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By Melanie Hauser
PGATOUR.com Correspondent

SPRING, Texas -- It's been a month since Jeff Sluman did the toe test.

You know. Dip it in the water. See if you like the temperature. See if it likes you.

Jeff Sluman has three top 20 finishes in his first three Champions Tour events. (Condon/PGA TOUR)

The verdict? How does three top 20 finishes in his first three events strike you?

Yes, Sluman loves his new digs on the Champions Tour. Dove right in.

Not that we expected he wouldn't.

Slu had a handful of top 10s in his last season and three quarters on the PGA TOUR and he's got the game and temperment to shine out here -- just like, to name a couple, Loren Roberts and Jay Haas. You know the type. Solid game. Accurate. Deft touch around the greens.

No, he hasn't won since the 2002 Greater Milwaukee Open, but he does have a PGA Championship in the pocket -- the 1988 PGA, which was also his first win. And he's the all-time Cubs/Bears/Bulls fan -- almost anything Chicago -- so don't even wonder about his patience. Think Job.

As for intangibles? Just look at the last three Presidents Cups where Slu has been Jack Nicklaus' right-hand man. That braintrust has made something special happen. Special enough that people are talking a fourth term or, possibly, a Ryder Cup captaincy for Sluman.

He smiles, then deflects the attention. He mentions Haas and Larry Nelson, who would have made great captains. And that the PGA of America would have to "think out of the box" to even consider him. And that, well, who wouldn't want to play for Jack?

Slu is as understated as they come. Funny too. Which is why he was considering a little rookie hazing for playing partners Phil Blackmar and John Cook in Friday's first-round of the Administaff Small Business Classic at Augusta Pines.

It's Cook and Blackmar's Champions Tour debuts so... Slu's contemplating a little rendition of "Happy Birthday" on the first tee.

'Every psychologist will tell you the more relaxed you are, the more fun you have, the better you play,'' he said.

Slu's done just that. Although he took a week away to assist Captain Jack in America's President Cup win in Montreal two weeks ago and didn't touch the clubs he brought with him, he's back concentrating on the Champions Tour stretch run.

He knew a year ago what parts of his game needed work; where he needed to improve. And, he said, he needed to get competitive again.

He's done just that.

"Golf is still golf,'' he said. "Better drive it in the fairway. Better hit it on the green. You might have a few shorter irons into greens out here, but you have to play. No one out here is backing up. Someone every week is shooting 15 or 18 under. You've got to be ready to go.''

Slu got rolling with a tie for ninth at the U.S. Bank Championship in Milwaukee in July when he was still 49. He bowed onto the Champions Tour with a tie for 15th at the Greater Hickory Classic at Rock Barn and followed that with a tie for 20th at the SAS Championship. Last week, he tied for 17th at the Constellation Energy Senior Players Championship.

Yes, this is his fifth week in a row on the road, although he does fly home every Sunday night for a quick visit. He'll play next week in San Antonio, too. Then, it'll be time for a break.

And time to reflect. As for the Presidents Cup? He said he'll take away the memories.

"That's what it's all about,'' he said. "You take the team room, that's a special place. A lot of great things happen. Twelve guys and their wives. The laughs, the fun makes it extra special.''