The Front Nine

Heath Slocum reacts after sinking his par putt on the 18th green to win The Barclays.

1. Heath Slocum, 124th in the FedEx Cup standings, wins the Barclays and jumps to third.

We wanted volatility in the playoffs--and we got it.

2. Quirky Liberty National layout draws mixed reaction from players.

Stuff like, "It's the best garbage dump turned golf course we've ever played."

3. Byeong- Hun An, 17, becomes youngest U.S. Amateur champ ever.

Suddenly, South Korea is to golf what Kenya is to distance running.

4. U.S. Walker Cup team players go 1-5 in match play at Southern Hills.

American fans should look on the bright side: The squad will be well rested when it gets to Merion.

5. Jack Nicklaus to join Arnold Palmer as honorary starter at the Masters.

Wonderful news for them and the Masters--even if it makes the rest of us just feel old.

6. Jim Furyk penalized four shots for mistakenly playing with 15 clubs, costing him about $130,000.

It's only money. Now, if it had been 130,000 FedEx Cup points ...

7. Arnold Palmer's grandson, Sam Saunders, to skip final year of college and turn pro.

Just a guess, but sponsor exemptions shouldn't be a problem for Saunders.

8. Pakistan duo becomes first team from their country to qualify for the World Cup.

Which helps explain why we think golf in the Olympics is such a good idea.

9. Wegmans, longtime sponsor of Rochester LPGA stop, signs three-year extension.

At tour headquarters, this is the equivalent of the stock market hitting 10,000.