With his future on the PGA Tour secured for the next two years thanks to his dramatic August win at The Barclays, former Vicksburg resident Heath Slocum is using the fall series to work out some kinks.

Slocum got some extra practice Wednesday afternoon at Vicksburg Country Club, where his father, Jack, is the club pro.

Friday, at Madison’s Annandale Country Club, Heath is back at work on the tour with the Viking Classic. Most of the pros in the event, which includes eight former major champions, are trying to secure their playing card for next year. The Viking Classic is the PGA Tour’s next-to-last tournament of the season and only the top 125 on the money list earn full playing priviliges for 2010. Slocum has no such worries. His Barclays win earned him a two-year exemption and invitations to the Tour’s biggest events.

Viking Classic

Friday-Monday

At Annadale Golf Club in Madison

Tickets: $20 per day, available at www.vikingclassic.com or by calling

601-898-4653.

Note: The first round Thursday was postponed until Friday because of rain

“Besides confidence, the win at The Barclays sets up next year really well. I’ll be in all the majors and two World Golf Championship events. It certainly makes scheduling easier, but the best thing is getting to play the six big tournaments,” Slocum said before heading out onto the VCC course.

Ironically, Slocum said he only remembered playing at the Country Club one other time.

“I think it was one time, in 2002. All I can remember of it is the little bitty greens. And I remember a 7-iron I hooked on one of the par fours,” Slocum said.

It was at Clear Creek Golf Course in Bovina where Slocum cut his teeth. His father was the course pro there from 1978-88. As a child, Heath took full advantage of his access to the course.

“I probably played Clear Creek every day for two years. Most of the time it was 18 holes, but I remember playing 54 in a day there,” Slocum said. “Clear Creek was where I learned to have fun with golf. And it’s where I really learned how to play.”

Slocum left with Jack and spent his high school years in northwest Florida, where he also played with fellow PGA Tour pro Boo Weekley. He then played collegiately at South Alabama. From there he went on the Nationwide Tour, winning three times to get a promotion to the PGA Tour in 2001.

He won two times, including at Annandale in 2005. The other win came in 2004 at the Chrysler Classic in Tucson.

Before his fateful tournament at The Barclays, Slocum was fighting for his PGA Tour card. He just squeezed into the FedEx Cup playoffs, ranking 124th out of 125. He put together three good rounds on the first weekend of the playoffs and came to Liberty National’s No. 18 on Sunday tied for the lead with Steve Stricker.

The world’s No. 1 golfer, Tiger Woods, was on the green with a relatively easy 7-footer for birdie that would have pulled him into a tie.

“At that point, all I cared about was a number. I didn’t think about who was up on the green, or what Steve was doing, even though we were in a match play situation. I just thought if I make par, I could win.”

On his second shot, Slocum found a sand trap and was left with a long wedge for his third.

“I hit into the trap and I just had to stick the wedge,” Slocum said.

His wedge left him with a 20-foot par putt. Stricker was 10 feet closer. Woods had missed and was left a shot behind. Slocum made his putt and Stricker missed, giving Slocum the win in the FedEx Cup’s first playoff event.

While he went to sign his winning card, Slocum got to lift his daughter, Stella, around the CBS camera crews.

“She didn’t have an idea what was happening, but it was pretty cool to see the footage of it,” Slocum said.

For Slocum, the best thing about winning The Barclays was the competition he beat. Woods, Stricker, Ernie Els and Padraig Harrington — three of them past major champions — were all among the leaders in the final holes.

“It may not have been a major, but it definitely was a major’s caliber type field. It’s hard to win a golf tournament. A lot of things have to go right and you have to have some luck. Earlier in the year, I had a lot of inconsistencies,” Slocum said. “I would either not make a putt or couldn’t get into position to have a chance at making a putt. I wasn’t getting a lot out of my game. I had two decent tournaments, but was just so inconsistent.”

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Contact Jeff Byrd at jbyrd@vicksburgpost.com