Quick 18: Green's return, Ochoa's departure, golf in Cuba

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Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson are both playing this week at Quail Hollow. Last year they finished fourth and T5, respectively.

1. Seems like all the golf world has been talking about the last week is Tiger vs. Phil at Quail Hollow. Huge, yes. Both are back for the first time since Augusta. But let's not get too carried away. One pundit predicted a six-hole Tiger-Phil playoff. Others simply a down-to-the-wire battle. Scenarios are fun. Expectations? Not so much. Just let this one unfold. It might be Bill Haas or Ricky Barnes winning. You never know.

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2. Lots of mixed emotions at Q-18 over Lorena Ochoa's decision to step away from the game and into the next phase of her life. We'll miss her talent, no question, and, off the course, she's one of the sweetest and most genuine players out there. What's amazing is that -- at 28 -- she's stepping away on her terms. Yes, Annika Sorenstam stepped away too, but she was older. It's reminiscent of Byron Nelson walking away in his prime to become a rancher. He was at peace with his decision and never looked back. Only gave back. Expect the same from Lorena and Annika.

3. How will the LPGA fare with their top two players stepping away within 19 months of each other? Don't try to liken it to losing Tiger and Phil or Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson... well, pick any PGA TOUR duo. It's not the same. The next top players are already there on the LPGA -- Jiyai Shin and Yani Tseng to name two excellent choices -- but it remains to be seen if they can carry the tour.

4. Jason Bohn has a flair for the spectacular shot, doesn't he? If that were one of the you-know-whos, we'd be adding that shot at 18 to the all-time hit parade. Instead, we're saying another great shot to go with the hole-in-one when he was at Alabama. And, oh, a wire-to-wire win. Bohn has won more than $8 million and two events in his short, but solid career. And, wire-to-wire? That's a big deal. So is being 11th on the Ryder Cup list.

5. The story of the weekend, though? Ken Green. Green returned to the game with partner Mike Reid at the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf and gave us a weekend of inspiring moments. He's gruff and to-the-point, but when you saw him choking back the tears or watched the camera flash to his shoes where he had written names on his right shoe -- "Brother Bill," girlfriend "Jeannie" and dog "Nip" (who he lost in the accident, which led to his partial amputation) on the left side; son "Hunter" (who died in January of an accidental overdose) on the top; and sister and caddie last week, "Shelley", son "Junior" and "Missy" (for Mississippi, where the accident happened) on the right -- you knew what it meant to him. Everything. Why the names? "So I always remember there's a point," he said. "There's a reason for doing this thing." We can't imagine what it has taken to get back to where he is. Makes you stop and take stock of things, doesn't it?

6. Sergio Garcia hasn't had a stroke-play top 35 all season. No, we're not kidding.

7. You can't really be wondering who's leading the rookie race on the money list, can you? Rickie Fowler has a decent lead -- for the moment -- on Derek Lamely. Fowler is 22nd on the money list; Lamely is 29th. Rory McIlroy, the most talked about rookie, has only played five TOUR events and ranks 145th.

8. The biggest celebrity at the Zurich Classic this weekend? Toss up between Saints owner Tom Benson who arrived with the Lombardi trophy, or Tripod, the three-legged alligator.

9. Tiger ninth on the Ryder Cup list? Give it a few weeks.

10. They're unveiling the new 17th hole at St. Andrews tomorrow. Stay tuned. Q-18 liked the old one.

11. Your scoring leaders right now? Anthony Kim leads at 69.19, followed by Ernie Els at 69.44 and K.J. Choi at 69.55. Yes, really.

12. Back-to-back top 10s for Stuart Appleby, including a T8 at Verizon Heritage and a solo sixth at the Zurich Classic. He's made lots of changes. Could he be back?? Last time he had back-to-back top 10s was early 2008 when he opened the year with five consecutive top 10s. Another back-to-backer to watch? Ricky Barnes, who shared 10th at the Masters and finished T5 at the Verizon Heritage.

13. Anyone else notice all the references writers are sliding into prime time television series about the world's No. 1? No one's gone as far as South Park, but they just keep coming.

14. The golfer-in-chief is at it again. Last week, he played at Andrews Air Force Base when he and other world leaders were volcano-ed in and couldn't attend services for Poland's president. This week, it was Grove Park Inn in Asheville, North Carolina. That's his 33rd chance to play since taking office. If you're counting.

15. Call it a course with a purpose. American Lake Veterans Golf Course in Lakewood, Wash., an old nine-hole course built after World War II, has been repurposed as a course for players with disabilities. The decade-long project is getting national snaps for the $1.3 million, 8,400-square-foot combo rehabilitation and learning facility/clubhouse/practice area. The course has a dozen carts for immobile players, which help them stand to hit shots, and the greens and bunkers are accessible for the disabled. They're hoping to add nine more holes.

16. Live from Augusta! Just not Augusta National. Turns out BBC commentator James Pearce, who wasn't credentialed for the Masters, was giving his "live" reports from another course in Augusta, Ga. -- after watching the tournament on television.

17. Golf back in Cuba? Maybe. According to The Associated Press, Britain's Esencia Hotels and Resorts CEO Andrew Macdonald had investors looking at a stretch of land where he plans to raise $300 million to build the Carbonera Country Club and a hotel/villa/apartment development. The company was supposed to break ground last year, but is still waiting. Macdonald's group hopes to bring tourists into a country that once had a dozen courses and hosted an annual professional event in the 1950s.

Only one course -- the Havana Golf Club -- survived under Castro. The nine-hole course uses tree branches for flagsticks. The only course built since the revolution took five years to build, was completed in 1999 and was financed by the Cuban government.

18. Bo Van Pelt back from self-imposed two-week Twitter break -- and a share of third at the Verizon Heritage. Opens with: Dez Bryant to the Dallas cowboys. He is wearing Irvin's 88 - how long before he brings back the full length fur coat??