Quick 18: Tiger still No. 1, Monty may regret Ryder Cup picks

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Tiger's game is coming around, but asking him to win right away is asking too much, says Melanie Hauser.

Editor's note: PGATOUR.COM's Melanie Hauser will be shaking out the mental lint and pulling together the "Quick 18" on Mondays this year.

1. Surprised by Matt Kuchar? Where have you been? He's has been building momentum (six top 10s in eight events coming into the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup) all summer. He's just finally taking it to the next level. And, oh, he's up to No. 10 in the Official World Golf Ranking.

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2. Much ado about nothing so far. The opportunity for Phil Mickelson -- and subsequently Lee Westwood and Steve Stricker -- to supplant Tiger Woods as No. 1 was the talk of the golf world after THE PLAYERS. Almost four months later, Tiger's still No. 1. Finally with a bit of momentum.

3. Anyone who expects Tiger to kick his game into hyperspace and leave the world behind again right now might want to rethink that. Those flashes are just that right now. It's going to take time to put everything behind him and time to get his swing change in a groove -- think about those snaps. Can he still make it to East Lake and win? Absolutely. He moved up 47 spots in the FedExCup standings last week. Just don't expect dominance.

4. Captain Colin Montgomerie's picks were so Monty. He did it his way and left the No. 9 player in the Official World Golf Ranking off the team. He certainly had some tough choices, but he may regret leaving Paul Casey at home. Casey, who hurt his chances with Monty by playing a more PGA TOUR-centric schedule, has finished second at the World Golf Champiponships-Accenture Match Play the past two years. Yes, left off Justin Rose, too. Only a two-time winner on the TOUR this year.

5. And, while we're on the Ryder Cup, Ian Poulter offered to answer questions from his Twitter followers last week. Past captain Paul Azinger just couldn't resist tweeting this jab to Ian Poulter: "Hey.@Ianjamespoulter Is it to late to ask a question? I was busy polishing this." The 'this' he was refering to was the Ryder Cup trophy. Quick 18 loves that someone's having a little fun with this RC run-up. Plenty of time to get serious when they tee it up.

6. Who doesn't use their cell phone as at least one alarm clock on the road? Quick 18 wakes up to classic rock. The lesson in Jim Furyk's oops last week is a no-brainer: make sure your phone is charged or, at least, plugged in. And back it up with a call from the hotel. Not the way he wanted to start, but despite not playing, he only fell to eighth (from third) in the standings.

Johnson

6. Don't just shake your head at Dustin Johnson. Keep an eye on him. Another final round, another what-if. This time, he couldn't make a putt. It won't last. Trust Quick 18.

7. Interesting reactions to Arjun Atwal's win at the Wyndham Championship. One of Quick 18's friends, whose family is from India, spoke for quite a few when he wrote, "It was weird because I didn't expect to feel as proud as I did.''

8. This week's Bubba Watson moment? Take a look at his latest re-calling out to Rickie Fowler and Quick 18 thinks you'll agree with Fowler; "All I can do is laugh!!" You're welcome. You needed a chuckle.

9. Is Bernhard Langer playing the best golf of his Hall of Fame career? Quick 18 is just asking... and offering some things to chew on. Yes, he's playing on the Champions Tour now, but five wins -- two of them majors -- is pretty darn strong. And he's the runaway leader for Champions Player of the Year. He says he's playing "almost" his best golf ever. "I think my golf swing improved,'' he said. "The technique is better. My caddie said he hadn't seen me drive the ball as well as the last few weeks ever.''

10. Two decades ago, Shoal Creek was the center of a racial firestorm that forced widespread changes in tournament hosting policies. Oh my, how times change. Today, former Secretary of State Condi Rice is one of three African-American members at Shoal Creek and the club is the new home of The Tradition, one of the Champions Tour's majors. In 1990, club founder Hall Thompson said the club would not "be pressured" into accepting black members. Thomson's son Mike, the tournament chairman, said the club is now actively recruiting African-American members.

11. It took Irish caddie Colin Byrne to remind Quick 18 of Fanny Sunesson's role in Martin Kaymer's major success. Sunesson, a Swede who caddies for Henrik Stenson and was on Nick Faldo's bag for four majors, was asked to speak to a group of young German golfers about six years ago and became a mentor to Kaymer.

She balances both her caddie responsibilities and her mentoring with seeming ease -- and she has the respect of both caddies and players. "In this specialized era of the game where a player can have an entourage of physios, nutritionists, mental coaches, swing coaches, personal trainers, managers, interpreters and caddies it is indeed rare that a player will avail of the counsel of caddies from a more psychological perspective," Byrne wrote in the Irish Times. Sunesson, one of the most respected caddies out there, is 90 percent of that wrapped into one.

12. Have a spare $61,800 and change -- or £40,000 -- laying around? You can have the world's most expensive golf cart -- the Garia cart. It's made in the same factory that produces the Porsche Boxter and Cayman and the aluminum frame profile manufacturer also works on Aston Martins and Jaguars. The cart has hand-stitched leather seats, a Formula One drive train and a built-in fridge. You can also drive it on the road. It goes 35 miles an hour.

13. Talk about a power trio. Golfer-in-chief Barack Obama had New York mayor Michael Bloomberg and Vernon Jordan join him for a round during his Martha' s Vineyard vacation The main topic of discussion according to the White House was "plans for short- and long-term economic growth at a pivotal point in our recovery.''

14. She's still going strong -- and walking 9 holes -- at 97. Adelia "Dell" Firpo picked up golf in her 60s and still plays, according to the Fresno Bee. Firpo laughs at those who are surprised to see her on the course. "They say, 'She walks!' Big deal -- the cart is my walker!'' Firpo said. As for her skills, they're not as sharp as they once were. ""I'm not good anymore. What am I doing out here?" she asked. "If you play well, that's fine. If you don't play well, that's fine, too. You get some exercise." Makes perfect sense.

15. More golf courses for Cuba? The government appears to have opened that door with a new law that will let foreign investors use land for 99 years. Previously, the government allowed overseas companies only a 50-year window, which wasn't enough for developers. The country has just one golf course at present.

Merrick

16. A quick stat about this growing trend of going low. The average was so low at the Wyndham Championship that the trio of John Merrick, Omar Uresti and Charles Warren all shot four rounds in the 60s -- and tied for 65th.

17. Interesting first look at Chambers Bay during last week's U.S. Amateur. In five years, it hosts the U.S. Open. Count Quick 18 as one who thinks the quirks of the course might need a bit of tweaking. Or something. Hard to put something that deviates so far from the norm in the lineup with some of the other venues for our national championship.

18. Some stories just make Quick 18 smile. And inspire everyone. Take Kolten Craft. The tiny Wisconsinite celebrated his ninth birthday, not with a party, but by hosting a scramble to raise money for health care for low income families. His mother, a nurse at Ministry Saint Claire's Hospital, came home disappointed that she couldn't help some uninsured patients and explained it to Kolten, who organized the scramble. About 50 golfers participated.

"I felt bad for them," Kolten told WOAW TV. "Because when they get sick, they get sick and it's just miserable. And then they don't have any medicine, and then they have to go pay for that and they don't have enough money for it."

Melanie Hauser is a columnist for PGATOUR.COM. Her views do not necessarily represent the views of the PGA TOUR.