Love shares unique bond with fellow Tar Heel Jordan

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If Davis Love III realizes his goal and makes the U.S. Team for this year's Presidents Cup, he'll not only get to play for one of his best friends, he could be reunited with a college buddy.

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Michael Jordan, now an avid golfer, first picked up the game at UNC.

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Fred Couples will captain the Americans in October at Harding Park and at his side that week may be NBA great Michael Jordan. Couples has said he wants Jordan, who has attended the last two Ryder Cups, as one of his assistant captains.

Love has known the former Chicago Bulls star with the six NBA Championship rings since both were students at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Jordan roomed with one of Love's friends, Buzz Peterson, a former Tar Heel guard who is now the director of player personnel for the Charlotte Bobcats.

"So Buzz and I would go play golf and Michael would drive the cart or keep score or make bets," Love recalled. "And then it ended up after maybe one year of that we gave him clubs and he started playing."

At the time, Love's late father, Davis Love Jr., was giving UNC Coach Dean Smith golf lessons. Love said he didn't teach Jordan to play, though, as is often reported.

"We just got him started," Love said. "He was literally just learning so he would come out and just tag along."

Love said UNC center Brad Daugherty, who played professionally with the Cleveland Cavaliers and now works on ESPN basketball and NASCAR broadcasts, often played golf with them. So did forward Matt Doherty, now the head coach at Southern Methodist.

"A lot of the players would come down and play," Love recalled. "One time Coach Smith said, 'All the players are down on the driving range. Could you send them back up to the gym?'"

Love currently ranks 20th in the Presidents Cup standings. The top 10 at the end of the PGA Championship on Aug. 16 automatically make the team and Couples will complete his team with two Captain's Picks on Sept. 8.

The Presidents Cup will be played Oct. 6-11.