Until he gives his permission, Davis Love III asks that the word `superstar' not be mentioned in the same breath as his name.
Love gave every reason to be connected to that description after his record-setting 10-under-par 62 led to a near-record 16-under 272 and a runaway victory in the Greater Greensboro Open in Greensboro, N.C. But call him a superstar and he backs away."You never feel like you are," Love said after he'd accepted his first-place check for $225,000. "I don't see myself as a superstar, but I see myself as somebody who can win any tournament if they get the right things going.
"I've just been on a great roll and, sometimes, they have to end and you're back to coming in when somebody else is getting the check," he said. "It doesn't always stay like this. I'm well aware of that."
Love pleaded a poor case to the gallery and anyone else to resist naming him the new force on the PGA Tour. After all, that title had just been bestowed on Fred Couples after his victory at the Masters, and he finished this tournament at 2-over-par 290.
Love's final-round score broke the mark of 63 set by Sandy Lyle in 1988 and equaled by Duffy Waldorf last year. It also marked the second time this season that Love has had the low 18 - he shot an 8-under 63 at the Los Angeles Open, where he lost to Fred Couples in a playoff.
Love took the first prize one week after he captured the Heritage Golf Classic for the third time in his career. His 272 total was one stroke shy of the GGO record of 271 shot by Lyle in 1988.
Even trying to shoot a 62 had its moments for Love, he said.
"It's a hard thing to balance. You're trying to play your shots, fans are yelling, they're screaming, you've got a big lead," Love said. "It's hard to know how to act. It's hard to be comfortable."
That would be another story hard to sell to the Forest Oaks Country Club crowd.
At the seventh hole, a par-4, Love holed a 117-yard wedge shot for eagle. It moved him to 10-under for the tournament and started his victory run. He birdied the eighth hole to cap a front nine of 31.
On the back nine, Love rolled in a 15-foot putt at 11 and a 30-footer at 12, both for birdie. When he reached 15, Love dropped in a sand shot from about 40 feet for eagle, moving him to 15-under.
Love's second shot on 16 landed within inches of the cup for his last birdie and the single-round record.
"It's just hard to explain what it feels like, winning a tournament, much less winning by a big margin," he said. "It was just extremely exciting. It's almost embarrassing that you're standing out in front of these people and they're all clapping for you and yelling and screaming. It's a weird feeling."
John Cook had 68-278 for second, Chip Beck and Tom Kite led a group of six at 279, and third-round leader Rocco Mediate had a 73 for a 280 total.
At some point, Love may have to accept the superstar title whether he wants it or not. He already has won $1 million this year, and for his six-year career he has already earned $3 million. Money, he said, will not measure his greatness.
"What Fred did two weeks ago impressed me. Majors impress me more than anything," Love said. "The record shows that the guys who win the majors are the ones who are considered the great players. I would trade all my wins for a major, and I think if you ask a lot of guys, they would do the same thing."
In Austin, Texas, defending champions Lee Trevino and Mike Hill shot a 7-under-par 65 for a three-stroke victory over Jim Colbert and Tommy Aaron in the Legends of Golf better-ball tournament Sunday.
Trevino and Hill, who earned $70,000 each, finished with a 37-under 251 total on the 6,777-yard Barton Creek course. Colbert and Aaron closed with 64 and J.C. Snead and Bobby Nichols shot a 65 to finish third at 256.
In the Legendary Champions division for players over 60, Bob Toski and Mike Fetchick shot a 68 for a 20-under 268 total and a two-stroke margin over Jerry Barber and Doug Ford.
In Nashville, Tenn., Maggie Will parred the first hole of a sudden-death playoff to defeat Amy Benz and Brandie Burton in the Sara Lee Classic on Sunday.
The trio finished regulation with 9-under-par 207 totals on the 6,311-yard Hermitage course. Will, who earned $78,750, closed with 5-under-par 67. Benz shot a course-record 9-under 63 and Burton had a 70.
Dawn Coe , Tina Barrett and Dana Lofland tied for fourth at 8-under 208.