Former PGA Championship winner and US Ryder Cup hero Davis Love III is recovering at home after undergoing open heart surgery in Florida this week.
The 60-year-old, who has 21 PGA Tour victories and was previously the No. 2-ranked player in the world, is said to be in good spirits after the procedure.
Revealing the news live on CBS, Jim Nantz told fans, “I just want to pass on our warmest wishes from around the golf world…we're behind you, Davis Love III.”
“Folks, he was just discharged this May morning in Jacksonville after open heart surgery this week to replace, in his words, a leaky valve that was detected about 10 years ago.
This operation had already been scheduled for some time. He said, “I came in healthy and I came out healthier.” I spoke to him right before we went on air today.
Love III was a huge figure in the world of professional golf in the 1990s and early 2000s, winning the 1997 PGA Championship at Winged Foot.
Golf legend Davis Love III plays a shot during a tournament in Jacksonville in October 2023
Love III was among the captains of the American Ryder Cup team in Rome two years ago
He won the PGA Championship in 1997, beating Justin Leonard by five strokes to seal the title.
He has captained the US Ryder Cup team twice, in 2012 and 2016, and was inducted into the Golf Hall of Fame in 2017.
Revealing more about Love III, Nantz continued: “The first thing he did while returning home with Robin was he stopped and had his first round of therapy with Andrew Novak's father-in-law, Randy Myers. His daughter Maddie is married to Andrew Novak .
'Davis, we are all thinking of you. Past champion here, great man. In Davis' words, he will drive in March and will drive in April. Okay, it sounds a lot worse, in his words, than it really was.
'But every time you talk about open heart surgery, I'm grateful to know it's okay. One of the most beloved guys in the game of golf.