Quick 18: Eyes on Torrey Pines, rules and a Longhorns weekend

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Who's No. 2? Today it's Martin Kaymer, but you know Tiger Woods wants the spot back. Not to mention No. 1.

1. All eyes are on . . . Torrey Pines. Yes, Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and the rest of the North American gang will be in town for the Farmers Insurance Open and a passel of questions. Tiger owns Torrey. He's won the last five times he's played the course (this event from 2005-08 and the 2008 U.S. Open), has seven wins here since 1999 and hasn't finished out of the top 10. Of course, the real news is Martin Kaymer, whose win leapfrogged Woods for No. 2 in the world. So, yes, that will be a topic of conversation. So will Tiger's first opportunity in 2011 to make a move to get No. 1 back. And so it begins ...

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2. No one in the world could have beaten him this week. How many times have we said that about Tiger? Now we find ourselves saying that about Kaymer. Abu Dhabi runner-up Rory McIlroy, who finished 8 shots back, threw out that thought Sunday. Hard to argue. Kaymer has won five times in 13 months, three times in four tries in Abu Dhabi and is a ridiculous 80-under par on the Abu Dhabi course in his last 16 rounds there. World No. 1 Lee Westwood finished 26 shots back. Can't wait for that first Kaymer-Woods matchup, can you? Gonna be a fun year.

3. Could Jhonattan Vegas have made it any harder on himself Sunday afternoon? Still, it made for great theater. And his grin ... what else would you expect from golf's latest inspiring story? From picking up the game by batting rocks around in Venezuela to coming to America unable to speak English to a kinesiology degree from Texas to winning his second-ever event as a PGA TOUR player, fifth TOUR event overall. Oh my. The kid threw his heart and soul into this one and, um, Q-18 told you to keep an eye on him last fall. And, just so you know ... Vegas' U.S. debut came at the Junior World event at ... wait for it ... Torrey Pines.

4. Can't help it. Q-18's roots are showing, so it must be pointed out it was the weekend of the patient, underdog Longhorns. First, Texas' 10th-ranked basketball team comes from 18 points down and ends Kansas' home-court win streak at 69, then Vegas plods his way to the Bob Hope Classic title with some mind-boggling pars to beat KU alum Gary Woodland. Sorry KU, but after UT's football slip-slide ...

5. Anyone else wondering if Vegas' popular win -- players he hasn't met are congratulating him -- might change Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez's mind about the game? Chavez has a disdain for the game and said last fall that some golf course land should be expropriated for pubic housing.

6. One question. If you can't see a rules violation without a slo-mo replay, should it be assessed? Just asking. More on quirky rules moments over the years in Tuesday's column.

7. Even Jack Nicklaus is shaking his head about all these rulings. When asked about what he'd change about the rules of golf on Golf Channel's Morning Drive, the Bear said, "Probably the whole book of the rules of golf should be changed. If you try to figure it out, it should be common sense, yet common sense never seems to prevail. A USGA rules official said that it was much more difficult to pass the test to be a rules official than it was to pass the bar exam. There's no reason for that. The game should be simple. People should be able to understand the rules and the rules should be common sense."

8. Early pick for the Waste Management Open? Rickie Fowler.

9. McIlroy's runner-up finish moved him from 12th to seventh in the world rankings. Really? Vegas was the week's mover, though. He's now 86th in the world. He was 187th.

10. Maybe it's from too much DiNozo from NCIS or McPick-One from Grey's Anatomy, but Q-18 couldn't help thinking that McScruffy could replace G-Mac as a nickname of choice for Graeme McDowell. His stubbly look -- Ryan Moore's too -- has that everyman feel to it. A little edge to go with the cardigans for a guy who could be No. 1 sometime this year. Yes? No? Hey, just a thought.

11. Quote of the week comes from, of course, Boo Weekley. When asked what he knew about Vegas, he grinned. "I ain't got a clue. That's y'all's job. My job is just to play golf."

12. Lost in the frenetic second-hole playoff finish was Bill Haas. Yes, he was eliminated with a par on the first playoff hole, but keep an eye on him. A two-time winner last year, Haas has already finished eighth and tied for second this year and teacher Billy Harmon said Haas' swing is so good, he's got nothing to say. Keep an eye on him.

13. Tweet of the week? @bovanpelt: You know what 9 under gets you at the Bob Hope? A red eye flight back to Tulsa on Saturday night.

14. Steve Elkington's 24 birdies during Hope week went a lot farther than just a T33 for the Australian. Elk pledged $1,000 a birdie last week to help flood victims in his home country. Elk's family hasn't been hurt by the floods, but he said some of the destruction first-hand when he took the family Down Under at Christmas. "We got out before it got real bad, but once we left it started to compound and got worse and worse."

15. Mickelson's kids aren't in school the week of the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play, which means Lefty just might opt out. No secret that family always comes first in the Mickelson household. Right now? It's 50-50. The other big news from Camp Mickelson? He's gone from vegetarian to "balanced." "I was a strict vegetarian for five months, but ultimately, it was doomed to fail,'' he said. So that means eating smart and moderation. And trips, once again, to Five Guys and In-n-Out.

16. Gotta love Dave Stockton Jr.'s honesty. The Palm Springs-area resident, who played professionally for nine years but has taught the last six, was pulled in to play in a pro-am pairing at the Hope when Ricky Barnes withdrew. "I scored like a teacher," he said. "I played like a teacher. Teaching's a lot easier ... (It) reinforces my belief that I belong teaching and not playing. When I was playing for a living I never paid any attention to what anybody else did. As a pro you just basically think about yourself. Now I look at everybody and I say, 'Well, how can I help them?' "

17. The announcements were anti-climatic. Who didn't know the 2012 Ryder Cup captains would be Davis Love III and Jose Maria Olazabal? The emotions? Very real. Watching Love trying to choke back the tears when talking about his late father made you realize how much a captaincy means. Olly didn't tear up publicly, but considering his battle with rheumatoid arthritis and his passion for the event, you know he did in private.

18. Hmmm. The Clinton Foundation/Clinton Global Intiative and the Hope? The thought was tossed around last week when word came that there have been talks about that and, honestly, it makes a lot of sense. Former President Bill Clinton loves golf, the spotlight and the role of congenial host/saxaphone player. What's not to like? Stay tuned.

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.