Quick 18: Monty's growing headache; Obama's golf lesson

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Peter Hanson's win at the Czech Open bumped Paul Casey off the Ryder Cup team. Will Captain Monty pick him?

1. Rules. Everyone's still talking about them. And that bunker full of people. And the marshals. And Dustin Johnson. Bottom line is the rules of golf are the rules. Yes, they're thick enough to be mistaken for the U.S. tax code and often need someone to interpret them. Maybe someday they'll streamline them, maybe not. Same with the tax code. No use complaining. Just follow them.

2. Even Hall of Famers have brain blips. Take Juli Inkster. After a 30 minute wait on one hole, she wanted to warm up, slipped a metal donut on a club and took a few swings. A television viewer saw it, e-mailed in and she was disqualified. She could have grabbed a second club instead. She didn't really get any advantage with the donut, but, like Johnson, she broke a rule.

3. And finally, Jose de Jesus Rodriguez walked out of the scoring tent without signing his card at the Canadian Tour's Economical Insurance Group Seaforth Country Classic. The kicker? He shot 61 and -- before he was disqualified -- had a three-shot lead going into the final round.

4. Don't know about you, but Q-18 cannot see any clear-cut favorite for Player of the Year. It's been the year of a little here, a little there and lots of new faces. No one stands out... yet. But between the Ryder Cup and the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup, we're sure it will sort itself out. Got a thought? Let us know. Remember, Player of the Year, not story of the year.

5. Another week, another spate of what-is-wrong-with-Tiger-Woods theories. Had enough? Let it play out. The one thing we all know is, he has to sort it out. No one else. The best things Q-18 has heard come from Butch Harmon pre-PGA --"Tiger Woods right now is playing the worst I've ever seen him play. I've known Tiger since he was a teenager and he looks lost out there. Tiger Woods has got to get his head right; he's got to get his life in order before he can even think about playing golf." Greg Norman echoed a similar sentiment of Tiger getting his off-course life straightened out in a Golf Channel interview with Tim Rosaforte.

6. Neither Tiger nor Phil Mickelson played last week, but Phil still inched a tad closer to No. 1 in the Official World Golf Ranking. So when they tee off at The Barclays Thursday, the top spot will be up for grabs. Lee Westwood, No. 3, doesn't qualify for the Playoffs because he's not a PGA TOUR member, but don't forget world No. 4 Steve Stricker.

7. Now Colin Montgomerie has a real headache. With his Ryder Cup team, that is. When Peter Hanson played his way onto the team with a win at the Czech Open, and bumped Paul Casey out of the ninth automatic spot... well, what's Monty to do? There's one tournament left -- the Johnnie Walker Championship -- and most of his would-be picks (Paul Casey, Luke Donald, Padraig Harrington and Justin Rose) are playing in The Barclays, the first step in the Playoffs. Miguel Angel Jimenez, who holds the ninth spot is off this week with a family obligation and could get bumped out. That leaves Monty reaching for the Advil. At the end of the week, he'll have three picks left. If Jimenez stays at nine, that helps. Still, who are the three? Casey is ninth in the world; Donald 10th; Rose 22nd. Harrington is 18th in the world, but even with so-so form he's still a three-time major winner and seriously tough in match play. Ah, fun times.

8. While we're on the Ryder Cup, Ian Poulter just took delivery on his new buggy -- that's British for golf cart -- and it's all tricked out. Ryder Cup logo on the seats, European RC logo on the front along with POULTS nameplate and stereo. Pretty sweet. Take a peek. http://twitpic.com/2gwzoa. You're welcome.

9. The 59-watch was on again last week at The Wyndham Championship. Eventual winner Arjun Atwal threw out an opening 61, Kevin Na shot 61 in the third round. Three 62s in the closing round. Everyone's wondering -- considering this year's run -- if there's another 59 out there. Don't look for one this week.

10. When the golfer-in-chief needed help getting out of deep bunkers, he turned to Vineyard Golf Club pro Gene Mulak for a 25 minute lesson. President Barack Obama's setup was wrong -- ball too far back in his stance, hands were forward and his club was closed about 40 degrees. "It would be tough to get out of any bunker that way,'' Mulak told the New York Times. So, the pro got the ball more forward in his stance and moved his hands back to open up the club face. "He was popping balls onto the green in minutes," Mulak said. "He thought that was pretty amazing, but it wasn't rocket science. It was an easy fix, something any PGA professional could have done." Hard teaching the first golfer? Not so much. "I've worked with PGA TOUR players, and that's more nerve-racking," Mulak said. "Those are the best players in the world, and they're trying to stay on top. With the president, I had nothing to lose. He was already at the bottom of the bunker-playing world. I was just happy to help."

11. Phil and Amy Mickelson were up early for their Start Smart giveaway Saturday morning. The Mickelsons helped 1,500 students get a head start on school supplies and shoes and they've helped more than 8,000 kids since starting the program six years ago. "It's a very special day for our whole family," Mickelson told the San Diego Union Tribune. "The only thing we ask in return is that they try hard in school." The fun part? Amy said it's letting the kids make their own choices. "Giving them a choice helps them to be individuals and express themselves in the way that they want."

12. Who doesn't love Fred Couples? No matter where he parks his comfy skater-style golf shoes, the local folks can't get enough of him. After stops in Houston (college), Dallas, Seattle, Los Angeles, Scottsdale and a few other places, Couples has settled in Charlotte. And, in typical Couples style, he's still finding his way around, with a little help from girlfriend Amy O'Keefe. "Do I know (Charlotte) enough? No. Every time I get in a car to go to the same place, I have to ask her, 'Where do I turn?'" One more reason why we love him.

13. It wasn't a throw-down, but it will be soon. Cherub-faced Rory McIlroy had this to say on the chance to play Tiger at the Ryder Cup: "I would love to face him. Unless his game rapidly improves in the next month or so, I think anyone in the European team would fancy his chances against him." Get ready.

14. Just to update you: Those irascible Kiwis -- Michael Goldstein and Jamie Patton -- Q-18 introduced you to in May are working through the UK. The mid-twenty-somethings, who took a year off and are playing 365 courses in 365 days and raising money for the First Tee in New Zealand, have sailed through the Old Course and Castle Course at St. Andrews, Royal Troon, Prestwick, North Berwick, Carnoustie and Dornoch to name a few. They're planning to take in a bit of the Ryder Cup, too. They'll be in the UK through mid-November when they head across to Asia and then back home.

15. The world's best swimmer wasn't last week at the Pan Pacific Championships. Why? Too much time on the golf course. Michael Phelps still won two individual and three relay golds, but he missed making the 400 individual medley final and scratched the 200 IM because he was worn out. And he was one-upped by Ryan Lochte. Seems Phelps has been playing golf instead of clocking time in the pool. Most elite swimmers who still train post-college -- think Lochte and Aaron Peirsol -- take long breaks, but Phelps didn't have a plan and was hit-or-miss in the pool. Phelps plans to play golf for another couple of weeks then jump back into a more structured training for London in 2012.

16. All eyes will be on Chambers Bay this week when the Robert Trent Jones, Jr., course hosts the U.S. Amateur. Yes, people will be paying attention to the competition, but more so to the fescue greens and the picture-postcard links course, which will host the U.S. Open in five years. It's 7,750 yards, but even with fast fairways, that's long. So how well would USGA setup man Mike Davis (handicap 1.9) do if he played a round? "If I had to tee it up, I would probably shoot ... 80," Davis told the Tacoma News Tribune. "It's been a few years since I've teed it up in competition. I've gotten shorter and shorter off the tee, and I'm not sure how many birdie chances I could find out there."

17. Actor Mark Wahlberg on his way into a cathedral in Australia where he's promoting his new movie The Other Guys : "I love golf and I love church. I do both every day."

18. And finally, from John Canzano at the Oregonian: Cameron Kiyokawa, a 19-year-old with a 5 handicap, signed up to caddie at last week's Safeway Classic and drew Dina Ammaccapane, who has struggled this season. When she was introduced to Kiyokawa, who is 5-foot-3, 115 pounds, she asked if they had anyone bigger. Kiyokawa has caddied before and wasn't concerned about carrying the bag. Apparently Ammaccapane was. Kiyokawa sat this one out.

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.