FanHouse Amy Mickelson

While the British Open will go down as a memorable match between history and reality, two players were noticeably missing over the weekend at Turnberry. Tiger Woods not making it to Saturday was all about his game. Phil Mickelson missing the British was all about his family.

Amy Mickelson, Phil's wife, had been diagnosed with breast cancer, but initial reports from Mickelson's website say that Amy is doing very well after surgery.

A rough month for Phil Mickelson and his family just got a lot tougher when news hit that Phil's mother, Mary Mickelson, has been diagnosed with breast cancer less than seven weeks after Amy Mickelson, Phil's wife, was told she had the same disease.

Tina Mickelson, Phil's sister, said on Monday that Mary was diagnosed with breast cancer a week ago and will go in for surgery at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, the same hospital Amy was being treated at last Wednesday.

FARMINGDALE, N.Y. -- Just once, as his pleading fandom mustered a "Let's Go, Phil!" chant with the vocal force of a late-inning Yankees rally, you wanted him to focus and make the damned putt. All his life, Phil Mickelson has been missing the shorties in the critical moments. Now, as his cancer-stricken wife and concerned kids watched on TV in San Diego, he was standing over a ball that could pave his path to one of the most inspirational victories in the history of, well, sports.

This was on the 17th green at Bethpage Black, where Mickelson was being hand-delivered his first U.S. Open title by a chorus line of stumbling wannabes -- that is, if he could take advantage. He had nailed a 35-foot birdie putt at No. 12, sending familiar roars blasting through the trees and quaint, Buttafuocoan homes of suburban Long Island. On the 13th, he ripped an approach to within a few feet of the cup and converted an eagle. Was the Win One For Amy dream actually going to happen? Was a man who has experienced so much heartache in his career -- and, suddenly, in his family life -- about to trump just about anything we've witnessed in recent golfing memory, including the monumental victories of his far more successful rival, Tiger Woods?

---

---

It's one thing to heckle the best player in the world -- Tiger Woods is used to it and it comes with the high profile. It's something entirely different to heckle the world No. 2 a month after learning his wife was diagnosed with breast cancer.

But that's exactly what happened to Phil Mickelson at Bethpage Black Sunday. According to Newsday, one fan called Phil "fat," while another noted, "Time to raise some money, Phil," apparently in reference to the recent news about Amy Mickelson. Classy, I know.

Editor's Note: This column has been updated from Wednesday's original version.

FARMINGDALE, N.Y. -- His wife and kids won't be coming this time, the first sign that this will be a different U.S. Open for Phil Mickelson. Before he left his San Diego home on Tuesday, he and his family celebrated his 39th birthday with particular flair. His three children brought him breakfast in bed, and then, a little later, his wife asked him to open his presents.

Suddenly, while recalling this special day in the interview room at Bethpage Black, a scared husband and father became quite talkative about what his wife gave him. Breast cancer has a powerful, haunting way of tapping a man's deepest and most private emotions about the simplest matters, even as millions watch and listen and follow Amy's ordeal with considerable concern.

---

---

Every Monday during the PGA Tour season, Monday Pin Placement will run as a wrap-up of the weekend's action. Basically, we'll focus on what you missed while you were out grinding on the putting green.

If you've ever checked this page (or Dogs That Chase Cars) you'll know one thing -- I'm far from a Phil Mickelson fan. Far from one. If Phil, who finished tied for 59th at the St. Jude Championship, was a nice pair of Bugatti shoes, then I'm the old Converse that sit neglected in the back corner of your closet.

For me, it isn't anything more than a personality change. Back in 2004, you couldn't have moved me away from the television when Mickelson was charging on the back nine of Augusta like a demolition ball. I loved him. I adored him. He had more guts than I did on the golf course. He took chances. He was a fellow left-hander that left it all on the golf course and never let anyone tell him his style was wrong.

He just needs a few hours a day to break away from the anguish, to think about hitting a little ball, bending its flight the way he needs for it to get in the hole. It's the way Phil Mickelson has dealt with things his whole life.

That's why he came to Memphis this week, returning to the PGA Tour after a three-week break to be with his wife, Amy, who was diagnosed with breast cancer.

"We're going through a tough time right now," he said Wednesday at his pre-tournament press conference. "We won't get started on our treatment till July 1st. And in the meantime, we're fortunate that we believe we caught it early enough to where we don't have to rush into decisions, that we can make some good long-term decisions."

And that was the best overuse of the word "we" that you'll ever hear. Mickelson was emotional Wednesday, fought back tears, thanked everyone for kind words. But how strange it must be to have to take such a personal issue into a press conference.

Each Wednesday during the golf season, FanHouse will list the top five names in golf and why they're important. Did Barack play 18 with Tiger? Did a certain player do something controversial off the course? Or was just playing golf enough to get the pot stirring? Join us for a new weekly ranking feature we call Making the Cut.

5. Michelle Wie -- Thinking back a year ago, it's almost like Michelle Wie has become a different person. In 2008, at the very tournament she will tee up at on Thursday, Wie forgot to sign her scorecard after rounds of 67-65, landing a disqualification that could be listed as her lowest of lows (which is saying a lot). Now, with a tour card and a fresh outlook, Wie is back at the LPGA State Farm Classic with two top-3 finishes this season and seemingly getting close to her first career victory. Even if she doesn't win, Wie has to be hoping that someone will remind her to put her autograph on the only piece of paper that matters.

In an effort to keep our golf visitors well informed on what is going on around the Internet, Range Balls is our weekly link dump. Every Tuesday during golf season, we will toss out some of the most interesting things we came across. If you have a tip, e-mail us at fanhousegolf@gmail.com. Enjoy the links.

-- In a lengthy piece about "The Haney Project," Charles Barkley admits that he "felt bad, to be honest with you, that I didn't improve more for (Hank Haney)." If anyone watched the television show, they know how much the two worked together, but from this video at the Regions Charity Classic, it sure shows the nasty truth -- swing coaches aren't miracle workers. [The Sports Network]

Twelve days after Phil Mickelson made the announcement that his wife, Amy, was diagnosed with breast cancer and he'd be taking an indefinite leave of absence, Lefty is planning his return to the PGA Tour.

Next week's St. Jude Classic in Memphis, Tenn., will give Phil one tournament to prepare before heading up to Bethpage Black for the U.S. Open, where he finished alone in second place behind Tiger Woods in 2002.