AUGUSTA, Ga. – Phil Mickelson waited at the bottom of the ninth fairway for the green to clear when he looked over to his left and broke into a big smile. He touched two fingers to his eyes, then pointed them toward a blonde woman in a royal blue dress.
Amy Mickelson laughed and waved back.
"I can't believe how much I've missed this place," she said Friday.
Her time at the Masters last year was short, yet sweeter than ever. On a golf course for the first time since being diagnosed with breast cancer 11 months earlier, she came out to the 18th green to watch her husband make one last birdie to win a third green jacket.
Their embrace outside the scoring hut provided one of the most compelling images of the Masters.
This year has been just as enjoyable, even as Mickelson squandered several good birdie chances and had to settle for a 72, leaving him well behind in his pursuit of another win.
She feels good enough, strong enough, to be back amid the beauty of Augusta National. She walked 18 holes while being constantly interrupted by fans who welcomed her back, wished her the best or just wanted to say they were thinking of her.
"We love this place," she said. "This place has been a part of some of the most special days of our lives. And it feels normal to be back, which is even better. I'm trying not focus on how I feel because I still have some ups and downs. But when I look back to year ago and see how far I've come, it's just tremendous."
