Amidst the hype of David Duval and Tiger Woods, Davis Love III has quietly climbed to the top of the leaderboard.
Love, from Sea Island, Ga., birdied four holes on the back nine for a 32 to shoot 3-under-par 69 and tie for the clubhouse lead in Thursday's first round. Four groups did not finish play due to darkness.
``Obviously, I'm very pleased with my start,'' Love said. ``The course played pretty difficult. I got away with not getting anything going on the front and then got something going on the back. So I got a good round out of it. Good start. But there's a long, long way to go.''
Love, the No. 3 player in the World Golf Ranking behind Duval and Woods, was grateful for the lack of media attention this week.
``I came in here and talked to one or two people on Tuesday or Wednesday and hit some balls,'' he said. ``It's been nice not to be in demand. It'll be nice to be in demand on Monday.
``I'm the quietest No. 3 in the world there's ever been. I haven't won since Hilton Head last year on our tour and just been quietly hanging in there. So I'm happy to be where I am. I'm chasing down some guys who are playing good golf.''
He holds Augusta National Golf Club in high esteem because his father, the late Davis Love Jr., played twice here, as an amateur in 1955 and as a pro in 1964.
In 1964, Love Jr. was tied for the first-round lead with a 3-under par 69, the same score Love III fired Thursday. Love III was born on April 13, 1964, the day after his father finished in a tie for 31st. Love III turns 35 on Tuesday.
Love had no problem with the course changes Thursday, especially on the par-4 11th hole. Even par through 10 holes, he rolled in a 30-footer on No. 11 for birdie to put him in red figures.
``If you make a 30-footer then the changes don't affect you much,'' he said.
But the long-hitting Love couldn't take advantage of the par-5 holes, playing them even par.
``(On) 2 I should have birdied,'' he said. ``The rest of them, (on) 15 you can't hit it on the green with your second shot, and you can't hit it on the green with your third shot.
``And 13, if you hook it around there and knock it on the back of the green and two-putt, that was probably the easy one of the day.''
On the par-3 16th hole, however, Love knocked a 7-iron to within 10 feet and made birdie.
On No. 17, he hit driver and sand wedge to 8 feet on the par-4 425-yard hole to set up his fourth birdie on the back nine.
``All you need here are two or three really good nines like that and the rest of them to be consistent,'' Love said.
Love rallies on back nine to post 69