In a final hour full of surprises, Heath Slocum delivered the biggest one of the day at The Barclays when he finished off a compelling afternoon at Liberty National by making a 20ft par putt on the 18th hole for a one-shot victory over Tiger Woods and a cast of stars.
“That putt was magical,” Slocum said. “I’ll remember that the rest of my life.”
Woods was one shot behind when he fired a six-iron from 189 yards to within seven feet on the final hole, adding to his collection of clutch shots. Typical of his week, however, Woods missed the putt and shot 67, then had to wait to see if there would be a play-off.
Slocum and Steve Stricker, tied for the lead, both hit into fairway bunkers and could not reach the green. Slocum raised both arms in the air when his par putt broke gently back to the left and disappeared into the hole. Stricker had a 10ft par putt to force a play-off but it caught the left lip. He closed with a 69.
Ernie Els (66) and Padraig Harrington (67) also finished one shot behind Slocum. Els had already loaded his clubs into the boot of his car when he heard the cheers for Woods’ approach to the 18th green.Then came a groan when Woods missed, followed by news that Slocum and Stricker were in trouble off the tee. Before long, Els was on the driving range warming up for a possible five-way play-off that never happened when Slocum made the biggest putt of his career.
In the third year of these play-offs, the FedEx Cup finally has a winner that resembles a real underdog. Slocum qualified with two points to spare – he was No124 out of 125 players who advance to this post-season event. His victory moves him to No3 in the standings, guaranteeing him a spot in the Tour Championship and a shot at the $10m (£6.2m) prize.
“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, who entered The Barclays at No197 in the world rankings, earned $1.35m (£830,000) for his third career PGA Tour victory and first in four years.
