FanHouse Phil Mickelson

A year ago, Kenny Perry skipped the British Open because of a prior commitment to the U.S. Bank Championship in Milwaukee. It's not often that a professional golfer would forgo a chance to play Royal Birkdale to tee it up at Brown Deer Park, but Perry had another motive: earning a spot on the Ryder Cup roster.

This time around, Perry will travel to Scotland for next week's Open Championship, although he is now faced with more serious issues than accumulating enough Ryder Cup points. His mother is battling cancer, and he wasn't sure if her condition would allow him to play Turnberry.

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.

John Daly only made it through 17 holes at last week's French Open, before withdrawing with a bad back. He'll try to tee it up at the Scottish Open on Thursday before making his way to Turnberry for the Open Championship.

Despite an off-season makeover that included lap-band surgery, a shiny new wardrobe, and a recommitment to the game, expectations are low for Daly. Success has been sporadic, and his 2009 European Tour experience hasn't been much different than 2008, one of his worst years as a professional.

Phil Mickelson finished second in the U.S. Open two weeks ago, but with wife Amy beginning her breast cancer treatments soon, his playing schedule is up in the air. In the meantime, you can see Phil on his new "Secrets of the Short Game" DVD (in stores now!). And if the rest of the vid is anything like this -- demonstrating how to hit the backwards flop shot four feet from the pin -- it will remain a secret to most of us.

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.

-- The AT&T National is this week, which means Tiger Woods, the host, will be in the field. Yellowpages.com is offering two free tickets, and all you have to do is write in about your favorite July 4th golf memory. Submit them and maybe you can see Tiger for free. [Dogs That Chase Cars]

Like the Michael Jordan jumper against the Utah Jazz in 1998, there is a lasting memory in the golf world from the late 90's that would be tough to push out of any fan's memory.

The 18th hole ... U.S. Open ... 15-footer for par and the victory ... putt is stroked ... it's heading to the hole ... one arm outstretched, one foot off the ground ... and ... one final championship for one of the nicest guys to ever play the game.

Payne Stewart's legacy at Pinehurst No. 2, the site of his second U.S. Open that came four months before he died in a plane crash, is one that will always be around. This week, at the North and South Amateur, Payne's son Aaron Stewart will be continuing the legacy on those turtle-backed greens, hoping to follow in his father's infamous footsteps.

Last week, after five rain-soaked golf-crazed days at Bethpage Black, Lucas Glover emerged as the 109th U.S. Open champion. This is noteworthy for a number of reasons: Glover had missed his three previous Open cuts, Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson -- for different reasons, the two most popular guys on tour -- didn't add to their major totals, and, finally, the fans.

It wasn't your typical outside-the-ropes golf experience, even by U.S. Open standards. But that's what made it different, special (for the most part, anyway). And after the tournament, it prompted Mickelson to suggest that Bethpage would be a perfect venue for a future Ryder Cup.

"The people here are incredible ... the course is terrific, because 16, 17 and 18 are so close together. And the way the fans are, I think we would have a big advantage."

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.

Is Kenny Perry the Second Best U.S. Golfer? -- He's 48, yet Kentucky native Kenny Perry is playing the best golf of his career. Perry, who announced earlier this year that he wants to get to 20 wins in his career (he's currently at 14), has put up some staggeringly consistent numbers over the last year that now have him in the conversation as one of the top American golfers right now.

There is one thing in golf that is miles bigger than a major championship or the rare double-eagle. It has only been done three times in the history of golf, with the last time coming in 1999. It's the sub-60 round.

On Thursday, at the Travelers Championship, 48-year-old Kenny Perry had the rare opportunity to match that feat, and shoot a sub-60 round for only the fourth time on the PGA Tour, and the first time on a par-70 golf course. Standing over a 24-foot eagle putt on the par-4 15th hole, Perry was 8-under and looking to move to 10-under, just a shot off the mark with three holes to play.

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 weekly feature we call Making the Cut.

5. Ana Ivanovic -- Yep, she plays tennis, but she also is wooing a golf heartthrob away from the AT&T National hosted by Tiger Woods. Adam Scott, who is to the PGA Tour what Erin Andrews is to sideline reporting, has said he will miss the AT&T to go watch Ivanovic at Wimbledon. The word is they're dating, but nothing has been confirmed. I guess here's hoping Ivanovic makes it long enough so that Scott can sport his Burberry on the hallowed tennis grounds.