WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. - Indiana University graduate Jeff Overton was right in the middle of the inaugural Greenbrier Classic hoopla.
Two rounds in he was 14-under par, scorching a field that was exposing the Old White that has since received much-needed alterations.
Then, Overton wound up the biggest victim of Stuart Appleby's final-round 59, losing by one stroke despite a respectable 67 on the final day. Appleby finished 22 under par.
Only two events during that 49-match season - the Bob Hope Classic (Bill Haas, -30) and the John Deere Classic (Steve Stricker, -26) - had winners with better par scores. The Hyundai Tournament of Champions (Geoff Ogilvy, -22) and the Deutsche Bank Championship (Charley Hoffmann, -22) tied the Greenbrier Classic.
Overton didn't come back to the field, Appleby sprinted past it as the sixth player in history to record the Tour's lowest 18-hole score.
Five years after turning pro, Overton was peaking without a win, but with three second-place finishes. He was the first player in Ryder Cup history to make the team without a tour win.
Five years after that, he's facing his toughest stretch.
The sixth Greenbrier Classic will mark his 10th missed cut of the season, the most he's had since 2008 and his first at the Old White TPC.
From 2011-13, his finishes were T49, T17 and T59.
"That's just the game we play," Overton said.
The 32-year-old native of Evansville, Ind., has maintained a steady schedule since becoming a full-time member of the PGA Tour in 2006.
He played in 28 events that year and has averaged 23 per season since, including a 32-match campaign in 2008 (he missed a career-high 12 cuts that season). He finished 118th on the money list that year despite having an appendectomy late in the season. The top 125 retain their playing privileges.
Overton, who has played 23 tournaments this season, isn't ready to slow down and really can't afford to. He dropped from 128 to 135 on the money list entering the Greenbrier Classic and won't move up when the list is updated following the weekend.
He's faced the good and bad in two days in the Greenbrier Valley, having seven birdies on Friday, but also playing No. 16 at 10-over par in two rounds. He failed to carry the water and wound up hitting five balls into the drink in both rounds.
"I never felt more confident," he said. "I think I missed three fairways and the one's I missed were by about 2 feet and I missed that one (16).
"It's tough whenever the second one happened. You're basically all ready out of the golf tournament. To shoot 6 under in the last 12 holes, and you know the cut's going to be 2-3 under ... knowing you have to be out there and play golf for two or three more hours knowing you basically don't have a chance."
Overton will continue to grind away. He had a career-high finish of No. 12 in 2010, but hasn't come close since, falling to 74 (2011), 52 (2012), 112 (2011) and 93 (2014).
That means long seasons, multiple tournaments, and the grueling stretch of living in airplanes and hotels.
"It's a grind, but it's a little easier to slow down when you have done really well and you have your card secured," Overton said. "I keep missing here and there, having really good weeks, and you just keep playing and something good will happen."
Contact Assistant Sports Editor Rich Stevens at richstevens@dailymailwv.com or 304-348-4837. Follow him on Twitter @richdailymail