Fantasy Insider: I should have seen Slocum's win coming

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Heath Slocum's win at Sea Island moved him into the top 30 on the money list.

Although it shouldn't happen, every once in a while, even a fantasy golf analyst whiffs a tap-in. The optimist in me chalks it up as a learning curve. The accountant in me is compelled to share the experience.

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At pretty much the same time that Heath Slocum closed out his third straight 66 at The McGladrey Classic, taking sole possession of the 54-hole lead, I hung my head and shook it in disbelief. No, not that he was in control, and not because the other guys I had projected were playing poorly; rather, that I had missed Slocum entirely in my Power Rankings. I slotted him fourth in the feature for the Viking Classic the week before, so it wasn't like I was down on his recent play. (Of course, with a final-round 68, he went on to win by one over Bill Haas.)

Let's go back to the 2009 Barclays, site of his last victory before Sunday's win in Sea Island. Liberty National was a virtual unknown to the field. Its early knock was that the greens were too severe, thereby stressing ball-striking and a hot putter. Indeed, in what was one of the deepest fields of the year, Slocum, who earned 70 world ranking points that week, went tee-to-green with regularity, ranking T9 in fairways and T6 in greens. He also placed a mediocre 33rd in putting, but converted the one that mattered most, a 21-footer for par on the 72nd hole to finish one clear of dignitaries Tiger Woods, Steve Stricker, Ernie Els and Padraig Harrington. Not too shabby. It proved that a short hitter off the tee can come through in the clutch at the 7,419-yard track along the coast. The weather was nasty on Friday, Saturday and the first half of Sunday, creating what amounted to an even longer course for the eventual champion.

Fast forward to last week's McGladrey Classic. It, too, was a stranger to most in the field, and it, too, featured undulating greens, a factor that usually requires some experience. However, in absolutely perfect weather conditions on a course along the coast and some 350 yards shorter than Liberty National, Slocum pounced. He finished fourth in fairways, T7 in GIR and T13 in putting. In a vacuum, looking at the comparison of the variables between sites of these two victories, he made more sense last week, so you can understand my regretful oversight.

There is something to be said for that cat on unfamiliar venues when ball-striking is at a premium and greens are known to be tricky. Sure, that's a lineup of if-thens we don't see often, but I should have immediately. When minute details separate the elite from the rank and file, and I'm sifting through them on a daily basis, a big, honkin' piece of relatable history should jump off the page and bite me in the nose. (Think Robert Redford's character, Nathan Muir, in "Spy Game": "Before the rain.")

Of course, it helped that Slocum banged home that 60-footer at the 16th hole on Sunday, but he was in position to snare the title anyway. And while we can't expect him to make every long-range attempt at the end of a tournament to secure a victory, we already know that we won't be surprised if it happens again.