Maybe It Should Be the Elk Shootout : Golf: Elkington, looking for the finishing touches on a big year, teams with Calcavecchia for a two-shot lead.

The winner of the last major is an Australian who lives in Texas, so is Steve Elkington bigger in Sydney or Houston?

“I’m absolutely huge in Sydney,” said Elkington.

Actually, Elkington is 6 feet 2 no matter where he is, although Houston is his home away from home and the place where the PGA champion has lived on and off since 1984.

But next week, Elkington is going back to Australia to play the Australian Open, where he may be big, just not as large as that other Australian, the one with blond hair underneath a hat with a wide brim.

“Greg Norman is obviously the biggest draw in Australia,” Elkington said. “He makes every tournament a success. I’m not that kind of draw, but I’m close. I’m the next guy.”

In a popularity contest, the next guy after Norman is about as anonymous as a bag towel. But Elkington may have a chance to be something special, if he isn’t already.

At the Franklin Templeton Shark Shootout, which carries the nickname of Australia’s best-known golfer, the guy after Norman kept the lead Saturday at Sherwood Country Club.

Elkington and Mark Calcavecchia produced an 11-under-par 61 in a better-ball format to lead Tom Lehman and David Duval by two strokes at 19-under 125.

Actually, it’s a familiar position for Elkington, who is ready to put the wraps on the best year of his career.

Elkington won twice, claimed his first major title, had seven top-10 finishes, tied for fifth at the Masters, tied for sixth at the British Open and was fifth on the money list with $1.25 million.

His defining moment occurred in August at Riviera, where he snatched the PGA championship from among the eucalyptus trees and defeated Colin Montgomerie in a playoff.

Since that happened more than three months ago, Elkington has had a chance to put the PGA and the rest of 1995 in perspective. He just doesn’t want to.

“I’ve still got the Australian Open,” he said. “I’ll think about it after that.”

Anyway, when Elkington thinks about Riviera, he feels pretty good about it. Winning a major provides a certain sensation, he said.

“I don’t feel like it’s a relief,” Elkington said. “I just feel a lot of satisfaction. I always said, even before the PGA, that if I never won a major I would be really disappointed.

“Now, if I don’t win another one, I’d be really disappointed.”

Elkington is going to take a month off before beginning the 1996 season, which begins with the defense of his Mercedes title at La Costa. He makes no promises about how he will play next year, except for one thing.

“All I can say is I’ll be ready,” Elkington said. “I won’t go out there rusty.”

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Fuzzy Zoeller will take his aching back to New York for disk surgery Tuesday. Zoeller, 44, has battled persistent back problems for years and had surgery to repair ruptured disks in 1984, not long after he won the U.S. Open.

Zoeller said he expects to be out of action for up to six weeks.

“I’m a fast healer,” he said. “I’m planning on playing the Hope.”

The Bob Hope Chrysler Classic will be played Jan. 17-21 in the desert.

Zoeller and John Daly are bringing up the rear in the Shark Shootout with a seven-under par 137.