Quick 18: Scott using new swing coach, Norman engaged

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Sergio Garcia seemed more relaxed at the Castello Masters, where he played with friend Rafa Nadal.

1. A walk-off ace in the dark? A closing 63 by the people's favorite? Sunday afternoon had lots of fireworks, that's for sure. Jonathan Byrd's playoff ace -- good to see him win again, by the way -- was the first time an ace ended a PGA TOUR event and it made us think back to Paul Casey's walk-off ace during foursomes at the K Club during the 2004 Ryder Cup. And Fred Couples' win? He made it look so easy, which is why everyone loves him. That 63 included a double-bogey, too, which put him two back after eight holes. He was still shaking his head over the last 10 holes when he headed for his plane.

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2. If anyone can wrest Bernhard Langer's five-win grip on Champions Player of the Year, it's Fred. Langer won back-to-back majors, but Fred has four wins, four seconds, a third and that share of sixth at the Masters. It may come down to the Charles Schwab Cup Championship -- and Fred's decision to take this week off to rest. He knows what works for his body. The other key? He's back working with Paul Marchand, who knows his swing -- and Fred, period -- better than anyone.

3. Q-18 can't believe the howling about someone supplanting Tiger Woods as No. 1. It's going to happen and if you don't agree with the Official World Golf Ranking two-year formula write the powers that be. A one-year formula might be fairer and that would likely give it to Martin Kaymer in 2010. The current two-year computer formula hands it to Westwood, who has played two individual events since July, unless Kaymer wins this week's Andalucia Valderrama Masters or ties (with one player) for second. Then everything could change again next week when the big boys tee it up in the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions in Shanghai. So it's one or the other, but definitely not Tiger. Tiger can start to make up some points with a win or big finish, but bottom line is he won't be No. 1 Halloween night. Won't be the first time. Won't be the last. For the moment, we live with the formula -- no asterisks.

4. Don't know about you, but after watching him in his Chevron World Challenge press conference, Q-18 sensed Tiger is beginning to heal a bit from everything that's happened -- the headlines, divorce and custody agreement. He's definitely taking a good hard look at himself and his actions -- something that's not bad for anyone to do -- and you can tell he's still hurting. "Certainly I'm a lot more at peace now,'' he said. "Everyone's getting used to the new living conditions. The kids are adjusting. I think everyone's certainly more at peace, and so am I, too. I learned a lot about myself, and I learned how things went wrong, why they went wrong, and had to take a pretty deep and introspective look at myself, and there weren't a lot of things I liked about it. But I had to do it, and I did it and grateful that I did. I think that I come from a much better place, much more grounded place now than I ever have before."

5. Matteo Manassero is always smiling and bouncing around. Remind you of anyone? Another 17-year-old, say, 13 years ago? Manassero won his first professional event Sunday at the Castello Masters and we can't help but marvel at his potential. We were doing the same thing in 1997 when Sergio made the Catalonian Open Championship his first win. We did finally see some smiles from Garcia, who took almost two months off after, basically hitting the wall, at the pro-am when he played with BFF Rafa Nadal. Garcia missed the cut, but relaxing with friends and family, playing soccer and working with a sophrologist -- not making this up; they combine mental and physical drills to produce health and well-being -- has him aiming high. As in No. 1. "I know more about myself and feel able to answer my own questions,'' he said. "I needed to miss the game a little bit. Obviously I missed it, that's why I am back."

6. Quirky Ian Poulter created quite the kerfuffle when he tweeted a video showing he and his kids eating Honey Nut Cheerios out of the Ryder Cup. He also posted videos of the Ryder Cup sitting in a golf cart and on the range with him as he hit shots. A cereal offense? Yes, purists were horrified. Not one peep, however, when Nike had Stewart Cink pouring coffee from the Claret Jug or Lucas Glover munching donuts from the U.S. Open trophy in commercials. Nor when winners celebrate with libations from either of those trophies or the Wanamaker Trophy. Just saying.

8. Rory McIlroy took a pretty cool video of himself on Twitter ripping a driver into the pyramids. So cool! (http://yfrog.us/6t72xz) -- and no he didn't hit the car. And he made us chuckle when he tweeted congrats to Manassero: "Well done to matteo manassero on his first tour win! What a great talent! He even makes me feel old!! Haha."

9. Q-18 sees a serious bit of star power -- and serious bucks -- in the new Lorena Ochoa-Greg Norman collaboration. The two former No. 1s are teaming up to design golf courses worldwide and hope their first co-design might be the course to host the 2016 Olympic Games. They've already been in contact with the IOC. In addition, Norman is designing 18 holes -- gratis -- for the redevelopment of Marysville Golf and Bowls Club in Victoria, which was destroyed in the bushfires.

9. And one last bit of Shark lint. He announced his engagement to Sydney-born interior designer Kirsten Kutner two weeks ago. Q-18 confirmed they plan to tie the knot before Thanksgiving.

10. Would hate to see Jose Maria Olazabal turn down the 2012 Ryder Cup captaincy, but it may happen. The 44-year-old has battled rheumatoid arthritis and doesn't want any health issues interfering with the European team or his duties. It hasn't been offered yet, but when it is, if he feels needs to decline, he will. "It would hurt me to say 'no' but if it is the right decision my conscience will be clear."

11. Graeme McDowell has no intention of letting Martin Kaymer walk away with the Race to Dubai. McDowell is roughly $1.4M behind the Order of Merit leader Kaymer, but will play all five remaining European Tour event. Amazing the drive that $1.5M bonus has.

12. They asked, Brendan Steele agreed. It was at a Halloween party last year when San Diego friends Greg Well and Ali Adams asked Steele to officiate their wedding at Torrey Pines two weeks ago. Steele thought they were joking since he has none of the normal credentials we think of for performing the ceremony. He's not an ordained minister, ship captain or notary public. But that, it turned out, doesn't matter. In San Diego County, private citizens can apply to officiate at civil ceremonies. The license is good for 24 hours and Adams' sister was married that way too. Steele missed a Nationwide event to officiate -- no small thing since he's now 30th on the money list going into this week's Nationwide Tour Championship. But he had fun. "Let me tell you, I was never that nervous on the golf course as I was that day."

13. In case you didn't know it, Adam Scott has taken a break from Butch Harmon and is working with his new brother-in-law Brad Malone. Golf.com noted that Scott and Harmon are still friends, but it was time for a change and, well, Malone was close. "It's been great because we've been friends for quite a while now, and he's a very knowledgeable golf coach,'' Scott said. "I think he's put a lot into it, he's done a lot of training in England. He's known my game for a long time. When Butch and I decided to take a break, obviously when I came home he was here and needed someone to have a look at my swing and give me some direction to work towards. So it's been really good. I think my stats on TOUR this year have proven that he's done a good job.''

14. Another little piece of mental lint for you? When soon-to-be PGA TOUR player Keegan Bradley needs a boost, he calls his aunt. Bradley, who is 10th on the Nationwide money list (the top 25 get their 2011 cards), just happens to be Hall of Famer Pat Bradley's nephew. "She's always there with some really good advice if I had a bad week or bad round," he said. "We talk or text all the time. Any tour is going to be the same - it's travel, it's golf and it's tournaments. She knows as well as anybody."

15. Q-18's thoughts and prayers have been with Bubba Watson and his family since his father's death from cancer, but, as Watson noted Monday, in his black-tie twitvid, he's ready to step back into the game. "He's Back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! #urwelcome http://yfrog.us/nc164z."

16. Lots of former TOUR players, including recent winner Jason Gore, are among those players battling for The 25 on the Nationwide Tour -- and a pass back to the PGA TOUR -- this week. Gore ranks 41st, while Brandt Jobe is 26th, Dickey Pride is 39th and Steve Pate is 43rd. To name a few. (View the complete money leader standings here.)

17. Peter Lonard is on the comeback trail. Again. Lonard, who won the 2005 Heritage Classic, will be teeing it up in the second stage of Qualifying School. No small feat considering he had surgery on his right hip and knee in February. The Aussie, who has battled the Ross River virus and other injuries, was struggling with back pain and was ready to quit the game until doctors diagnosed the problem with his hip and knee. "There were doubts whether I'd ever play again,'' he told the Sydney Morning Herald. "You think, 'Can I ever play again, walk 18 holes without pain in your body again?'" He traded golf rounds for work with a personal trainer, lost weight and -- after two years away -- is ready to go. He has teed it up in a few pro-ams, winning the first and third and finished second in the other. "I was petrified, I was more nervous at (the first event) than I was teeing up at Augusta,'' he said. "It was ridiculous." But leave it to a player from his favorite rugby team -- the Canterbury Bulldogs -- to put any nagging aches and pains into perspective when they were talking injuries: "I've ripped my hamstring off the bone but I'll play on Saturday. What's wrong with you?"

18. And finally a tidbit from the Knights of the Tiny Round Ball. Seems Sir Sean Connery is to blame for turning Sir Michael Caine away from the game. In his new book -- "The Elephant in Hollywood" -- the 77-year-old Caine said it didn't go well when Connery tried to teach him the sport. "Sean has a terrible temper and when he tried to teach me golf he was so incensed by my performance that he grabbed my club and broke it in two,'' Caine wrote. " ...I have never played golf since.''

How un-James Bond of Sir Sean.

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.