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Associated Press
Nov. 16, 2003
Naples, Fla. - Hank Kuehne rolled in a 4-foot birdie putt on the second playoff hole, giving him and partner Jeff Sluman The Franklin Templeton Shootout title.
Kuehne and Sluman won a three-way playoff Sunday that included PGA champion Shaun Micheel and Tour Championship winner Chad Campbell, and Brad Faxon and Scott McCarron, the 2000 and '01 champions.
Kuehne and Sluman split $550,000 from the $2.4 million purse.
"Obviously, winning golf tournaments is what we're out here to do," Kuehne said. "I know that this is a team event and I know that you rely on your teammate, but it's still a great feeling."
 Faxon missed a birdie putt on No. 18, then was eliminated when McCarron hit his approach into the water on the first extra hole. |
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Faxon and McCarron missed birdie putts on the 18th hole, forcing the three-way playoff as the groups finished tied at 23-under-par 193 in the scramble format. But the Faxon-McCarron team was eliminated on the first extra hole after McCarron hit his second shot into the water.
The teams played best ball on the second playoff hole. Sluman hit a good drive, allowing the long-hitting Kuehne to hit driver.
Kuehne hit a 332-yard drive and then hit sand wedge to 4 feet, setting up the winning putt.
"I wanted to hit driver even though it's a little bit tighter driving hole for me, because it brings the water through the fairway in play," said Kuehne, the Tour's driving distance leader at 321.4 yards.
Micheel and Campbell eagled the 17th and made birdie at No. 18 to get into the playoff. Both missed long birdie putts on the second playoff hole, unable to match Kuehne's winning putt.
"We did finish eagle-birdie like we thought we needed to, to give ourselves a chance," Micheel said. "Overall it's disappointing to lose but it was a lot of fun."
Sluman nearly holed his 15-foot birdie try, but Kuehne, who won two Canadian Tour events last year, calmly drained his putt to end it and complete a four-shot, final-round comeback.
"To come from four back in this format, you really have to lights-out it," said Sluman, who hustled to catch a flight to Atlanta and meet a charter to South Africa for this week's Presidents Cup, where he is assistant captain. "We obviously did that."
Scott Hoch and Kenny Perry, the second-round leaders, had their hopes of victory dashed on the par-3 16th when they made double bogey.
It was the third playoff in the 15 years of the tournament and the first involving three teams.
Tournament host and founder Greg Norman and Steve Elkington beat Peter Jacobsen and John Cook in 1998, and Faxon and McCarron defeated Scott Hoch and Carlos Franco in 2000.
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