Presidents Cup: Cart Driver Extraordinaire Davis Love Wheeled Out For Yet Another Captaincy
/The excitement was not palpable for the 2022 Presidents Cup, slated for the ubiquitous Quail Hollow.
Instead of introducing new blood into the captaincy ranks, the PGA Tour and the ever-mysterious “Task Force” will again wheel out Davis Love to lead Team America against Trevor Immelman’s International squad.
Even the press release writers sound bored and still haven’t gotten Immelman’s spelling dialed in. But we have a year-and-a-half to get that figured out. Now we can go back to focusing on the Ryder Cup where Love is an assistant captain. Again.
World Golf Hall of Fame member Davis Love III named
U.S. Team captain for 2022 Presidents Cup
North Carolina native to lead U.S. Team at Quail Hollow Club
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Florida – Presidents Cup and PGA TOUR officials today announced 21-time PGA TOUR winner and World Golf Hall of Fame member Davis Love III has been named captain of the U.S. Team for the 2022 Presidents Cup, which will be staged at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina, the week of September 19-25. Love joins South African Trevor Immelmann, who was named captain of the International Team in April 2020.
Love represented the United States in the Presidents Cup six times in his career, including the inaugural event in 1994, where he compiled a 4-0-1 record while leading the U.S. Team to a 20-12 victory over the International Team. He served as an assistant captain in the 2013, 2015 and 2017 Presidents Cups, while also guiding the United States as captain in the 2012 and 2016 Ryder Cups. Love holds a 16-8-4 all-time record in Presidents Cup play, while accounting for 18 points in 28 total matches played.
“It’s a tremendous honor to be named captain of the U.S. Team for the 2022 Presidents Cup. My history with this event dating back to 1994 conjures up indelible memories of competition, camaraderie and sportsmanship, and I’m thrilled to be leading the top American players into Quail Hollow Club next September,” said Love. “The U.S. Team has been guided by some of the game’s all-time greats since 1994, and I will do my best to carry on that legacy as we look to retain the Cup.”
Love is the ninth U.S. Team captain, joining the likes of Tiger Woods (2019), Steve Stricker (2017), Jay Haas (2015), Fred Couples (2013, 2011, 2009), Jack Nicklaus (2007, 2005, 2003, 1998), Ken Venturi (2000), Arnold Palmer (1996) and Hale Irwin (1994).
“Davis has been instrumental in the foundation and continued growth of the Presidents Cup, and it’s only fitting that he returns to Charlotte to lead the U.S. Team in 2022,” said PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan. “He has been a role model to so many young players on the PGA TOUR, and I know that leadership will serve him well in this role as he leans on his wealth of experience as a competitor and captain in team competition.”
It’s more than a wealth. He needs to have a permanent cart made with Cup logo interchangeability that gets its own ceremonial arrival ceremony.
Love, the son of legendary instructor Davis Love, Jr., was born in Charlotte before the family moved to suburban Atlanta later that same year. They eventually settled into Georgia’s Golden Isles, where Love spent his youth before attending the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill, where he was a three-time All-America selection and winner of six collegiate titles, including the 1984 ACC Championship.
“The Carolinas mean so much to me and my family, and it’s humbling to know that I will return to Charlotte in this new role to help carry on the rich sports tradition the Queen City has developed through the years,” said Love. “Alongside Trevor, we will help build an event atmosphere everyone can take immense pride in while showcasing this region to sports fans around the world.”
Quail Hollow Club was originally designed by famed golf course architect George Cobb in 1961 to capture the beauty as well as challenging terrain of the Piedmont region. In the intervening years, the course has undergone a series of improvements, including modifications to several holes by Palmer in 1986, a redesign by Tom Fazio in 1997 and modifications by Fazio to several holes in 2016.
Seems like we’re due again for more renovations in time for the 2025 PGA. Oh joy.
“Quail Hollow is one of the best tests of golf we see all year on the PGA TOUR, and it will be a perfect venue for a match-play event given the variation of challenges it presents,” said Love. “I think you will see players taking on a number of risk-reward shots throughout the week, presenting an exciting environment for fans onsite and watching around the world.”
Quail Hollow Club has hosted the Wells Fargo Championship since 2003 and brought the PGA Championship to Charlotte in 2017.
“Davis will be a tremendous leader for the U.S. Team and alongside Trevor, gives the 2022 Presidents Cup two well-respected captains to guide their players into Quail Hollow,” said Presidents Cup Executive Director Adam Sperling. “We have received tremendous support from partners and fans throughout the region as we look toward 2022, and I know today’s announcement will only add to their collective enthusiasm.”
The enthusiasm was not visible online but I’ll keep searching and add to this post on a need-to-know basis.
