Associated Press
Wednesday, April 19

GREENSBORO, N.C. -- Davis Love III already knows the answers he'll receive when he calls sports psychologist Bob Rotella this week. But it never hurts to get some reassurance when battling a slump.

	Davis Love III won in Greensboro in 1992.

"I need someone to be honest with me and say, 'OK, settle down a little bit,' " said Love, who hasn't won on the PGA Tour since April 1998. "It's all boring stuff, like pick out a target, make a good practice swing.

"Then you get on the course and say, `All right, if I can birdie this hole then I can catch him.' It's simple to say, but hard to do. Sometimes you just start pushing a little too hard and thinking too much."

Love, playing at the Greater Greensboro Chrysler Classic for the first time in three years, figured his career would take off after winning the 1997 PGA Championship, shedding the title of the best golfer who hadn't won a major.

But Love has won just the MCI Classic in 1998 since then and is in the midst of a 24-month stretch without a victory. During the slump, Love has seen younger players like Tiger Woods, David Duval, Justin Leonard and Phil Mickelson pass him.

"I don't like the fact that Tiger has won more tournaments than me and I've been out here this long," Love said of his 13 wins in 14 years on tour. "Phil Mickelson has won more tournaments than me. I want to get some wins and each week is very, very important.

"I've obviously been putting too much emphasis on winning and that's probably been holding me back a little bit. But that's what it's all about."

Love's problems appear more mental than physical. He has four top-four finishes this season, is third in scoring average and birdies, and 10th in driving distance and putting. But there have been no strong finishes and no wins.

"Even though Tiger has done what he has done over the last year, winning all these tournaments, you still need a few breaks," defending Greensboro champion Jesper Parnevik said Wednesday. "I wouldn't be that concerned if I was (Love). He is up there enough times. The only enemy he has is himself."

And maybe Woods.

Love is 0-4 against the game's No. 1 player in recent head-to-head competition,

And he was criticized by some players last month when he said Woods was nearly impossible to beat. Others were surprised the talented Love would make what they viewed as defeatist comments.

"If you compliment the guy and you talk about the guy and say he's a very good player, you're either sucking up to him or you're saying you can't win," Love said. "When Greg Norman played well I complimented him, and when Tiger plays well I'm going to compliment him."

Woods last beat Love a month ago at the Bay Hill Invitational, shooting a final-round 70 while Love carded a 72 and lost by four shots.

"Things are going right for him right now," Love said of Woods. "Does that mean that if I get paired with him on Sunday that I'm going to just pack it in and go home? No, I'm going to try to beat him. But I am going to know that 72 ain't going to beat him. I don't have to play perfect to beat him, I just have to play good golf."

Love shrugged off opinions that his comments about Woods made him appear soft and interested more in a paycheck than winning.

"If I wasn't trying I would be sitting at home," Love said. "I just built a big house and my little boy is playing two of his first-ever baseball games this week. If I wasn't trying to win I wouldn't be here."