Franklin Templeton Shootout notebook: Kuchar, English give themselves a shot

NAPLES, Fla. – Defending champions Matt Kuchar and Harris English kept themselves in the hunt, birdieing their last two holes to shoot a 28 on the back nine and a 66 in the modified alternate shot format Friday.

Kuchar and English are four strokes behind leaders Jason Day and Cameron Tringale going into Saturday’s final round.

“Harris started driving the ball like a stallion,” Kuchar said. “It was awesome. He was just dropping some bombs out there. … It was fun to play from somebody else’s tee ball.”

“You’ve got to make some putts,” English said. “You’ve got to get hot. We luckily did on the back nine to get ourselves kind of in the mix.”

Even though the order of the three formats has been switched with the hope of the best ball creating more of a chance for those chasing the leaders in the final round, Kuchar said catching Day and Tringale still will be a tall task.

“We’re going to need a lot of birdies,” Kuchar said. “We’re not expecting those guys to slow down much.”

Kuchar had some fun when he ended a TV interview with Fox after the round, and was asked about going into Saturday.

“When the Fox spotlight comes on, we’re going to get it going tomorrow, baby,” he said. “Fox broadcast, the first ever. We’re going to put on a show.”

Um, go Noles?: Billy Horschel, a University of Florida graduate and a very avid Gators fans, made a bet with country singer Jake Owen, a Florida State fan, on the Gators-Seminoles football game a few weeks ago. The deal was the loser had to dress up in the other school’s attire and post a picture of it on Twitter. The Seminoles held on for a 24-19 victory in Tallahassee.

“Obviously I don’t own any Florida State gear,” Horschel said. “Obviously I’m not going to go buy any Florida State gear.”

Owen solved the problem, posting a picture of the Florida State logo. So if you go to Horschel’s Twitter page @BillyHo_Golf there is a Seminoles logo for Horschel’s avatar.

“He said use this for the time being, so I posted it up there this week,” Horschel said.

Thumbs-up for Chryst: Although it’s not official, reports indicate Wisconsin will hire former assistant Paul Chryst of Pittsburgh as its new head football coach. Chryst was an offensive coordinator under former coach Bret Bielema. Wisconsin native Steve Stricker approves, if it turns out to be true.

“I kind of saw that coming; everybody did,” Stricker said. “It seems like it’s going to be a good fit. … He did a great job when he was Wisconsin s offensive coordinator.”

Mr. and Mrs. Villegas: Camilo Villegas got married Sunday in his native Colombia, but is still playing in the Shootout this week. Keegan Bradley is more than just Villegas’ partner this week. He and girlfriend Jillian Stacey were at the wedding of Villegas and the former Maria Ochoa

While Naples may be a travel destination, this isn’t the honeymoon.

“I love this tournament so I came here and then we’ll figure out something,” Villegas said.

Bradley and Villegas, 32, shot a 5-under 67, and are 18 under, tied for fifth.

“He’s played well this week,” Bradley said.

Villegas, who is playing in his fourth Shootout, got his first since 2010 earlier this year at the Wyndham Championship.

Free admission for military: Active, reserve and retired military personnel and their dependents will be admitted free at the main gate, with a valid Common Access Card, Retired Military card or Dependent, on tournament days.

Shootout 5k Saturday: The 5k, presented by Greg Norman Estates, will be back on a self-contained course within Tiburon Golf Club at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort community at 7:30 a.m. Saturday. Proceeds benefit CureSearch for Children’s Cancer.

Registration is from 6:30 to 7:15 a.m. Preregistration is $25, or registration is $30 the day of the race. Students ages 18 and under can enter for $10. Florida Gulf Coast University students have complimentary entry with a student ID. Packet pickup is Friday at Naples On The Run, 2116 9th St. N., from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Packet pickup on race day starts at 5:45 a.m. at the race site.

Registration includes a daily grounds ticket to the Shootout for ages 17 and older. Ages 16 and under receive complimentary Shootout admission.

Parking will be at the spectator lot on Airport-Pulling and Orange Blossom roads, with shuttles provided to the event location.

Chip shots: Greg Norman and Joe Buck had their second day of off-camera work to get ready for Saturday’s Fox debut. That included having second-round leaders Jason Day and Cameron Tringale come in for an interview. Norman made an appearance in the 18th hole tower during Golf Channel’s coverage Friday. … Retief Goosen and Mike Weir struggled, but that was obvious. The pair failed to make a birdie, and bogeyed Nos. 4 and 16 to shoot a 74. That wasn’t the highest in tournament history, though. It was one shot better. … A table for canned food donations for Harry Chapin Food Bank will be set up at the spectator parking lot Saturday morning.