News
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
The Many Subplots Of Phil
A crowd takes in Phil Mickelson's work on the 17th hole Wednesday. (Steven Gibbons/USGA)
Farmingdale, N.Y. — Pat Manez classifies herself as a casual fan with no rooting allegiance to one particular golfer. But when pressed for a pick to win this week’s 109th U.S. Open, her choice is based more on emotion than a judgment of talent.
Manez’s mother, mother-in-law and sister-in-law are breast cancer survivors. So she has seen how the disease can rip through a family and test even the most positive of spirits and wills. More than anything, she can empathize with Phil Mickelson.
Mickelson’s wife, Amy, was diagnosed with breast cancer on May 20. After preliminary testing, she will begin treatment in early July. Phil Mickelson said the early reports have been positive, and yet there remains the unknown.
“Oh, it’s a devastating disease,” said Manez, a Farmingdale local who was at Bethpage State Park’s Black Course for Wednesday’s final practice round. “Your whole life, your whole family is changed.”
Since the news broke, Mickelson has essentially shut down his playing schedule. He played last week at the St. Jude Classic in Memphis, Tenn., as much to thank his numerous well-wishers as to prepare for one of his favorite venues. After this week, Mickelson said he likely will not return to tour until August, thus ruling out a British Open appearance.
“I love playing in the New York area,” said Mickelson, who is playing his fifth U.S. Open in New York. Since a fourth-place tie in 1995 at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, Mickelson has finished no worse than second. He lost by three strokes to Tiger Woods here in 2002, by two strokes to Retief Goosen at Shinnecock in 2004 and by one to Geoff Ogilvy at Winged Foot Golf Club in 2006 — an Open he would have won were it not for a double bogey on the 72nd hole to lose by a stroke.
“The people here have treated me and my family incredibly, and I love coming back here and playing. Bethpage is one of my favorite golf courses.”
The feeling is mutual around this taxpayer-owned municipal course.
“Phil is just such a people’s person,” said Dave Marcus of Merrick, N.Y. “He’s very personable and has that blue collar type attitude. Like last week, when he was here to play a practice round. After he was done, he stopped and signed autographs for people, while other guys just picked up their balls and went on their way.”
After flying from Memphis to Rancho Santa Fe, Calif., to celebrate his 39th birthday on Tuesday, Mickelson was back on the Black Course Wednesday to play his lone practice round. He appeared positive about his prospects.
“I’m really excited about how things have come along ball-striking wise,” said Mickelson, who would take breaks from sitting in the hospital for as many as 10 hours while Amy underwent tests to think about his swing or call instructor Butch Harmon. “Even though we didn’t hit any balls, I actually got my swing to where we wanted it to be able to hit little cut shots, control my misses, and I’m very optimistic.
“I think the key for me will be on the greens. I putted these greens very well in ’02, and if I have a good putting week, I expect to be in contention on Sunday.”
That would excite 9-year-old Devin Haber of Sayville, N.Y., who was hoping to catch a glimpse of Mickelson on Wednesday.
“He’s one of my favorites because he’s a lefty and he’s a little different,” said Haber, who actually became a “Phil Phanatic” back in 2004 at Shinnecock. “Every time I saw him I would call him ‘Phil of the Future’ [based on the Disney Channel show of the same name].”
Mickelson can have that effect, an air of likeability that draws people in. When fans see him stopping to sign autographs and some of his peers walk on with a distant stare, they know the multi-millionaire Mickelson could just as easily do the same. He has even boned up on his local knowledge, just in case he strikes up a chat.
“I’ve kind of brushed up on my information on the New York Giants and the Jets and Yankees and Mets, in case I get into some discussions,” he said. “I thought that knowing a little bit about those teams would probably be wise on my part.”
If Mickelson, who owns three majors among his 36 PGA Tour titles, goes out of his way for the fans, they obviously reciprocate, and that puts into context the outpouring of support he is receiving. On the Saturday following the news of his wife’s diagnosis, many fans, players and officials turned out wearing pink — the color often associated with breast cancer awareness — at the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial.
When Mickelson is announced at the 10th tee on Thursday at 1:36 p.m., alongside two-time U.S. Open winners Ernie Els and Retief Goosen, let the lovefest begin.
“He’s always been a favorite around here,” Manez said. “The fans are going to rally around him even more because of the situation he’s going through.”
For Mickelson, playing could be cathartic, a five-hour return to relative normalcy.
“It’s a great diversion for him and the entire family,” Manez said. “The best thing you can do is try and live as normal a life as you can. Otherwise you just sit around thinking about it all the time.”
Mickelson concurred.
“We want to try to keep life as normal as we could,” he said. “We’re going to go through treatment. We’re optimistic with what the end result will be, but the process itself won’t be easy.”
Nor will Sunday, Father’s Day, a day he usually shares with Amy and his three children, daughters Amanda and Sophia, and son Evan in tow. There’s only one gift he would like to receive, and it would be more for Amy than himself.
“She’s left me a number of little notes, texts, cards, hints, that she would like to have a silver trophy in her hospital room,” he said of the U.S. Open Championship Cup first-place prize. “So I’m going to try to accommodate that.”
And count on the fans to help chip in, as well.
Stuart Hall is a freelance writer whose work has previously appeared on www.usopen.com.
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