Stream at farm becomes Davis Love's Rae's Creek

Editor's note: From Ben Crenshaw naming his cat Bobby Jones to Arnold Palmer coining a street Masters Boulevard, there's no shortage of people, pets and other items named in honor of Augusta National. The Augusta Chronicle features stories from six famous golfers or family members about names with ties to the Masters Tournament: Herman Keiser Georgia Hall, Sergio Garcia, Mark O Meara, Palmer and the Davis Love family.

Rae's Creek is most famous for its Amen Corner location behind the 11th green and in front of No. 12 green at Augusta National Golf Club. In recent years, however, the stream has found an impersonator on the southern Georgia coast.

"My family has a farm in south Georgia called Copeland Hall," said Dru Love, the only son of Davis Love III. "Well, one morning I was getting ready to go hunt and the sun was barely coming up over this little creek on our land."

Before the view vanished, Dru removed his phone and snapped a photo on Dec. 5, 2014. The image shows a pair of towering pine trees with the mori farmland. In the middle of the photograph is a stream that bares the reflection of Georgia pines. Dru shared the photograph on Instagram with the caption, "Where the big boys live: Rae's Creek at Copeland Hall Farm."

"When I saw the sunrise over our stream, the first thing I thought about was Rae's Creek," he said. "It reminded me so much of those views you see at Augusta National."

Since 2014, the Love family has referred to that stream – part of their 2,890-acre hunting retreat – as Rae's Creek.

"That's one of the best places to hunt turkey on our property – maybe the best," Dru said. "When I tell my dad, 'Hey, I'm going to hunt at Rae's Creek,' he knows exactly where. We've killed some of our biggest turkey's right there at Rae's Creek."

Dru's father echoed his son's statement about the views at Copeland Hall. The Love's farm was built in 2003, and Davis and Dru use the land as an escape from golf.

"It's absolutely beautiful," Davis Love III said. "I think Dru's name is very fitting – no doubt about that. I'm really glad he named a part of our farm to honor Rae's Creek."

Dru, a professional golfer, has never competed in the Masters but calls it a "dream of mine." The elder Love finished second at Augusta National in 1995 and 1999, but has only qualified for the tournament twice in the past decade.