Playoffs: Nine who could be the next Heath Slocum
By Stan Awtrey, PGATOUR.COM Contributor
It took more than two years, but someone finally slipped one past the goalie, so to speak.
In the first two years of the FedExCup playoffs, each of the four events was won by one of the game's stars. In 2007 it was Steve Stricker, Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods. In 2008, it was Vijay Singh and Camilo Villegas.
Then, at The Barclays, Heath Slocum showed why guys still show up and play the tournaments. He was the next-to-last guy to qualify for the Playoffs; he got in the field by two whole points. (Mickelson tips the clubhouse attendant two points.) But Slocum had a great week, made a clutch 21-footer on the 72nd hole and beat some of golf's biggest names.
"Now you take this, a playoff event, this caliber of field, all the people that finished one shot behind, it's incredible," Slocum said. "I'm going to use this experience hopefully for the rest of my life, knowing that I can come down the stretch and play, if you want, with the big boys."
Now that Slocum has kicked in the door, others are waiting to crowd the room. No longer are the Playoffs the personal playground for stars like Tiger and Phil. Looks like they've opened the Officers Club to the enlisted men.
With that in mind, here's a list of players outside the top 40 who could make some noise this week at the Deutsche Bank Championship. Players must get inside the top 70 in order to qualify for the third round next week at the BMW Championship. Here are nine guys who might prove to be this week's version of Heath Slocum:
Vijay Singh: OK, the defending FedExCup champion is officially one of the big guys, but he starts the week No. 78 on the playoff points list. He missed the cut at Liberty National and won't have a chance to defend his title if he can't find a little more game.
Fredrik Jacobson: He tied for sixth last week at the Barclays and moved up to 48th in the points standings. With a new driver and a new caddie, can he catch lightning in a bottle for the second straight week?
Troy Matteson: The former NCAA champion from Georgia Tech has now made the cut in four consecutive events. He's starting to look more like the guy who closed with a blaze of glory in 2006. He tied for 20th at the Barclays and moved from 125th to 83rd on the points list.
Brandt Snedeker: Which Snedeker will show up? Will it be the one who started slowly this year, or the one with four top 10s and a 12th in the other five tournaments? If the Good Brandt shows up, he just might end up at East Lake. He surged 20 spots last week.
Richard S. Johnson: He made a nice move from 108th to 85th, but the diminutive Swede has some history in Boston. He tied for 21st there a year ago and likes the course.
Ryuji Imada: The former Georgia All-American hasn't been able to match last year's performance, which saw him win for the first time and net seven top-10s. This year he doesn't have a top-10 finish and has missed the cut the last three weeks. But he's got some history at Boston, where he tied for 13th in 2008, and has potential to make up the ground.
Briny Baird: The man with the hat has struggled all summer and has missed the cut the last three weeks and in eight of his last nine events. Baird tied for 21st at last year's Deutsche Bank Championship and was 19th in 2003. He begins the week No. 70 on the points list and can't afford another MC if he wants to hang on to that spot.
Jonathan Byrd: His best two finishes have been in upper tier events: tie for third at the Memorial and tie for fifth at Quail Hollow. He's been inside the top 25 the last three tournaments. When he gets hot, few players can match Byrd's birdie potential.
Jason Bohn: He missed the cut last week after his near-win at Greensboro, but Bohn has history in Boston. He was second there in 2005 and needs to play well to move up.
Things could return to normal this week and the big names could again take command of the center stage. No one can argue that Tiger and Phil going head-to-head in Boston in 2007 made great theater, but it's nice to know that there is always a chance that the opening act can occasionally become the headliner.
Heath Slocum proved it. Can anyone else follow it up?
Stan Awtrey is a freelance columnist for PGATOUR.COM. His views do not necessarily reflect the views of the PGA TOUR.
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