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NAPLES, Fla. - Lee Janzen and Rocco Mediate torched Tiburón with 12 birdies during Saturday's better-ball format and grabbed a three-shot lead after the second round of The Franklin Templeton Shootout.
They dropped seven birdies on the demanding front nine en route to a 7-under 29. The final nine holes surrendered five more birdies to the former Florida Southern College teammates.
First-round leaders John Huston and Jeff Maggert managed a 64 Saturday and are alone in second. Tournament host Greg Norman and his playing partner Fred Couples are 7 under, 12 shots off the pace.
Not every tee ball split the fairway and not every approach found the green for the leaders, but it was the perfect better-ball partnership.
"This week we've come through when the other guys out of the hole about as well as you could ask," Janzen said. "He made some birdies on holes where I was completely out of it, and that's what you have to do this week."
Both agreed the key is to maintain the same rhythm, technique and mindset that they would have during an individual stroke-play event.
Mediate admitted he was tentative on a few swings during the first two rounds, and that his main objective is to remove all thoughts of putting his partner in a difficult position.
"I want to put him in the fairway starting with the first hole tomorrow and let him go at it from there," said Mediate, who has the task of teeing off first on every hole. "My goal is just to give Lee the green light on every tee. I just let him go about his business and he helps me out a lot on the greens."
Mediate, who has used a broomstick putter for much of his career, concedes that Janzen is more proficient at reading greens.
Their round started with a par-5 on the benign first hole, then Mediate rattled off three straight birdies. Janzen joined in with birdies of his own on Nos. 6-8.
Janzen and Mediate have a combined 13 PGA Tour titles, two major championships and a two-decade friendship that has proven a successful formula this week at Tiburón Golf Club.
Janzen has enjoyed considerable success in his four previous Shootout appearances. He finished second in 1995, tied for second in '96 and tied for third a year ago. Mediate was paired with Corey Pavin in 2000, his only other Shootout appearance.
"I said a four-shot lead was insurmountable, so I guess there are a lot of guys who want to prove me wrong tomorrow," Janzen said.
The 12 two-man teams will play a scramble during the final round. The winners will split $500,000.
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