Quick 18: Holmes withdraws from Franklin Templeton

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J.B. Holmes was forced to withdraw from the Franklin Templeton Shark Shootout on Monday.

1. Now that was fun, wasn't it? The fist pumps, the stares, the screams, the excitement, the back-to-back birdies he had to have and the end to a 749-day no-win streak. The look was vintage Tiger, complete with a few chills. Doesn't matter that it was a limited field win. This one had even the most die-hard NFL fans tuning in for the stretch run.. Pushed comeback wins by Aaron Rodgers and Tim Tebow off the top of the page.

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2. Get right down to it and Sunday was a star-studded day, period. Rory McIlroy comes from behind after a long night's sleep -- he wanted 12 hours and room service -- to hole out on the 72nd hole and win the Hong Kong Open and Lee Westwood wins the Nedbank Golf Challenge. If McIlroy had not won, Westwood would have gone to No. 2 in the Official World Golf Ranking; Rors to No. 3. But there's still more to come. . . . .

3. And you don't have to wait. The wins set up a showdown at this week's Dubai Desert Classic -- for the European money. In case you've forgotten, Luke Donald already has the PGA TOUR money title, but he's also leading the European list and could be the first to pull off that double. And, yes, McIlroy can catch him -- if McIlroy wins and Donald finishes 10th or worse. Luke has been out of the top 11 only five times all year. Still, you gotta love a showdown. Bring it.

4. Speaking of bringing it... They'll be doing just that today at the final round of q-school finals. Talk about pressure. Marco Dawson is hoping his sixth trip will be the charm to staying on TOUR. And who isn't pulling for miraculous final rounds from Jason Gore and David Duval. Pick a player and you've got a great story. The top 25 get their 2012 cards. A player you might not be watching, but should be? Harris English, who won the Nationwide's Children's Hospital Invitational last spring as an amateur.

5. How important is getting your card? Just ask Gore. "It's one week that takes 10 years off your life," he said. "It's hard because it can change your life so much. You're out there grinding on every single shot. It's not like if you don't play well, there's always next week." And no one is immune from the week's ups and downs. Take his windblown fourth-round 73 when he hit four balls into the water. "I feel like I just went 15 rounds with (Mike) Tyson.'' If Gore doesn't get his card -- and Q-18 hopes he does because he's great for the game -- he said he'll have a decision to make. "This might be it for me. I have to sit down and think about it. As we sit here, I'm kind of down-and-out about golf. What I know for sure is that I love being home, I love being a husband, I love being a dad. When I was home, I didn't really miss playing. I love being a pro, I love being out there among the guys, I love competing. But I didn't miss the traveling and the hectic lifestyle. So I don't know." Q-18 hopes he doesn't have to make the decision.

6. Holmes withdraws from Franklin Templeton Shark Shootout. Holmes withdrew on Monday and will be replaced in the field by Scott Stallings. Stallings, who won The Greenbrier Classic in July, will be competing in his first Franklin Templeton Shootout. "It is with great disappointment that I have elected to withdraw from this year's Franklin Templeton Shootout," Holmes said. "While I continue to make great strides in my recovery from surgery for Chiari Malformation, I am not 100% and I think it would be a disservice to my partner, Kenny Perry, and the entire Franklin Templeton Shootout organization for me to play at less than full capacity. I want to thank Greg Norman and the folks at Franklin Templeton for the invitation and I look forward to the opportunity to compete here in the future."

7. Tied up in customs. The U.S. Open trophy is supposed to be on display in Dubai this week along with Charl Schwartzel's Green Jacket and Darren Clarke's Clart Jug, but will it make it? It seems McIlroy's old management company -- ISM -- shipped the trophy to Shanghai for the Shanghai Masters, but no one was at the course to receive it. It went back to the agents and now China customs won't release it. ISM, IMG (HSBC Masters organizer, where it was also due to be displayed), Horizon Sports (his new agents) and the USGA are all working to get it released. Horizon's Conor Ridge even said they tried to send someone to Shanghai "so they can be handed the trophy in person but they're just not releasing it." Oh my.

8. Just so you know, the last time Tiger birdied the final hole to win a tournament was the Arnold Palmer Invitational in 2009. And, overlooked in the Tiger eye-popper? Zach Johnson, who could be poised for a great 2012.

9. With no TV in sight, Christina Kim "watched" Tiger's win on Twitter where she could see @DwyaneWade's thoughts and Luke's response. @DwyaneWade Yess sirrr @TigerWoods is back. Now golf is back to being entertaining.. No love for a fellow Chicagoan:( #wellsortoff

10. Got a chuckle on this week's cartoon from Steve Elkington on Tiger refueling. (View the cartoon here.)

11. Q-18 -- and everyone else in the golf world -- is sending thoughts and prayers to Champions player Dana Quigley and his family. Quigley's 27-year-old son Devon suffered a traumatic head injury in a car accident last Wednesday and is fighting for his life in a Florida hospital. Doctors weren't sure he would live through the night, but he's hanging on. Devon had been caddying for his dad and playing golf on the mini-tours.

12. It's down to the Elite Eight for the right to design the 2016 Olympic course in Rio. The two leaders in the clubhouse would seem to be the Jack Nicklaus/Annika Sorenstam partnership and Greg Norman/Lorena Ochoa/Gary Player. But also in the running are Robert Trent Jones, Jr./Brazilian player Mario Gonzalez and Tom Doak. Expect a decision before February.

13. Call Stephanie Kono an accidental LPGA rookie. All the UCLA senior wanted to do was ensure she could play on the Futures Tour after graduation, but a big miscommunication by LPGA officials landed her in the Q-School finals and . . . well, she tied for ninth and is accepting her card for 2012. This is the first year the Futures and LPGA qualifier is combined and, as it turned out, Kono didn't have to play in the finals to accept a Futures card after graduation. But LPGA officials told her and UCLA coach Carrie Forsyth she did and didn't catch the mistake until the second round of Q-school. As it turns out, LPGA rules don't allow deferring an LPGA card and officials aren't making an exception because of their mistake so how can you pass that up? Unless the LPGA decides to make an exception because of the mistake, Kono, UCLA's low scorer, will be leaving the No. 1 team in the nation to follow what she thought would be a dream after graduation.

14. Ian Poulter's New Year's Resolution? Improve on a less-than-satisfying season -- one win, the Volvo World Match Play over Donald, and too much time spent on building his new Lake Nona home -- and make the Ryder Cup team. "I didn't need to sit down at the end of this year to work out I'd got it wrong,'' he told the Daily Mail. "There wasn't one event where it all came to a head. It's not rocket science. You only have to look at my results sheet. Of course, it's frustrating. I'm irritated with myself. Not good enough  it's that simple."

15. Got a spare $4.195 million lying around? According to NBC LA, Fred Couples just put his LaQuinta estate on the market. Great views, great rooms. And you can get it fully furnished. That doesn't mean golf clubs. (View photos of the property here.)

16. According to AdAge.com, Arnold Palmer's marketers are moving forward by looking back. Huh? Yep, some of Arnie's endorsements are going retro to recapture vintage Arnie. Among the projects are a clothing line -- Arnie, which launches in February -- based on his 50s, 60s and 70s styles. We're assuming everything from short collars to cardigans to wide leg pants and collars. Another look is from Arizona Beverages, which markets his Half and Half. Cans and bottles will have vintage Arnie fist pumps and swings on them.

17. Tweet of the week? Couldn't pass on @bovanpelt who summed up the feelings of just about everyone other than Alabama fans when 'Bama finished second -- not his Oklahoma State Cowboys -- and got the nod for a rematch with David Toms' LSU Tigers in the Sugar Bowl: I think the BCS can shorten its abbreviation to 2 letters. I think you can probably figure out which 2 I think they should keep. Go Pokes.

18. And finally from the I-can-do-anything file, we have Portland's Dan McLaughlin who took the money he had saved to go to graduate school and decided he'd learn to play golf instead. He told KTAU that he's giving himself 4 ˝ years to master the game and he's spending six hours a day on the course trying to accomplish that. He found research showing it takes 10,000 hours to master a skill and, since he started playing in April 2010, he figures he's put in about 2,200 hours. "For me the challenge is so much more fulfilling than any job I had in the past," McLaughlin said. ". . . .The first challenge was just learning patience.''

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. Follow her on Twitter @melaniehauser.