Still loving golf after all these years, Waldorf moves up leaderboard Saturday

Duffy Waldorf is in an interesting spot this year. The 49-year-old Waldorf, a four-time PGA Tour winner with over $11 million in career earnings, finds himself with limited status on the big tour.

Injuries kept Waldorf from playing consistently for the last few years of the 2000's. When he was able to play, he didn't perform well enough to retain full PGA Tour status.

And with the Champions Tour looming (he turns 50 in August), Waldorf wants to compete as much as possible.

"I love to golf," Waldorf said. "I love to play competitive golf. I just feel like I need competition."

So here he is, out on the Nationwide Tour, fighting along with everyone else on the minor-league circuit. After all, what else would he do after nearly 30 years as a professional golfer?

"Playing out here is just as good as playing on the PGA Tour," Waldorf said. "It gives you good competition, and it feels just like playing a Tour event. So I can't think of a better way to get ready for the Champions Tour."

While he's here, he might as well play good golf. Waldorf posted a 68 in the windy conditions early Saturday afternoon, shooting up the leaderboard from a tie for 38th into a tie for 12th. The UCLA grad started off with birdies on his first two holes, and finished strong with a two-putt birdie on the par-5 18th.

Considering the difficulties, Waldorf is pleased with his play.

"The last few days we had a bit of wind, but a gentle wind, more like 10 mph," Waldorf said. "Today was definitely 20, 20-plus, and it made a big difference. You could tell right out of the box that it was going to be a tough day."

The veteran knew it wasn't a day to get too wrapped up in shooting a low score, and he played accordingly.

"It was more just making pars, making pars, staying in play" Waldorf said. "And then when I got the opportunity, make some birdies."

Waldorf has split time between the two tours this year, playing on the PGA Tour when he can, and the Nationwide when he can't. Interesting enough, he has been more consistent on the big tour, making six of seven cuts - compared to three of six on the Nationwide circuit. However, the Northridge, CA resident has played well on the Natiownide when he has made the cut - with a T2 and T11 to his credit.

The consistency on the big tour can be explained, Waldorf said.

"In general, my game is a little more suited for the regular tour," Waldorf said. "Only in my mentality. I tend to play more conservatively on the regular tour, the scores are higher. When you come to the Nationwide Tour, the scoring's a little better. The courses yield more birdies, the greens tend to be a touch softer, maybe not as much rough. So you have to adjust your mindset to be a little more aggressive and shoot for more birdies"

And since Champions Tour course setups are similar to those on the Nationwide, Waldorf feels that this tour provides solid preparation for when he turns 50.

"The Champions Tour, from what I understand, is very similar to that," Waldorf said. "You want to be shooting for birdies, play aggressive."

With Waldorf providing a solid showing in Wichita, don't be surprised if he comes out firing on the Champions Tour come August.