Quick 18: Tiger's back, top-ranked players at Bay Hill
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. He's back. Let's see. Within six days, we had Tiger Woods announcing he was jumping back into competitive golf at the Masters (last Tuesday) and doing a pair of one-on-one, on-camera five-minute interviews that aired Sunday night. It dominated the news -- and not just sports. The nightly news programs, CNN, Fox, Reliable Sources, you name it.
2. Yes, people still have questions for Tiger, but Quick 18 saw humility, vulnerability and a determined strength in those short clips. Pundits are weighing in on his image, but right now, the point isn't image or what you want to hear, it's about the man and what he's working out -- for himself and his family. To hear him say, "You strip away the denial, the rationalization and you come to the truth and the truth is very painful at times and to stare at yourself and look at the person you've become ... you become disgusted'' and admit he "was living a lie" takes guts. As anyone who has done therapy will tell you, he's taken ownership of the problem and working through it. Call it baby steps that feel more like long strides.
3. The Philadelphia Daily News caught up with NBA legend Magic Johnson at halftime of the 76ers-Nets game and asked about Tiger. "I'm glad he's back,'' Johnson said. "I think he should be back. Look, you have to apologize first to your wife and kids; he did that, I'm sure. Then you apologize to the sponsors and fans. Then you move on. You can't live in the past. You've got to get out there and do what you do. He's a golfer, the world's best, so get out there and do [your] thing.''
4. In case you've forgotten -- or haven't heard it often enough in the last 24 hours -- Tiger hasn't won the Masters since 2005. And, oh, he'll still be No. 1 in the world when he drives down Magnolia Lane.
5. One more thing... Today is round one of the over-hyped Tavistock Cup. Great little inter-club -- Lake Nona vs. Isleworth -- match where Ernie Els, Mark O'Meara, Sergio Garcia and the boys can have a little fun and raise money for charity. Let's not forget bragging rights, too. Lake Nona, which has never won the Cup when it has been played at Isleworth, has the odds edge since Tiger is sitting this one out.
6. Bay Hill is awash in top players this week with the Arnold Palmer Invitational drawing 11 of the top 20 players. But the real focus could be a little farther down the ranking list. Those inside the top 50 at the end of tournament slide into the Masters field, which isn't lost on players like K.J. Choi (47th on the list).
7. One last chance... Lest you forget, the field for the Masters isn't set until the conclusion of the Shell Houston Open. If the SHO winner isn't otherwise qualified for the Masters, he gets a last-minute invitation. It happened for Johnson Wagner in 2008.
8. Best camera shot Sunday at Transitions? Roger Maltbie taking cover when Jim Furyk shanked his shot. Runner-up: The look on K.J. Choi's face when he saw the shot.
9. We see golf as a refuge from the day-to-day grind. A story in The New York Times reminded us that a golf course can also be a refuge, period. The stark reality for the Pétionville Club -- a 9-hole course in Port-Au-Prince, Haiti -- is the tent village that still houses about 44,000 refugees of the earthquake. A mini-city covers what used to be an exclusive club.
10. Is golf the pits? After the last few weeks, it seems so. We've gone from The Bear Pit to The Snake Pit. Thankfully the three-hole stretch that started all this is just around the, er, corner. Say Amen for the dogwoods and azaleas.
11. Out of the mouths of children... and straight to Twitter. This missive from Bo VanPelt says it all: "After watching 9 holes my 7 yr old asked "dad-remember that ONE good shot you hit?" he acted surprised I hit one. That keeps u grounded."
12. Love the countdown clock The Golf Channel had on Rickie Fowler. Ready, set, go. Everything -- including a drive down the middle -- in less than 40 seconds. Is less more? In our dreams. Most players are still going with take-a-minute-or-more-to-visualize, then start your routine.
13. In an effort to support Michelle Obama's health initiatives, Quick 18 pauses from the golf grind -- and the players' sumptuous weekly locker room lunch buffet -- to share a little Athletic Foodie moment to help you eat right. Olympic gold medalist Garrett Weber-Gale, who plays golf for fun and thinks of a round more like a chance to hit multiple shots on every hole as practice, shares healthy recipes and more on his Web site. Try the shrimp with mango, pineapple, mint and cilantro relish or the summer sammy.
14. And one more culinary tidbit, well, sort of. Rory McIlroy had a long lunch with Jack Nicklaus at The Honda Classic where Jack talked about winning, patience and just about everything else. McIlroy's reaction? "It was probably the best 90 minutes I've spent in a long time.''
15. Irish Ryder Cupper Paul McGinley is back on the European Tour following his sixth knee surgery. Yes, sixth. "My left kneecap has disintegrated quite a bit over the years and the cartilage is just about gone. There was a lot of debris they had to clear out." McGinley broke the kneecap when he was 19 and the injury pretty much ended his Gaelic football career. He switched to golf and has been on three winning Ryder Cup teams.
16. Prior to the LPGA's U.S. debut this week, LPGA Commish Mike Whan caddied at the Duramed FUTURES Tour's season opener -- Florida's Natural Charity Classic -- for Lili Alvarez Friday. Strange schedule for the LPGA this year, though. Women have one tournament in the states, then their first major of the year, the Kraft Nabisco Championship.
17. Wonder what it's like for players without exempt status? Paul Stankowski tweeted about his 28th day on the road and 28 holes left to play at the rain-delayed Puerto Rico Open. He followed it with a video of family greeting him at the airport.
18. And finally, from the Way-Back Machine... Bay Hill has produced a lot of incredible finishes, but Quick 18's vote for No. 1 goes to Robert Gamez, who holed a 7-iron shot from the fairway in 1990 to beat Greg Norman.
Melanie Hauser is a columnist for PGATOUR.COM. Her views do not necessarily represent the views of the PGA TOUR.
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