Golf-Love aims to maintain Hawaiian surge in world rankings

LOS ANGELES, Jan 14 (Reuters) - With one eye firmly fixed on the world rankings, Davis Love III is eager to build on his good start to the 2009 PGA Tour at this week's Sony Open in Hawaii.

The former major winner tied for second at the season-opening Mercedes-Benz Championship at Kapalua on Sunday, climbing 23 spots to 54th in the global pecking order.

Having ended last year a lowly 80th in the rankings, he is determined to break back into the top 50 to earn an automatic place at the three elite World Golf Championship events.

"I just need to get a little bit higher," American Love, 44, told reporters on the eve of Thursday's opening round at Waialae Country Club in Honolulu.

"No matter where I get, I'm going to keep saying: 'I need to get a little bit higher.' But I always like to move up.

"I'm in the Bridgestone (WGC event) off (my win at) the Disney and I need to get into the other two World Golf Championships because those are the ones that make it a lot easier to get to the Tour Championship.

"If you don't play in the World Golf Championships, it kills your world ranking because you're missing three of the biggest tournaments. I missed all three of them last year."

After a mediocre 2007 campaign ended prematurely with an ankle injury, Love plummeted to 159th in the world rankings before clinching his first PGA Tour title in more than two years at the Disney Classic in November.

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