Quick 18: Even more Rory, Yani Tseng and 'Shoe Golf'

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If Q-18 had a vote, it would be for amateur star Patrick Cantlay to finish school.

1. Everyone's still talking about . . . Rory McIlroy, of course. And why not? He's exciting, humble, confident and terribly down-to-earth. Who else would tweet: "And for anyone who's interested there'll be no open top bus parade in Belfast! I'm a golfer not a football team!!"

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2. Two other insights into the latest major champ? His photo on @mcilroyrory is one of him and a Haitian child and Quick 18's favorite. His snippet about himself is "I hit a little white ball around a field sometimes!"

3. He should be headed to the Open Championship at Royal St. George's as a European Tour champ. Instead, Sergio Garcia will be there after losing a five-hole playoff to countryman Pablo Larrazabal at the BMW International Open. It's great to see Sergio back, but Quick 18 reiterates that it might be time to pick up the phone and call Dave Stockton for a putting lesson. Look what it did for Rors. Imagine what it could do for Serge, who missed a 4 footer to extend the playoff.

4. The Junkman. We should have seen it coming at the U.S. Open where he tied for 14th. Or maybe back in late March or early April when he had top-10s at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard and the Valero Texas Open. Whatever we missed, Fredrik Jacobson found. The man who scrambles from everywhere got it done on the PGA TOUR at the Travelers Championship.

5. Snaps to Yani Tseng, who is seriously distancing herself from the competition. Her win at the LPGA Championship was her fourth LPGA major. Her three others include the 2008 LPGA Championship, the Kraft Nabisco and Women's British Open last year, which sets her up to complete the Grand Slam next month at the U.S. Women's Open. Tseng's win at the LPGA Championship -- her third of the year -- was by a cool 10 shots. At 22, she's the second-youngest player in history to get to four major wins. The first? Young Tom Morris. Patty Berg, by the way, got to four majors at 23 years, 2 months; Se Ri Pak at 24 years, 8 months.

6. Tseng, by the way, says she's a plus-2 at pool. Her business manager Ernie Huang agrees. "If you want to play her," Huang told Golf World's John Strege, "Bring your money. She can run the table."

7. He kept pushing and we kept wondering when it would happen. Well, Erik Compton did it at the Mexico Open Presented by Banamex, closing with a 65 to beat Richard H. Lee by two shots. That's about to open up the world for the two-time heart transplant, who is now second on the Nationwide Tour money list and poised to take his inspiring story to the PGA TOUR in 2012.

8. UCLA coach Derek Freeman says he's got a 30-year-old golfing mind and we're not going to disagree. A week after finishing low-am at the U.S. Open, UCLA sophomore Patrick Cantlay makes it to the Hall of Fame -- well, his ball and scorecard did -- after shooting 60 at the Travelers. It was the low round by an amateur in a PGA TOUR event and it got him a sponsor's exemption into the AT&T National this week. And, no... he's not turning pro . . . yet. If Quick 18 had a vote, it would be for finishing school.

9. Feherty is off and running. The premier of David Feherty's weekly show with North Dallas neighbor Lee Trevino was a hit. Next up, Don Cheadle. A couple of folks he'd like to grab and Quick 18 would love to see down the line? Bill Murray and Tiger Woods. And what would he ask the latter? "I'd ask him if he could change one thing in his life, what would it be?" Feherty told a small group of reporters during the U.S. Open. "I would ask if he confused fun with happiness, thinking they're the same thing. I'm an addict and that's what I did. I thought fun and happiness were the same thing. They're not. They're entirely different. That's a common thing among all addicts. They get those two things mixed up. What happens when you blend fun and happiness? It turns into unhappiness."

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10. Loved the photo of Dustin Johnson -- in lederhosen -- tapping a keg of Munich's Paulaner beer. Bernhard Langer and Sergio Garcia were among those "dressing" for the occasion in traditional Bavarian attire. One who didn't? Colin Montgomerie, who simply said his lederhosen "is wrapped up in the suitcase and that's where it's staying." Good decision.

11. So much for anonymity. A supposedly under-the-radar photo shoot for Oakley at Ballyliffin Golf Club turned into a celebration last week when word leaked out and hundreds of folks greeted Rory when he stepped out of a helicopter. He took photos with the fans and the Open trophy. Today? It's the Royal Box at Wimbledon -- he's backing buddies Rafa Nadal and Andy Murray -- and, according to the Belfast Telegraph, an on-court hitting session with John McEnroe. He might rub elbows with William and Kate, too, who are due at the Murray-Richard Gaquest match.... Up this weekend? Saturday's World Heavyweight title fight between Wladimir Klitschko and David Haye in Germany. Whew.

12. Not that you asked, but . . . . last weekend would have been Babe Didrickson's 100th birthday. She passed away 55 years ago -- yes, Quick 18 was a tiny tot -- but her influence lives on. No one had her flair and moxy and without it . . . well, she backed up her words with talent and didn't mind sharing the spotlight with some other pretty good players. Wonder how many young girls know who she is? If they don't, let 'em know.

13. Scott Verplank shoots four rounds in the 60s -- a 7-under total -- and it's good for a share of 52nd? Yes, they went low in Hartford.

14. Believe it or not, you can get odds on celebrity golf, too. Quick 18 thought you'd like to know that Dallas QB Tony Romo and former pitcher Rick Rhoden are both 5-2 for next month's American Century Championship. Rhoden has won the event eight times and is usually the odds-on favorite. Former QB Billy Joe Tolliver is 4-1. And Charles Barkley? Um, 500-1 along with Kevin Nealon.

15. Shoe Golf? Jimmy Fallon said Glenn Close brought it to late night TV. So last week, Fallon took on Selena Gomez in a down-the-hall, over-a-plastic-wading-pool, over-some-fake-hedges and back-into-the-studio-and-the-cup match. You kick a tennis shoe as though you're hitting the ball. Fallon took out ceiling tiles along the way to a 9-6 loss to Gomez. We shudder to think what's next.

16. Re-read this little snippet over the weekend in a story about the power Los Angeles country clubs -- Riviera and Bel Air are tops -- and it's too good not to repeat. Bel Air member Howard Hughes once landed his plane at the club when he was late for a golf date with Katharine Hepburn. The club wound up towing the plane and sending Hughes the bill. Legend has it that he resigned rather than pay it.

17. Drinks for all? Not this time. Justin Pressnall and Greg Bontrager celebrated their back-to-back aces at the 17th tee at Hesston (Kansas) Golf Park during league play last week with a cookout. The odds of two players acing the same hole, according to Golf Digest, are 17 million-to-one.

18. If you haven't seen the videos of the adorable young Rory bouncing the golf ball off his wedge, then chipping golf balls into his mum's washing machine, you must. The presenter yaps away, distracting him, but he gets one in there. Click here to see the video.

Melanie Hauser is a columnist for PGATOUR.COM and can be reached at melaniehauser@gmail.com. Her views do not necessarily represent the views of the PGA TOUR. Follow her on Twitter @melaniehauser.