Slocum defies odds to win opening FedEx event

Mike Dudurich

Posted 2009-08-30

It is said that the FedEx Cup playoffs are not for the underdog.

While the initial event of the four-event featured the top 125 players in the year-long FedEx Cup points chase (the number dropped by one when Camilio Villegas withdrew), don’t be misled into believing that anybody outside of the top 30 -- or maybe top 50 – actually has a chance to win golf’s playoff title.

And with the convoluted points system that gives headaches to golf fans who try to figure it out, maybe the number of viable candidates to win is pretty small.

But wasn’t it just a little bit fun to see Heath Slocum take the first leg of the playoffs Sunday afternoon at Liberty National Golf Club in Jersey City, N.J., in the shadow of the Statue of Liberty?

That would be Heath Slocum, owner of three PGA Tour victories and a guy who wasn’t sure, as late as last Sunday evening, that he was even going to get into the playoffs. He found out that he did make it, as No. 124, but when he drained a double-breaking, 25-foot putt for par on the 18th hole, he had jumped to third in the standings going into this week’s event near Boston.

Even better, Sloan earned a spot in the Tour Championship at the end of the playoffs, insuring that he’ll have a shot to win the $10 million that comes with the silver trophy.

The win was worth $1.35 million and was his first in four years. It’s important to note that his other two wins were “opposite-field” events, when the best players were playing in lucrative invitational tournaments.

“That’s what it’s all about,” Slocum said. “I was sweating it out last week. I didn’t even know if I’d be here. I came in here with the attitude that I had nothing to lose.”

Slocum finished at 9-under par, including a final-round 67 that withstood charges by a quartet of players that possesses some fine credentials: Tiger Woods, Steve Stricker, Padraig Harrington and Ernie Els.

None, however, were able to make enough clutch shots to chase down Slocum. Woods had yet another sub-par putting week, continuing a trend that took place in the PGA Championship at Hazeltine.

He missed a three-footer for par early on Sunday. He couldn’t convert 10-foot birdie putts on a pair of par fives. And after striping a 6-iron to seven feet on the final hole, his putt never touched the hole.

“It happens," said Woods, who shot a 67. "Not too many golf courses that you misread putts that badly. This golf course is one."

Stricker finished with a 69, Harrington a 67, while Els blistered the picturesque course with a no-bogey 66.

"From where I've come from, where my game has been, where my confidence has been, this is moving in the right direction," said Els, who has not won since March 2008 at the Honda Classic.

An unfortunate sidelight of the tournament happened on Saturday and it took a big bite of the playoff title hopes of veteran Jim Furyk.

He and long-time caddie, Mike “Fluff” Cowan, made a cardinal mistake in Saturday’s third round by forgetting to take an extra wedge out of the bag after warming up. They discovered the mistake as they approached the second green and, according to the rules, Furyk was assessed a two-shot penalties for each of those holes, turning pars into double bogeys.

He went on to shoot a 70 and then a 69 on Sunday, tying for 15th. Without the penalty strokes, he’d have tied for sixth. The mistake cost Furyk $131,250 and 188 FedEx Cup points. He dropped from 16th to 18th in the FedEx Cup points race, finishing the event with 1,458.

“It was a chain of events that added up to a stupid mistake,” Furyk said. “I assumed he (Cowan) knew I was going to play this 60 and he didn’t know which way I was going to go. … It’s one of the simplest rules in golf. It’s so easy.”

Next on the FedEx Cup trail will be the Deutsche Bank Classic near Boston. The top 100 finishers in the Barclays move on to play in this event, which is unique in one way. Unlike all other PGA Tour events, this one starts on Friday and ends on Monday, which happens to be Labor Day.

That field will be bolstered by the appearance of Woods, who announced in New York he’d be playing in all four of the FedEx Cup events.

Start a Feedback Thread Or Talk About This Article

About Mike...
As a sports writer for over 35 years, Mike Dudurich has seen a lot of great things, covered spectacular events, but his passion is, and has been golf. He recently ended a 29-year career at the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and will now be a frequent contributor on GolfGearReview.com. Mike hosts a weekly golf radio show on 1250 ESPN in Pittsburgh from the beginning of April through the end of August. The show airs Saturdays from 8-9 a.m. and can be heard online at http://stations.espn.go.com/stations/espnradio1250/show?showId=insidepghgolf - Listen to Mike Here!.

Mike's Most Recent Features

Will Michelle Wie now go to the next level? - I can’t say that I’m a huge Michelle Wie fan.

She’s a gifted golfer and, even at 20 years old, has shown glimpses of the talent we’ve heard about for the last 10 years or more. So I do have t

Some familiar names fail to keep PGA Tour cards for 2010 - The 2009 “regular season” on the PGA Tour is over.

So is the Fall Series, the add-on to that regular season, made up of tournaments with lesser purses but, at the same time, provide those who

Mickelson sets stage for dramatic 2010 - Soooooooooo, while those at the pinnacle of the PGA Tour’s food chain finish off their 2009 season with a lucrative week in China, those desperately trying to get a foot in the door at the bottom end

Tour players forced to mingle ... and don't like it - I’ve said this before and probably will say it many, many more times.

In a lot of ways, I respect professional golfers much more than a lot of other athletes in the “play for pay” business. A

GolfCourt anyone? An idea with real 'net' merit - Look around your town or city and if you don’t readily find a tennis court that’s greatly underused or overgrown, you’re in a rare locale.

Those tennis courts are the target of a creation kno

Smith adds to Western Pa. golf lore with Mid-Amateur triumph - Pardon me while I wax parochial for a few words.

I am a life-long resident of western Pennsylvania, an area of the world that lacks the sunshine and warm weather of some parts of the world, b

Thoughts to live by when planning a golf trip - It’s my opinion, and one that’s widely shared among those who have ever participated in a golf trip, that what happens in the days and months prior to the trip itself is critical to the success of the

Woods perfect, U.S. wins President Cup - Sometimes, things are almost too good to be true.

I mean, seriously. The world’s best player, who took a long time to warm up to these team championships, providing the Presidents Cup-winning

U.S. leads Presidents Cup ... but not by much - Two days into the eighth edition of the Presidents Cup, things are just about where they should be.

The United States team has a 6 ½-5 ½ lead over the Internationals, built in large part in t

Games can add to golf trip excitement - In Part I of this series, I regaled you with a Reader’s Digest version of a four-man golf trip to central Florida, a trip that had only a bit of drama and was pretty much straight golf. No games, no b

Home - More Golf News & Reviews
Start a Feedback Thread Or Talk About This Article

Didn't find what you need? Try our site search:

Golfsmith Tennis - Best Brands, Best Prices