Orlando —- His lower back is fine, as is his neck. So please delete the chiropractor from the speed dial.

And that left ankle, the one surgically repaired in late September, has responded so well to his intense rehabilitation that he's never been more aerobically fit.

Now if Davis Love III can only elevate his golf game into sync with his physical conditioning. He's making strides, but he's running out of time to reach his short-term goal: qualifying for the Masters.

"I can't say I'm 100 percent, but at 44 I'm not sure I'll ever get to 100 percent again," Love said last week at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. "My wife said, 'I like it better when you're hurt. You won a lot of tournaments when you were hurt.' "

Love, who has 19 PGA Tour victories, has plenty of time to win; veteran players Fred Funk and Scott Hoch have proven it's possible to be 50 and remain competitive.

The more pressing issue for Love is an invitation to the Masters, a tournament he has not missed since 1990.

Unless Love wins either in New Orleans or Houston, however, he'll be staying home at Sea Island. It's not a great option for a guy who seemed genetically designed to compete at Augusta National.

"My goal is to play well," he said. "I've had a couple tournaments where I played decent, and I got caught on the windy side of a couple cuts and haven't played as well as I'd like in the tough conditions."

He tied for 24th at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, tied for 30th at the Honda Classic and tied for 62nd at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. He missed the cut at the Northern Trust Open and the PODS Championship.

Unable to qualify for this week's WGC CA Championship at Doral, Love is cutting it close. But he's done it before; in 1995 he won in New Orleans, the last tournament before the Masters, and went on to finish second at Augusta.

"I'd like to play well. I'd like to get there," Love said. "The last time I was playing well all through Florida and wound up winning in New Orleans. I've been learning every week, getting something out of it whether I made the cut or not. I'm getting stronger every week and knocking the rust off."

Love said the inactivity has been the most difficult aspect of the comeback.

"You can't prepare for the PGA Tour unless you leave home and play," he said. "These courses are hard, and it's not that hard at home, no matter where you play. People don't realize how hard it is out here."

LOCAL FLAIR

Here is the status of PGA Tour members with Georgia ties for the Masters:

In: Jonathan Byrd, Stewart Cink, Charles Howell III, Larry Mize, Heath Slocum, Vaughn Taylor, D.J. Trahan, Bubba Watson

x - Could get in on world rankings: Ryuji Imada

y - Must win to get in: Billy Andrade, Jason Bohn, Justin Bolli, Paul Claxton, David Duval, Richard Johnson, Matt Kuchar, Davis Love III, Troy Matteson, Nicholas Thompson

x - Top 50 on World Golf Rankings previous to Masters are invited to play.

y - Anyone who wins a PGA Tour event offering full FedEx Cup points earns automatic exemption.

THE MASTERS

> When: April 7-13

> Where: Augusta National