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By Greg Hardwig
Naples Daily News
Nov. 13, 2003
The Franklin Templeton Shootout is ready for a charming weekend, its third in Southwest Florida.
According to tournament founder and host Greg Norman, the unofficial PGA Tour event has grown in stature since its move to Tiburón Golf Club, the course he designed, and the Ritz Carlton Golf Resort, which opened in time for last year's event.
"The tournament's always been structured as a fun, relaxing week," Norman said. "Obviously, coming to Naples here has helped us enjoy that a little bit more."
Twelve two-man teams of PGA Tour players will compete for the $2.4 million purse, with $550,000 being split by the winners of the tournament's 15th edition. Teams will play alternate shot on Friday, better ball on Saturday and a scramble on Sunday. The National Childhood Cancer Foundation once again is the tournament charity.
Lee Janzen and Rocco Mediate are the defending champions.
Janzen, a two-time U.S. Open champion, fired an 8-iron from 157 yards to three feet on the last hole for a birdie that clinched the win over the teams of David Gossett and Matt Kuchar and John Huston and Jeff Maggert.
"This is the biggest three-day tournament I know, of I would say," said Mediate, who plans to move to Naples next year.
"I've been working with him, trying to get him to maybe play a little bit better so it's not so close," Janzen said of Mediate.
 | | Many eyes will be centered on Chad Campbell, the winner of last week's Tour Championship. |
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Janzen and Mediate, teammates at Florida Southern College, will have a lot of competition, perhaps starting with 2003 PGA Championship winner Shaun Micheel and 2003 Tour Championship winner Chad Campbell, who finished second to Micheel at the PGA.
"I think Greg's had such a great career," Micheel said. "I've never really deserved to be in this event, and I'm more than happy to be here."
Brad Faxon and Scott McCarron also are back. They are the only team to win back-to-back tournament titles, in 2000 and 2001.
Rich Beem, last year's PGA winner, Kenny Perry, a three- time winner on tour this year, Fred Funk, Craig Stadler, and 49-year-old Peter Jacobsen, a part-time Bonita Springs resident who won the Greater Hartford Open, also are in the field.
Stadler, who won three times on the Champions Tour this year and once on the regular tour, and Jacobsen are paired together.
"I think anybody in the field can win," Janzen said.
"We've got an excellent field," said Norman, who will play with longtime friend Steve Elkington.
"We've got an excellent golf course that's in fabulous shape.
Every year we've had tremendously low scores here. I don't think it's going to be anything different this year."
Campbell, Funk, Perry and Faxon just played in the Tour Championship last weekend in Houston. Funk, Perry and Jeff Sluman, an assistant captain, will leave after Sunday's final round to catch a flight to South Africa to represent the U.S. Team in the Presidents Cup.
Fifteen of the 24 players are back from last year, a sign of how much they've enjoyed the event.
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