LIETZKE-MCCARRON JOIN IN SHOOTING 59.

Byline: Dave Shelburne Daily News Staff Writer

Bruce Lietzke wouldn't flat-out call it better than a day of fishing.

But the fact he even took time to compare a 13-under-par 59 to a full creel demonstrated how good he felt about the round he and Scott McCarron fashioned Saturday at the Franklin Templeton Shark Shootout.

``I had two really good days fishing within the last couple of weeks,'' he said.

And one absolutely sensational round of golf at soggy Sherwood Country Club.

Lietzke, arguably the PGA Tour's finest part-time player, teamed with McCarron to roll in eight birdies on the back nine and 11 overall - plus an eagle - to take the tournament lead at 17-under 127 going into today's final round at the par-72, 7,025-yard course in Thousand Oaks.

The near-record round - completed just before heavy afternoon rains - brought them from six strokes off the pace to two strokes ahead of first-round leaders Peter Jacobsen and John Cook (129), who were considerably less reserved in their assessment of the Lietzke/McCarron accomplishment.

``That's an unbelievable score,'' Jacobsen said of the performance that got Lietzke and McCarron within two strokes of the record set last year by Lanny Wadkins and Craig Stadler.

Lietzke, who ranks golf behind family, fishing and auto racing, called the good round a matter of matchup, saying he and McCarron just played well together in the Shootout format.

``Our games complement each other,'' he said. ``I'm a fairway hitter and he has extreme length. For the last four years, I've been the long hitter (while teamed with Hale Irwin and Jim Colbert).''

The length of former UCLA player McCarron helped set up an eagle on the 531-yard No. 2, and, after scrambling to save par twice in their first six holes, Lietzke and McCarron heated up to birdie 10 of their last 12.

It was good enough not only to overtake Jacobsen/Cook, who were just as hot during a 10-under round in Friday's alternate-stroke format - but also to move three strokes ahead of the John Daly/Fuzzy Zoeller and Scott Hoch/David Duval entries (130).

The hot-putting tandem of Brad Faxon and Lee Janzen is fifth at 131, and Mark Calcavecchia/Andrew Magee (132) and Greg Norman/Steve Elkington (134) are also in contention entering today's wide-open scramble round.

As Jacobsen has been saying throughout the tournament, anything can happen on scramble day, when the best ball of both teammates is played on every shot and, more importantly, the team gets two attempts on every putt.

``It wouldn't surprise me to see a 57 or even a 56 today,'' said Jacobsen (the tournament scramble record is 55, set by Norman and Nick Price in 1993).

McCarron was surprised enough by the 59 his team fashioned Saturday, when scoring was based on the best ball of either partner.

``The only time I ever shot 59 was in a four-man scramble,'' he said.

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PHOTO (color) Bruce Lietzke, above, and partner Scott McCarron shot 59 to move into the Shootout lead.

Associated Press