World Golf Hall of Famer, Davis Love III has returned home following successful open heart surgery, the PGA Tour has confirmed.
60-year-old Love III said doctors had been monitoring “a valve issue” over the past decade before it was eventually decided well in advance that going under the knife was the best course of action.
The two-time Ryder Cup captain and one-time Presidents Cup captain attended the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida for the treatment this week before returning home to St Simons Island, Georgia early on Saturday.
CBS broadcaster Jim Nantz revealed the news during the final round of the Farmers Insurance Open on Saturday, sharing that he had spoken to Love III not long before going on air.
According to Nantz, the 21-time PGA Tour winner plans to be back driving in March and playing golf in April.
Davis Love III won the 2016 Ryder Cup as USA captain
(Image credit: Getty Images)
In a statement, Love III said: “The procedure was successful and I’m now at home recovering. I went in healthy and came out healthier.
“I’m extremely grateful for all the well wishes, prayers, and messages I have received. I have been blessed with great care at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville. Dr. John R. Cangemi, Dr. David J. Cangemi, Dr. Peter M. Pollak guided me to this surgery with Dr. John Haney.
“I’m grateful for them and their teams’ expertise and care, and I am motivated to prove them right and get back to playing golf by this summer!”
Winner of the 1997 PGA Championship, Love III has made 791 PGA Tour appearances in his career but only 52 PGA Tour Champions starts since turning 50 in April 2014 – and just four of those have arrived since 2023.
In recent years, he has been Team USA Ryder Cup vice-captain (2023) and winning captain (2016), avenging the defeat from his first attempt at Medinah in 2012, as well as a successful Presidents Cup captain (2022).
Love III spent several months as an analyst for CBS in 2020 but left the role in order to “focus on my family, play a few tournaments, and bring some stability back in a difficult year.” His family home had been completely destroyed by a fire in March 2020, with everyone escaping unharmed.
