Heath

Slocum

Straight as an arrow, Slocum leads the TOUR in driving accuracy and is 31st in GIR. The problems start when he misses the green as he ranks 176th in scrambling. Couple that with a total putting stat that leaves him 165th and the putter needs to improve if Slocum is to post a high finish.

We had our eyes on the veteran after he was bounced from the Transitions before his second round due to food poisoning. His tee-to-green game at Redstone was crisp (11 of 14 fairways, 14 greens) but he required 34 putts and managed just one birdie, and that needed to find the cup from 17'8" at the 17th hole. He missed all six of his attempts from inside 10 feet, three of which resulted in his only bogeys on the round.

Slocum was scratched prior to his second round of last week’s Transitions due to food poisoning. He cashed in each of his previous five starts but didn’t log a top 30. In his one appearance at Redstone’s Tournament Course, he shared 58th place in 2009.

Slocum isn’t the world’s greatest putter by any means, but he’s showcased his talent on tracks where putting is at a premium. This includes victories at Liberty National and Seaside. Quail Hollow could be included on that list. His ticket this week has been loading up birdie opportunities. After hitting 15 greens in his opening-round 69, he hit all 18 today and converted on five of them. Three measured over 12 feet, the longest of which 19'8" at the seventh hole. He also negotiated a par save of 13'4" at the 17th hole to maintain a spotless card.

Golf Channel’s Kelly Tilghman reported the specifics. (PGATOUR.com cited an “illness.”) Slocum was due to go off the first tee at 1:12 p.m. ET today. He opened with a 2-under-par 34-35=69 on Thursday. His WD ends a modest consecutive cuts made streak at five. He didn’t crack the top 30 in any.

Slocum has made 10 (of 17) cuts this season, but has only a lone top 25 coming in the form of a T15 at last week’s Travelers Championship. There could be some reason for optimism, as he posted a T11 in the 2011 U.S. Open contested at Congressional. In order to continue to build off of his best finish of the season, he will have to putt better than his 181st ranking in Strokes Gained-Putting.

Slocum circled eight birdies and squared three bogeys in his navigation of Annandale Golf Club. He hit an impressive 15 GIR and needed 29 putts to 1.533 average. His 81.5 percent GIR rank near the top of the field. He will attempt to claim his fifth PGA TOUR victory in the final round.

The four-time TOUR winner begins the final week of the 2012 season 141st on the money list with $518,198 in cash. While he appears to be a lock to finish in the 126-150 conditional category, he needs a big week if he hopes to set his schedule for 2013. He’s second in driving accuracy and 24th in GIR, but an abysmal 183rd in strokes gained-putting.

Slocum’s exemption via his 2010 win expires at the end of this season, so if he is to retain full status it will have to be thanks to a big week in one of the next two tournaments. He’s seen the weekend on 17 of 27 occasions, but owns just three top 25s. In his favor, he’s made six of his last seven cuts with matching T13s at the Justin Timberlake and the True South Classic. He ranks third in driving accuracy and 24th in GIR.