"The first tournament I played was my best tournament. I was just going on adrenalin and excited to be back," he said. "I really haven't played a good tournament since then. I need to just get the year rolling."
The ankle injury didn't affect Love's swing, but walking courses is a challenge now. He had the ankle enclosed in a protective boot for most of his rehab and the other muscles in his leg weakened as a result.
Former touring pro Mike Hulbert, Love's close friend and part-time caddie, told him to stay patient and that might be the most difficult part for Love.
"Most people, when they come back from that, they go back to playing a little bit of golf or playing a little bit of tennis," he said. "They're not walking 6-8 miles a day, hitting golf balls and trying to play to get in the Masters.
"I'm not coming back and gradually working back into a normal life. I'm coming into a highly competitive, highly stressful (situation). One week you'll be walking around in the rain and one week you'll be walking around in the mud, one week, it'll be hilly. I'm not giving it any breaks."
At first, doctors told Love that the ankle injury might sideline him for the entire year. Whether he makes the Masters or not, Love knows his situation could've been much worse.
"I've got to be thankful that I'm playing. I could've had this whole year off, it was that bad of an injury," he said. "We jumped on it with good doctors and I got a good therapist and I did the right things. I'm very thankful that I'm back playing.
"I'm not thankful for my scoring average, I'm not thankful that I'm coming up on my third tournament that I'm not exempt for, but I'm thankful I've got a chance to play, that I'm still out here playing," he said. "It wouldn't have taken much to be a year or two off, or a career-threatening injury. I'm happy to be here."
