Trying to return for normal for Davis Love III

You don't know Davis Love III, not like you think you do.

For starters, that "third" at the end of his name -- pretentious, preppy, pompous, you say.

Hardly.

It's quite the homage to the late father and golf coach who taught him calm in the eye of the storm.

And that softness he's accused of when the chips are down and a golf tournament is on the line?

What Love is going through right now proves golf tournaments have nothing to do with chips being down, really down.

Less than a month ago, Love's brother-in-law, Jeff Knight, committed suicide at his hunting and fishing lodge in south Georgia, leaving behind a wife and two young children.

Knight, who handled finances and personal affairs for Love's family and whom Love called his family's most loved and trusted family member, was being investigated by the FBI for stealing as much as $500,000 to $1,000,000 from accounts he managed for Love.

Knight, who was married to the sister of Love's wife, effectively admitted the theft to the FBI when first questioned in early May, according to Golf World and Golfweek magazines.

He confessed the investigation to Love on May 12, then apparently took his own life four days later at his fishing retreat in Camden County, Ga., near the Florida border.

It was Love, alerted to Knight's absence and off looking for his brother-in-law, who found Knight, slumped over the wheel of a sports-utility vehicle with a gunshot wound to the head.

Love, as he describes it, went back to work last week, though, not only playing, but playing well. He shot 70-71-68-67 to tie for seventh in the FBR Capital Open.

"It's a tough time, but . . . we have to show that we're strong and life goes on, for the kids, especially," Love said Tuesday in Olympia Fields, where the U.S. Open begins Thursday.

"If I was sitting around doing nothing, it would look like things aren't right," he said. "It's a new normal, but life goes on."

As with last week, Love didn't share details regarding his brother-in-law's death. But the man who lost his father, a highly-respected teaching professional, in a plane crash in 1988 was once again open, dignified and, as was his father's way, calm in discussing the impact Knight's death has had on him and his family.

"That's probably been the hardest thing, trying to explain to children why they lost a father or a friend," said Love, suddenly caring for not one, but two families.

Love and wife Robin have two children, Alexia, 15, and Davis IV, 9, while Knight had two children of his own, Lindsey, 7, and Bankston, 4.

"Parents, even though they don't like it or understand it, they can deal with it probably better than children," Love said.

With his family down in Florida on vacation -- for mind and body -- the golf course has become his refuge, providing sanctuary from the memory of his brother-in-law and the compassion of long-time companions.

"It's a welcome challenge for me to get out and play a golf tournament that keeps me distracted for a while," Love said. "It does make me feel better."