When Jose Maria Olazabal was crippled by foot problems in 1996, he remembers the kindness of Greg Norman, remembers the times he called to see how he was doing, remembers the letter written on stationery with the Shark's trademark logo at the top, a note that offered him best wishes for a speedy recovery.

Last year, when Norman's ailing left shoulder left his game crippled, it was the 1994 Masters Tournament champion's turn to show his support for an old friend.

``We got through a similar sitution,'' said Olazabal, the leader after three rounds at the 63rd Masters. ``It's not a nice one, not one you really like to be at, but you know, maybe it made us a little bit closer.''

So, then, for Olazabal, how ironic is this? In order to complete his triumphant comeback from a career-threatening injury, the 33-year-old Spaniard must prevent Norman from doing the same.

Not to mention he must do it playing before galleries that figure to be pulling hard for the Great White Shark to win the elusive green jacket he covets more than any of golf's holy grails.

``I'm going to try to stay as focused as I can,'' said Olazabal, who shot a 1-over-par 73 on Saturday to move to 7-under-par 209 for the tournament, one stroke better than Norman.

``When I won here in '94, virtually everybody was rooting for (runner-up Tom Lehman), and it's going to be pretty much the same situation. It might make it a little bit more difficult, but that's what we're here for -- to try to be as good and tough as you can be to face a situation like that.''

The oddities of an Olazabal-Norman showdown on Sunday only begin with their injuries. When Olazabal was laid up and couldn't walk, he remembers how badly he felt for Norman as he watched his gut-wrenching collapse in the 1996 Masters on television. The leader after three rounds, Norman blew a six-shot lead and lost by five strokes to Nick Faldo.

``You don't want to see anybody going through an experience like Greg went through,'' Olazabal said. ``I felt sorry for Greg, because I think he has been very close to winning this tournament. It was sad to see.''

Norman remembers how he was saddenned by Olazabal's condition.

``When he was going through a hard time with his foot injury and surgery, I made a point of staying in touch and giving him support, and he did the same for me,'' Norman said. ``He was one of the few players who called or dropped a note, and that means a lot. That means he is not only a competitor of yours but a friend.''

The fierce competitor in Olazabal enabled him to storm to a three-shot lead at 8-under-par 136 after two rounds. Olazabal struggled with his putter, at times, on Saturday. He putted 30 times, compared to 26 on Friday and 24 on Thursday.

``It was a tough day today out there but I managed to hang on,'' Olazabal said. ``I'm actually pretty pleased because I couldn't make a putt all day long today -- completely the opposite story of yesterday (Friday) -- and it's very difficult to score if you don't make putts on this golf course.''

For the first time in more than three years, Olazabal is in contention at a major, and he already considers his 12th Masters a major triumph.

It's a great feeling,'' Olazabal said. ``I do have the lead, only one shot, and I know that's nothing playing tomorrow. But it's nice to be in a situation like this, even if I was two shots behind playing tomorrow, just giving myself a chance of winning the tournament, that's a great feeling.''

Though he and Olazabal will be rivals today, paired together in the final group that tees off at 3 p.m., Norman says they both should be suffused with pride come this evening, regardless of the outcome.

``I'll bet we're both sitting here proud as punch because we're back to playing the game how we know we can play the game,'' Norman said. ``And that's how it will be tomorrow, no matter what happens.''