LA QUINTA — Chris DiMarco is starting to recapture the feeling that made him a force on the PGA Tour.
The 43-year-old veteran has struggled in recent years, but he showed Friday why he's regaining his confidence.
He shot an 8-under 64 at the Nicklaus Private Course at PGA West in the second round of the Humana Challenge in partnership with the William J. Clinton Foundation. He is tied for eighth at 12-under, trailing co-leaders Ben Crane, David Toms and Mark Wilson by four shots.
“I'm starting to get the confidence and the feel and feeling like I should be there, and I think that's the most important thing,” DiMarco said. “You lose it for a couple years, and you don't know if you're ever going to get it back. I'm starting to feel that again.”
It's the feeling that propelled DiMarco to a runner-up finish at the 2005 Masters, where Tiger Woods defeated him in a playoff.
He also lost to Vijay Singh in a three-way playoff at the 2004 PGA Championship and finished in second at the 2006 British Open, two shots behind Woods. He is currently 26th on the PGA Tour career money list with $22.1 million.
But DiMarco got discouraged as he finished out of the top 125 on the tour money list from 2008 to 2010. He had to use his position on the career money list to receive exempt status in 2009 and 2011 and relied on sponsors' exemptions in 2010.
“My whole deal is, I've got three kids at home, and for me being away from them is tough,” he said, “and if you're playing poor golf, it's hard to justify being away from them.”
But the three-time PGA Tour winner has bounced back. He finished 113th on last year's money list to earn his card, and he was optimistic entering this season.
“This is the first year in a while I've been healthy, so I've come in pretty excited about my game,” said DiMarco, who has fought through shoulder and wrist injuries in recent years. “I played quite a bit over the offseason, getting myself ready, and everything seems to be working pretty good.”
He started the season off well last week at the Sony Open in Hawaii, where he finished tied for 13th. It wasn't just a business trip, but also a family vacation. He and his wife, Amy, lounged on the beach as they watched their three children — Cristian, Amanda and Abigale — swim.
DiMarco has continued his strong play this week. He birdied all four par-5s as part of his 8-under 64 on Friday.
“You've got to have one of these rounds to contend here,” he said.
