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By Greg Hardwig
Naples Daily News
 | | A win would be Watson's first as a pro. |
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Woody Austin is making the most of his first challenge season event. And he's trying to keep Greg Norman from winning his event for just the second time.
Austin and Mark Calcavecchia have a two-shot lead over Norman and Bubba Watson after the second round of The Franklin Templeton Shootout at Tiburón Golf Club on Saturday.
Calcavecchia sank a 5-footer for eagle on No. 17 to establish the two-stroke cushion at 20-under-par 124.
"It came at a good time," said Calcavecchia, who won this tournament with Steve Elkington in 1995. "We nearly made birdie the last hole, so it kind of gave us a little bit of a boost going into (Sunday)."
"We go out and play the way we played the first two days, and I think we like our chances," Austin said.
Austin and Calcavecchia will try to match their start in the second round -- when they birdied eight of the first 10 holes.
And they will try to deny Norman from winning his tournament for the second time in its 19 years. Norman won it with Steve Elkington in a playoff in 1998. A win here would also be Norman's first professionally in six years; The 2001 Skins Game was Norman's last victory, while Watson has never won as a pro.
"Any win is a great win, no question about it," Norman said. "Did I ever think that I would be having a chance to win a golf tournament again? Probably not, because I don't put the effort or practice schedule into it that I used to. It's not the fact that my desire is not there, it's just that I don't feel like to hit balls a lot anymore."
The 12 two-man teams will play a scramble format today. The winners share $700,000 out of the $2.8 million purse.
 | | Austin and Calcavecchia were the best team coming in to the event, with Austin 15th on the money list and Calcavecchia 13th. |
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Norman tried to put himself in safe position, and let his long-hitting, left-handed partner hit freely -- "I was just along for the ride," Norman said. The strategy worked -- Watson made a 6-foot eagle to start and eight of the team's nine birdies en route to an 11-under 61.
"Tomorrow our chances are pretty good, considering Bubba drives it out there so far," he said. "It's nice when you can walk up -- for me to be able to walk up 50 yards and have another shot. So that's about four or five clubs out of my bag less that I can go at."
Combined, Austin and Calcavecchia were the best team coming in, with Austin 15th on the money list and Calcavecchia 13th.
Scott Hoch and Kenny Perry shot a 10-under 62 to jump into third place at 14-under-par, six behind Austin and Calcavecchia, along with defending champions Jerry Kelly and Rod Pampling, and Steve Elkington and Scott McCarron.
Fred Funk and Jeff Sluman, who shared the first-round lead with Austin and Calcavecchia, struggled to a 5-under 67 and are seven back. So are Anthony Kim and Mark O'Meara.
Chances are, the winning team will come out of that last group.
Hank Kuehne and Jeff Sluman were three behind going into the 2003 final round, but rallied to force a playoff with Scott McCarron and Brad Faxon, and Shaun Micheel and Chad Campbell, then won it. That margin was the most overcome in a final round to win the Shootout.
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