that was a "we."

"My wife rides on back," Love said. "She likes the social aspect. When I disappear, she hops on with somebody else."

Love's daughter Lexie also made the trip this year to participate in her first ride.

After being a fan of NASCAR and the Petty family for years, Love met Kyle a number of years ago and has become more and more involved with Petty's charity, the Victory Junction Gang Camp in North Carolina.

Petty and Love have vastly different schedules, so their interactions are limited. In fact, after Petty took up golf a couple of years ago, Love still hasn't hit the links with his friend.

But when it comes to the Charity Ride Across America, Love does what he can.

"When Kyle's not around, I've been adopted as the guy to get up and say something," Love said. "I'm happy to help out. I told them today if they want me to help haul luggage, I'll do it. Whatever they want me to do."

Text Only