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NAPLES, Fla. - Stewart Cink and David Toms strolled the lush fairways of The Belfry two months ago as members of another team competition, the 34th Ryder Cup.
Both agreed playing in the biennial matches, especially on foreign soil, and representing their team, their tour and their country was the pinnacle of already impressive golfing careers.
They are teammates again this week in a considerably more relaxed setting. Cink is making his third Franklin Templeton Shootout appearance and Toms is a rookie in Greg Norman's event.
When asked what advice Cink had for his partner as the first round approached, he said, "Have fun, but make a lot of birdies." That's a necessity if you're going to hover around the top of the leaderboard at the Norman designed Tiburón Golf Club.
The winning score a year ago, the event's first in Naples, was 33-under 183. The competition is split between alternate shot the first day, best ball Saturday and a final-round scramble where birdie on every hole is a distinct possibility.
"I think David will be OK," Cink said. "He's played pretty well this year and I have all the faith in the world in him. Even though it's his first Shootout, I don't think he'll have any trouble adjusting to the format."
Cink and Toms echoed the sentiments of the entire Shootout field when dissecting all the reasons why players enjoy this event. The weather in south Florida is very cooperative, Tiburón is an excellent challenge and it's a fun time of year to play golf.
"We've finished the grind, had all the events, the Ryder Cup, the majors and now you get to come down here and have fun and enjoy yourself," Cink added. "It's a good way to slide into the off-season.
"But mainly, Greg has done a lot for golf and he's been one of the top stars for the last 25 years and I think a lot of the players feel like very proud to come play in his event."
A year ago, Toms completed a breakout season on the PGA Tour. He won three times, including a one-shot victory over Phil Mickelson in the PGA Championship, pocketed more than $3.7 million in earnings and ascended into a top-10 spot in the Official World Golf Ranking.
Toms did not find the winner's circle this year, but he did manage 12 top-10 finishes and another $3.5 million in prize money. He finished second and third in his last two events, but has taken some much needed time off prior to arriving at Tiburón.
"I haven't touched a club in a couple weeks, literally haven't played any golf or hit any shots," Toms said. "Hopefully by Friday I'll get some of that rust off and we can get off to a good start and content for the title."
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