News And Notes

Sluman Wins Again, Finally

When Jeff Sluman won the 1988 PGA Championship at Oak Tree in Edmond, Okla., for the first victory of his career, no one expected that it might be his last. But it was—until Sunday, when Sluman ended a nine-year, 241-tournament drought by winning the Tucson Chrysler Classic. "The monkey is off my back, finally," said Sluman, whose 13-under-par 275 beat runner-up Steve Jones by a stroke.

Sluman had come close to winning many times since the '88 PGA—too close, too many times. At some point, finishing second evolves from "Nice going!" to "Why can't he win?" He was second eight times, losing three tournaments in sudden death, had 43 top-10 finishes and won more than $3.5 million. But this year he'd missed two of three cuts and was 158th on the money list, and after a 75 in the first round at the Omni Tucson National Resort and Spa, he was thinking about which flight to take home to Chicago. That night Sluman called home and his wife, Linda, an oncologist, told him to believe in himself. Can it be so simple?

It helped that he started making some putts. He shot 68 the next day, then on Saturday chipped in twice en route to a 65, which put him four strokes behind the leader, Brad Bryant. On Sunday, Sluman shot 67, the day's third-best score, while the leaders wilted. Bryant led until his drive at the 10th hole sailed into a lake. Mike Reid had a share of the lead when his tee shot at the short 13th hole went out-of-bounds. And Paul Stankowski's three-putt bogey at the 12th sent him packing.

Sluman moved on top with a birdie at the 14th. Then, at the 186-yard par-3 17th, he did what he hadn't done for nine years—nailed a clutch shot under pressure. Sluman's four-iron stopped two feet from the cup, and the birdie put him a shot ahead of Jones. Although Sluman bogeyed the 18th, so did Jones.

It was a nice comeback for one of the friendliest guys on Tour. "Even if I never won again, my career wouldn't have been a poor one," says Sluman. "I think my peers respect me as a player."

The Tour Pros Pick an American Dream Team

Ten of the 12 players who will compete on the U.S. Ryder Cup team this September will have earned that honor, thanks to a system that awards points, on a sliding scale, for top-10 finishes over a two-year span. The other two players are selected by the captain—Tom Kite this time around—and choosing them is always a tough, and sometimes a controversial, decision. Imagine how much more difficult it would be if Kite had to select all 12 members.

We asked 30 Tour players to do just that. (The accompanying chart shows the votes for all players who received more than one, as well as the current official standings.) Our panel included some players who have been on the team, like Fred Couples, and some lesser lights who have not, such as Robert Damron. Only three players were unanimous choices—Tom Lehman, Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods. Four more, Fred Couples, Davis Love III, Mark O'Meara and Corey Pavin, got a healthy majority, even though Pavin is currently 24th on the points list. The last five spots on our Dream Team produced surprises. Steve Stricker and David Duval, two 1996 phenoms, were ranked eighth and ninth by our voters, even though Stricker is 83rd on this year's money list and Duval has never won a tournament. Omitted from the top 12 was PGA champion Mark Brooks, who nearly clinched a place on the team with his 1996 play but has yet to earn a point this year, as well as Kenny Perry and Jim Furyk, who are ninth and 11th, respectively, in the official standings.

Lee Janzen picked up only three votes in our poll. The former U.S. Open champion was in the eye of the storm in '95 when captain Lanny Wadkins picked his old pal Curtis Strange, even though Janzen had won twice and was third on the money list. But Janzen has been winless since and is not among the top 25 in points.