'Magical' putt, family support help Slocum earn third win
By Helen Ross, PGATOUR.COM Chief of Correspondents
JERSEY CITY, N.J. -- Heath Slocum went to the club, hit some balls and then headed home to play with his 21-month-old daughter, Stella.
While daddy and daughter bonded downstairs, Slocum's wife, Vicki, was camped out in front of the computer, eyes glued to the FedExCup projected points as the Wyndham Championship wound to a conclusion.
"The last two hours I didn't leave the computer," Vicky recalled. "I just crossed my fingers and watched."
"My wife was pretty diligent," Slocum said, grinning.
One minute Slocum -- who had missed the cut at Greensboro -- was inside the top 125. The next, he flirted with the bubble. Once he even fell down to No. 126 which would have left him on the outside looking in for the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup.
Finally the suspense was over. Vicky went downstairs and told her husband he had finished No. 124 -- with two points to spare. So the threesome was headed to The Barclays, after all.
And on Sunday, Slocum guaranteed he'll play in the next three Playoff events, too, when he rolled in a pressure-packed 21-footer for par on the 72nd hole at Liberty National to secure a one-stroke victory over Tiger Woods, Steve Stricker, Ernie Els and Padraig Harrington -- as well as a chance to play for the ultimate $10 million prize.
The victory at The Barclays, which more than doubled his season's earnings, moved Slocum all the way to No. 3 in the FedExCup -- which was only fitting when you consider that Woods is No. 1 and Stricker is No. 2. The top five heading into the finale at East Lake control their own destiny, too, which is something Slocum understands.
"Unbelievable," Slocum said, with a slight shake of his head, as he contemplated the dramatic turn of events. "Just that quick. It really was. ... When I missed the cut on Friday (in Greensboro), I'd taken (my fate) all out of my own hands."
Slocum seized control on Sunday, though, when he holed a 7-iron from 158 yards for an eagle on the fifth hole, then got up and down from a greenside bunker for a birdie at No. 6. He heard the cheers but it turns out, Slocum's playing partner had the best view.
"He hit it just past the hole," Stricker said, motioning about 6 inches with his hands. "Just like a little gopher going for his hole, it just jumped right (back) in. He didn't see it. ... So he was a little shocked at it all. But it was a great shot. "
About the time that ball sucked back into the hole, Vicky was getting off the treadmill back at the couple's hotel. Her cell phone was ringing off the hook. Friends began e-mailing and texting. So by the time she had changed and gotten in the car to head to Liberty National, Vicky was well aware of what had happened.
About five hours later, as Slocum was doing yet another interview and the sun was setting on the Statue of Liberty, Vicky stood nearby, their daughter cradled in her arms, and reflected on the dramatic shot.
"It's the kind of magical thing you need on Sunday if you're going to win," Vicky said, smiling, and she should know.
Slocum won the first two tournaments she ever attended, as well as the third -- even though she had to leave on Wednesday to go back to college and take exams. Vicky even remembers a clutch par putt he made on the 12th hole in Jackson, Miss., that caused her to turn to a family member and predict another victory that would come to pass.
But that 2005 Southern Farm Bureau Classic was Slocum's last PGA TOUR win and as luck would have it, he needed some more magic on the 18th hole at Liberty National to break that drought.
Slocum and Stricker were tied at 9 under when they teed off at the 508-yard par 4. Three major champions -- Woods, Harrington and Els -- were already in the clubhouse, one stroke behind, waiting to see if there would be a playoff.
When Slocum found the right fairway bunker and Stricker the left, the possibility loomed large. Both came up short and chipped on, with Slocum's par putt of 21 feet twice as long as that of his playing partner.
"As funny as it sounds, effectively I'm in a playoff right then and there," said Slocum, who was leading the field in distance of putts made. "I'm expecting Stricker to make that. ... I'd been rolling it so well all week. I felt like I had a really good line. All I had to was just get it there.
"Sometimes that's the hardest thing to do, let the putter release, when you have a few of the nerves coming. As soon as I hit it I was like, 'I think it's enough,' it's just whether it holds its line, and it did and it went in and obviously I got pretty excited."
Slocum, who only stands 5-foot-8, cast a large shadow on the green as he thrust both arms into the air in jubilation when the ball snuck safely into the hole. He pumped them again as he walked to the side of the green to watch Stricker's ball stubbornly refuse to fall. Soon Stella was in those same arms, waving to the TV cameras, as her dad beamed.
"Obviously, it was an incredible day, an incredible week," Slocum said. "At the beginning of the week I knew I had to play well just to move on. That was my goal. But coming into today, I was a bit more nervous than I anticipated on the first. I don't know why, but I was. Got off to a shaky start. The up and down on one, the long putt on two kind of settled me down.
"For the rest of the day, it is the best I felt on a golf course for a very long time, probably since '05. I was just in a great frame of mind. I felt good over pretty much everything, especially the putter. It's one of those days that I haven't had in a very long time.
"Overall it was an incredible day, incredible experience. I was just kind of lucky to come out on top. A lot of good players. At the end of the day, putt on the last was magical. I'll remember that for the rest of my life."
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