The information is coming a bit late but I have only just been informed that Phil Mickelson has been nominated for the 2009 ESPY Awards in the categorie “Best Male Golfer”. Phil will be up against Tiger Woods (nominated for his epic triumph in the 2008 US Open) and Padraig Harrington (who arguably had a career season in 2008 with victories at the British Open and the PGA Championship).

Just in case you already forgot about Phil’s 2008 campaign, here are the results of this 2008 season with two victories at the Northern Trust Open and the Crowne Plaza Invitational.

The 17th annual ESPY Awards gather top celebrities from sports and entertainment to commemorate the past year in sports by recognizing major sports achievements in 37 different categories. The award ceremony will by hosted by Samuel L. Jackson and televised Sunday, July 19th.

The deadline for voting is July 11th at midnight - so hurry up and cast your vote on www.espys.tv!

After a memorable final round, Phil Mickelson missed out on his first US Open title by two strokes and finished in a tie for second with David Duval and Ricky Barnes behind surprise winner Lucas Glover. It was Phil’s fifth runner-up finish in this tournament.

Starting the day five shots off the lead, Mickelson briefly dropped back with two bogeys on the front nine but holed a long putt for birdie on the 12th and then made a fantastic eagle on the Par-5 13th to grab a share of the lead. Unfortunately, his dreams for what would’ve been one of the most emotional victories in the history of the game ended after a three-putt bogey on the difficult Par-4 15th and another bogey on the Par-3 17th where he missed the green with his tee shot.

The Mickelson family will now emerge on a short tropical holiday before Amy Mickelson will start her cancer treatment on July 1. At this point in time it is not clear when Phil Mickelson will return to the PGA Tour. Prior to the US Open he said that he will “most likely” miss the year’s next Major, the British Open at Turnberry (July 16 - 19).

A more detailed report on the 109th US Open at Bethpage will follow as soon as possible. Please feel free to already share your reactions to the tournament and to Phil’s play through the comment function.

For the first time since 1983, a US Open will end in regulation on Monday. Play at Bethpage Black had to be suspended several times due to continuous rainfall and the leaders did only manage to finish a single hole in their final round when darkness settled on Sunday evening.

Phil Mickelson stormed into contention with four birdies in the last six holes of his third round. He has played two holes (both of them in PAR) in his final round and lies in third place only five shots behind the leaders Ricky Barnes and Lucas Glover.

Given the inexperience of the leaders in comparable situations, Phil should have a reasonable chance to capture his first US Open title on Monday. Tiger Woods has played seven holes in his fourth round and is -1 for the day and even par for the championship. Play will be continued at 9 am EST, leaving enough time for an 18-hole play-off (if required and weather permitting).

Given the circumstances, the 2009 US Open would be a special tournament for all of us regardless of the venue. The fact that it will be played at Bethpage State Park just outside of New York City only adds to the drama. Our Michael J. Graney has played Bethpage Black twice and looks at the key holes and the chances of Phil Mickelson.

I cannot wait for this week’s US Open and I cannot wait for the players to see some of the changes that have been made to the course since it last hosted the Open in 2002. One of the things that I look forward to is seeing how they handle the different stages the course represents. This US Open venue is truly a test and a monster that has to be tamed.

At the same time it would not surprise me if under certain conditions the course would yield a winning score of 8 under or better. Honestly, I am not sure who the lucky fella will be and how that number will be attained, but it could happen. And please remember: You heard that from me first.

A lot will depend on the length of the rough but if it’s not above 3 ½ inches this course could be in trouble and there for the taking. However, this doesn’t count the links rough that is incredibly tough to get out of - that is once you were lucky and managed to find your ball…
I had the pleasure to play Bethpage Black twice last year and was blown away by the size of the greens and how many bunkers were around the course. I can honestly say that for the first time in my amateur life if was wishing for my ball to go into the bunker instead of the rough. The only other time I experienced something remotely similar to this was when I played Oak Hill CC in Rochester, NY on the day after the PGA Championship. On that occassion the course management kept the course conditions and rough the same length for members and friends to play and my muscles are still sore after hitting out of that rough.

But back to Bethpage Black and the 2009 US Open: The course will play in about 3 different stages: The first four holes are by far the “easiest” if I can use those terms on a US Open course. Then the fun starts - that is if praying to shoot even par over the next 6-7 holes is your understanding of fun.
These holes are very long and the longest stretch of holes to manage on this course. The greens are extremely difficult to land on since they are very small. In addition, please don’t forget the severity of breaks and kidney shape greens that are blind shots to the hole.

What most people don’t see on TV is that there are a lot of downhill tee shots and uphill shots to a green where the player can only see the top of the flagstick but not the putting surface.
After you make your way through the monster of those seven holes you will come up along the Par-5 13th. The hole measures 605 yds. on the scorecard but is certainly within reach for the long hitters. However, you need to hit the fairway to even consider such an option. Compared to 2002 the fairways have been opened up slightly in certain areas with the intention of inviting aggressive players (a.k.a. our boy Phil Mickelson) to take a risk and hit driver.

There are birdies to be made on the finish holes, e.g. on the Par-3 14th that we remember Phil making on Sunday in 2002 a very important start to the final four holes. After that you have bogeys calling your name on the 15th and 16th. I didn’t and couldn’t make a par on those two holes if my children’s lifes were depending on it and I thank God that lives weren’t on the line when I played there. These two holes could prove to be the deciding point in this year’s US Open Championship.

17 is a tough Par-3 with a kidney shape green that plays uphill on top of the 200 yds+ distance. Finally, the 18th hole can be very interesting since it is a potential birdie hole but also has a chance to provide a two-shot swing if someone doesn’t hit a good drive off the tee. Now I’m a little disappointed with the final hole but maybe it’s just my personal experience.

Overall, I think with the weather forecast I’m seeing I do believe this open will be around 4 to 6 under par and I do believe Phil will be in the running going into Sunday. However, with everything going on in his life and with his family concerns (prayers for Amy and the Mickelson family) I’m concerned with his state of his game. He said over the weekend that his short game is not were he wants it to be and after looking at the size of the greens at Bethpage, a solid short game will definitely be necessary for victory.

I hope that Phil pulls off his first US Open after four runner-ups and winning on Father’s day for someone who is such a great family man would be a great story for a great Major.

Phil Mickelson got off to a great start (birdies on the opening two holes of his first round) but later on tumbled down the leaderboard in an emotional return to the PGA Tour. He shot rounds of 68, 70, 68, 75 on the Par 70 layout at TPC Southwind to finish with a final score of 281 (+1) and in a tie for 59th.

Not surprisingly after a four week lay-off and with the media frenzy surrounding his comeback, Mickelson’s scorecard was even more colorful than usual:

Phil led the entire field in driving distance (315.6 yds. on average) but struggled with his iron play and especially short game on a golf course that puts a premium on shotmaking and touch on and around the greens. In a post-tournament interview Mickelson stated that “tee to green it was pretty good, but getting the ball in the hole was a difficult task…”

However, it is obvious that the final score was not the first priority for Phil Mickelson at the 2009 St. Jude Classic: Just to see him back on the fairways and greens of the PGA Tour barely four weeks after his wife Amy was diagnosed with breast cancer was a great joy for countless fans all over the world. It must have been a relief for Phil as well to go back to his life as a professional golfer – if only for a few hours every day during the five days of the St. Jude Classic.

Phil will now spend a couple of days at home with his family before heading to New York on Tuesday. Amy Mickelson will not be accompanying her husband to this year’s US Open at Bethpage. The family is planning to go on a short vacation after the year’s second major and then start Amy’s cancer treatment.

Golf fans all over the world will be excited to hear that Phil Mickelson will return to the PGA Tour for the St. Jude Classic in Memphis (June 11 - 14) and will also tee it up for the US Open at Bethpage Black in Farmingdale, NY one week later. Phil had suspended his PGA Tour schedule two weeks ago when his wife Amy was diagnosed with breast cancer.

It seems that the disease was discovered at an early stage and that no immediate surgery is required. As reported by Golf World earlier this week, Amy Mickelson now plans to undergo surgery in late June or early July. This allows Phil to play the US Open but puts the British Open at Turnberry and all following tournaments in jeopardy.

Mickelson usually plays the week before a major tournament but hasn’t done so prior to the last two US Opens when the St. Jude Classic moved into that spot on the PGA Tour’s schedule. His last start at TPC Southwind was in 2001 when he missed the cut.

Phil has always been a fan favourite in the New York area and was treated like a rock star when the US Open was last held at Bethpage Black and he finished runner-up to Tiger Woods in 2002. However, this year’s showing will definitely be even more emotional.

Following the news about Amy Mickelson’s breast cancer diagnosis, our Michael C. Fricke offers a very personal view about the disease, the Mickelson family and Phil’s reaction to suspend his PGA Tour season indefinitely.

For PGA Tour members the ultimate prize in the sport is to walk away with one of the four major golf championships in hand. This is one yardstick by which a golfer is measured. Phil has already trotted off with three of them, but now faces a bigger and more significant challenge than competing for his fourth: Coping with the ugly reality that life often tosses our way.

His wife Amy was last week diagnosed with breast cancer. And from all corners of the world well-wishes have come pouring in: Darren Clarke, whose wife Heather died from the disease in 2006 has expressed his support. Tiger and family have also expressed their best wishes, with Tiger saying “Elin and I are deeply saddened to hear the news about Amy. Our thoughts and prayers are with her, Phil, the children, and the entire Mickelson family.” Billy Mayfair, who himself overcame testicular cancer, has expressed his support for Amy and offered his assistance in any way possible. Tens of thousands of other fans of the game and from all walks of life have also come forward with their support.

While breast cancer is the second most lethal form of cancer in women (following only lung cancer), its incidence has been on a gradual decline since 2001 and deaths as a result of breast cancer have declined steadily since 1990 (Between 1990-2004, the rate decreased by 2.2% annually. Source: American Cancer Society, 2007-2008 Breast Cancer facts and figures). Early diagnoses and intervention are linked to these declines. My sister, Laury Edwards, is a breast cancer survivor.

Amy has been one of the most visible wives on the PGA Tour. A former Phoenix Suns cheerleader, she has been seen on countless occasions as the first (save Bones) to congratulate Phil on a victory, or console him in defeat. Amy and the Mickelson children have reminded us on more than one occasion of the overwhelming power of family.

Amy met Phil in 1992 and they were married in 1996. Together they have 3 children, Amanda, 9, Sophia, 7, and Evan (6). Amanda’s birth was preceded by one of the most memorable final rounds in US Open history: Phil, carrying a pager in case Amy went into labor, watched the late Payne Stewart bury a 15 foot putt on the 18th at Pinehurst to rack up his second US Open title. Phil had openly stated that should Amy go into labor he would walk off the course immediately to be with his wife, no matter the circumstance. After the victory Payne consoled Phil telling him “Good luck with the baby. There’s nothing like being a father.” The next day Amanda was born.

Now Phil, who has always had his priorities straight, is playing the supporting role to Amy, both literally and figuratively. Without entertaining any doubt he has chosen to man-up and fulfill his role in his and Amy’s marriage. There is little doubt that his family is the one thing he takes more serious than the game of golf.

The remainder of his schedule is up in the air at this time. He missed last week’s Byron Nelson and is not playing in this this week’s Crowne Plaza Invitational, where he would have been the defending champion. His status for this year’s Open is in question at this time. Should he be ready for the Open, he will return to Bethpage Black, the site of his runner up finish to Tiger Woods in 2002.

Even without a victory at the US Open, Phil has managed to leave an indelible imprint in its history. Should he play at Bethpage his overwhelming New York support will be no less fanatical, but will be even more heartfelt. From the heart of each person’s roar of support for Phil, there will be an even bigger echo for Amy.

From the staff at phil-mickelson.com, good luck Amy. May you be blessed as you deal with this obstacle.

As we have just learned, Phil Mickelson’s wife Amy has been diagnosed with breast cancer and will soon begin treatment near the couple’s home in Rancho Santa Fe, California.

Phil has withdrawn from the HP Byron Nelson Championship where he was supposed to play this weekend. His management company, Gaylord Sports Management, announced that he will suspend his playing schedule indefinitely.

We will try to bring you more information on Amy Mickelson’s diagnosis as soon as possible. You can sign-up to our RSS Feed to make sure that you don’t miss new posts on this website. Please feel free to use the comment function to send your wishes to the Mickelson family.

Just when we thought that he had all the pieces of his game together and that from now on everything would be cream and butter, Phil Mickelson made us land hard on a place called reality.

Following five consecutive Top-10 finishes (including two victories at the WGC – CA Championship and the Northern Trust Open), Phil had to birdie his last hole on Friday just to make the cut at the Players Championship. However, the weekend did not bring any improvements as a bad putting week led to rounds of 73, 71, 71 and 76, a final score of +3 and a tie for 55th. Mickelson finished double-bogey, bogey on Sunday after hitting his tee shot into the water on the infamous island green of the 17th hole at TPC Sawgrass.

“I just didn’t score well,” Phil Mickelson said after the tournament. “I didn’t putt well. I don’t know what the reason is right now.”

Phil doesn’t consider the Players Championship part of his run-up to the U.S. Open at Bethpage - a course he likes in a city he loves and where he is considered a golfing-hero by the local fans. But after a week’s rest, the run-up will begin with the HP Byron Nelson Championship and the Crowne Plaza at Colonial, where he will be defending his title. He doesn’t plan to play in Jack’s Memorial Tournament, then play on to the Open.

“From next week on, there’s no break,” Mickelson said.

Forbes magazine recently published a list of the best-earning golfers and their income for the year 2008. It will not come as much of a surprise that despite his long absence from professional golf, Tiger Woods tops the list with earnings of $110 million. This fact illustrates the trend that appearance fees and prize money account for only a relatively small fraction of the income of world-class golfers these days. The bulk of Woods’ 2008 income came from sponsorship deals with companies like Nike, AT&T, Gatorade and Gilette.

Just as in the world golf rankings, Phil Mickelson is number two on the list. However, while Phil was able to take advantage of Tiger’s absence and (almost) closed the gap in the world rankings, his 2008 earnings of $38 million are just a little more than a third of what Tiger made. While Phil Mickelson made a good portion of his income through prize money (he rarely plays outside the US and therefore does not get a lot of appearance fees), he’s also got a neat list of blue-chip endorsements with (among others) KMPG, Barclays, Rolex and Callaway.

Here is the complete list of the ten highest-paid players in professional golf:

	1. Tiger Woods (USA) - $110 million Sources: AT&T, Gilette, Gatorade, Electronic Arts, Accenture, Nike.
	2. Phil Mickelson (USA)- $38 million Sources: KPMG, Callaway, Barclays, ExxonMobil, Rolex.
	3. Vijay Singh (FIJ) - $37 million Sources: Vijay’s 2008 earnings include a $10 million bonus for winning last year’s FedEx Cup, even though the money will be paid out in annuities. Endorsement deals: Stanford Financial, Cleveland Golf, Footjoy.
	4. Greg Norman (AUS) - $24 million Sources: Even though the “Great White Shark” rarely picks up a club for a competitive round of golf these days, his income from various business activities (including but not limited to golf course design, real estate and clothing) is anything but negligible.
	5. Sergio Garcia (ESP) - $24 million Sources: “El Nino” had one of the best seasons of his career in 2008, e.g. with a play-off victory at the Players Championship, but is still missing that elusive first major title. Garcia has sponsorship agreements with Adidas, Omega and Michelob.
	6. Ernie Els (SAF) - $23 million Sources: The “Big Easy” hasn’t had much success on the greens during the last years but as a truly global golfer he picks up appearance fees all over the world (especially in Asia). Together with endorsements (e.g. Callaway, SAP, Omega) and several business activities (golf course design, wine, tourism) it is still enough for 6th place on this list.
	7. Padraig Harrington (IRE) - $16 million Sources: Arguably the most successful golfer of the past season, Harrington has to settle for 7th place. The major share of his earnings stems from – attention - playing golf. It certainly doesn’t hurt to win a couple of majors in one season.
	8. Jim Furyk (USA) - $15 million Sources: The 2003 US Open champion is coming off a sub-par season (given his high standards) but still has strong endorsement deals with the likes of Electronic Arts, Exelon and Marquis Jet.
	9. Camilo Villegas (COL) - $13 million Sources: Villegas is known for his flashy clothes, long hitting and Spiderman-like crouch reading putts. He appeals strongly to younger people (women in particular) and the Hispanic population, thereby making him very attractive for the advertising industry (e.g. Café de Colombia, Cobra, Footjoy, J. Lindeberg).
	10. Retief Goosen (SAF) - $9 million Sources: A relatively meagre $9 million is enough for 10th and last place on this list. Goosen – who has recently returned into the winner’s circle on the PGA Tour after several winless years – has endorsement deals with CA, Taylor Made, Grey Goose and Electronic Arts.

While the earnings of top athletes have always been astronomical, the justice debate is more current than ever. The main targets of public anger have been managers and bankers, but professional golfers are making just as much or even more money.

How come that no one is asking for a “salary cap” on the PGA Tour? Don’t you feel that the prize money for PGA tournaments and the appearance fees paid to the best players are too high and should be adjusted? I am looking forward to a hopefully lively debate through the comment function.