But the former PGA Tour winner feels rejuvenated in 2012, and Wichita is his 14th start between the PGA and Nationwide Tours.
"I've probably played as many tournaments to this point as I have full seasons the last three or four years," Damron said. "I felt like I've been playing good, I've been doing certain things well in spurts, so if I stack them together things will be well."
And based on his results so far this week, he is right. Damron posted rounds of 67-65 to open the Preferred Health Systems Wichita Open, and is right in the hunt at 10-under, two strokes back of leader Jim Herman. The Orlando resident started quickly with birdies on four of the first five holes - all from ten feet or closer - and made four more birdies to offset a pair of bogeys.
Feeling positive about most aspects of his game, Damron went out and executed.
"I hit it in pretty decent spots off the tee, and then had my short irons going there for a while where I just hit them close," Damron said. "I felt good with the putter all day. I thought any time I got it around the hole, I was going to have a pretty good chance, and I made most of them."
Closing with an easy two-putt birdie on the short par-5 18th, Damron earned a spot in the final pairing on Saturday. Although he has already made 9 cuts between the two tours, Damron is still looking for his first top-10 finish, and has had only one top-25. Now he gets to put his refreshed attitude to the test, with a forecast of high heat and high winds for Saturday.
And Damron said he will welcome the windy conditions, knowing that ball-striking will be at a premium.
"That's good," Damron said. "It just keeps guys from shooting really low...That means I do need to go to the range and strike it a little more solidly."
Even after two rounds of golf in the mid-60's, always room for improvement for a seasoned pro like Damron.
Although it seems like alternating between the two tours could cause a player to struggle with rhythm, Damron said he has gotten used to the adjustments by now. The Kentucky native has made 328 starts on the PGA Tour and 64 on the Nationwide circuit over the course of his career, and he knows what to expect.
"It doesn't matter what tour you play, as long as you're playing," Damron said. "Every course has a fairway and a green and a hole, and you're going to get rhythm, and you can carry that rhythm from that (PGA) tour to this tour, or vice versa...I've been around so long, it's not a big difference to me."
And his experience may come into play on Saturday, especially if the winds pick up like expected. Damron has learned not to get too worked up about bad shots, which could come in handy when a gust shoots down a well-struck ball.
"I don't get too frustrated," Damron said. "If I got frustrated every time I hit it bad, I'd be in the mental ward right now. You just try to do the best you can with what you've got."
Don't be surprised if Damron remains in contention throughout the weekend.
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-Jim Herman will take a two-stroke lead into the weekend after rounds of 66-64. Herman played a bogey-free round that featured seven birdies, including putts made from 15 feet or longer on holes 6, 12, 13, and 14. After missing the cut at Olympic last week, Herman's game looks to be in fine form, and his lead could be even larger if not for a chunked eagle chip on the short par-5 18th.
-Joe Bramlett goes into the weekend tied for second with Damron, on the heels of a 7-under par 64 on Friday. Bramlett closed with birdies on four of his last five holes to surge into contention, including a 20-footer for birdie on the par-4 16th and a 10-footer on 18.
After making 12 cuts in 25 starts last year in his rookie season on the PGA Tour, Bramlett has found consistency out here on the Nationwide circuit. Bramlett has made 10 cuts in 12 Nationwide starts in 2012. Currently sitting 18th on money list, a big weekend could help Bramlett immensely in his quest to return to the big tour.
-The 17th hole remained raucous Friday afternoon, and the atmosphere will only grow as the weekend progresses, according to various accounts. Caddies frequently raced up to the green, to the tune of the crowd chanting various colors (based on the caddies' bibs). Andre Stolz' caddie even raced a standard bearer who could not have bene more than 12 years old, and the caddie did give a respectable effort before falling just short.
To his credit, the caddie gave it his all to beat the kid, diving toward the green in a last-gasp effort.
Some patrons in the crowd would even cheer "Go, Go, Go" as balls trickled off the false front in the center of the green. Not many other places where you hear that.
What an atmosphere here in Wichita. You can honestly hear the roar on 17 from anywhere on the course, even in the media center. Promises to be a heck of a weekend, as long as the weather stays relatively bearable.
But that 100-degree Sunday does loom.
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