Mickelson's wife has breast cancer; he leaves Tour

[Forkboy]

Phil Mickelson has suspended his PGA Tour schedule immediately after announcing yesterday that his wife, Amy, has been diagnosed with breast cancer. Mickelson withdrew from the Byron Nelson Championship, which starts today, and is expected to miss next week's Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial, where he is the defending champion.

Mickelson's management company, Gaylord Sports, said in a release that Amy Mickelson has undergone an extensive battery of tests, and that the treatment process is expected to begin with major surgery, possibly within the next two weeks.

It's not known when Mickelson will resume playing, and calls into question his availability for the US Open at Bethpage Black, which starts four weeks from today. Ranked second in the world, Mickelson finished second the first time the event was held at Bethpage, losing to Tiger Woods by three shots in 2002. Mickelson hasn't missed a major since the 1994 Masters; his 60 consecutive appearances marks the longest current streak in golf.

Mickelson, who met Amy in 1992 when both were at Arizona State University, has 36 wins in his PGA Tour career, including two this year, at the Northern Trust Open and the CA Championship at Doral. He's a three-time major championship winner, capturing the 2004 and 2006 Masters and the 2005 PGA Championship.

http://www.boston.com/sports/golf/articles/2009/05/21/mickelsons_wife_has_breast_cancer_he_leaves_tour/

[trumad]

1. Man cancer sucks

Best of luck to her...

[Forkboy]

2. I was just thinking the same thing.

Getting sick of hearing about it every damn day. x(

[joeybee12]

3. Good luck...hopefully she can beat it...n/t

[ProfessorGAC]

4. This Is A Shame

She's so young. Hope she beats it.

I'm not even a fan of Phil's, but nobody should have this happen to them.
GAC

[Awsi Dooger]

5. They are a terrific couple

So genuine, although some golf fans thrill to assert otherwise. I've seen Amy walking in Phil's group many times, and she's quick to smile and chat with fans. If you want a comparison, Tiger's wife wears dark shades and acts like she's being bothered in the same situation.

In '97 I remember being at the Las Vegas event late on Friday, when Phil and Amy were relative newlyweds. It was late afternoon, very sparse on the range. In fact, only Vijay -- not surprisingly -- was also there, hitting balls alongside Phil. Once Phil finished hitting balls a small group of 3 or 4 fans walked toward him. Amy joined him and the couple talked amiably with the group for at least 15-20 minutes, smiling all the way. There was no press. They did it on their own.

Best of luck to Amy. I suspect Phil will be away from the tour for much longer than most commentators are estimating.