Phil, again. Naturally.

Phil Mickleson won the Masters yesterday.  If you don't know golfer Phil from Dr. Phil, you can skip this post.  In this context, if you think the Masters is just another degree you can get for studying for another year or two, you can pass this by, too.

Some thoughts as I watched Mr. Mickleson dissect Augusta National on his way to a third green jacket.

• Jim Nance and Nick Faldo spoke often about what Phil and his wife had been through this past year.  They spoke about Amy Mickleson's fight against breast cancer.  And Phil's mom's, too.  Nance and Faldo also spoke of Tiger Woods' struggles these past few months but spoke of it in shadowy language.  And no mention of Tiger's wife.
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• Phil didn't play perfect golf.  No golfer ever does.  At the same time, when Phil's shots erred, he focused upon his next shot.  No outbursts.  No religious invectives contrary to his religious persuasion.  Just kept his cool and carried out his business.  Tiger, on the other  hand, had a CBS boom mic trained upon him throughout the tournament.  With his many Christian references, he didn't sound like a Buddhist.
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• Phil looks nothing like an athletic champion.  He carries thirty to forty more pounds than he probably should.  His portly shape looks more like the folks behind the ropes than the folks walking the fairways.  We look at him and think, "He's just like me."  He doesn't seem terribly coordinated, kind of an "aw, shucks" amble down the fairway.  No, he doesn't have the look, but he does have three green jackets.
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• He proved his cast-iron fortitude when out of the pine straw on the thirteenth hole he dropped a six-iron a half-dozen feet from the hole.  Could have laid up, but he wasn't playing it safe.  He wanted to win.  He missed his eagle putt but made birdie.  Had he laid up, chipped on, and made the birdie putt, it wouldn't have been nearly so intimidating as the shot from out of the woods.
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• Did you ever notice that Phil smiles on the golf course?  He smiles like he really enjoys what he's doing.  He smiles in appreciation for those fans who support him and cheer him on each week.  His smile reveals the hint of embarassment at the recognition he receives.
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• Did you notice that Phil talks?  No, not just with his caddy.  In the heat of the final round, I noticed him chatting with playing partner, Lee Westwood, who struggled mightily during the round.  S-p-o-r-t-s-m-a-n-s-h-i-p.  Pronounced, "Mickleson." 
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• When he won, he hugged his caddie in a manner deeper than an I-won-the-tournament hug.  He seemed deeply appreciative for what his caddie meant to him and had done for him.
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• After hugging his caddy, he found Amy.  She had not been with him on the course since diagnosed with cancer eleven months earlier.  He held her and wept.  And then he held her some more.  No regrets.  Best friends.  Lovers.  Side-by-side through the dark days and through this very bright, very green, very clear-blue-sky kind of day.

After the tournament, Peter Costas had the unfortunate task of interviewing Mr. Woods.  Despite finishing tied for fourth, a position to be envied by 44 of the 48 other golfers on Sunday and an extraordinary showing for your first competitive tournament in four months, Mr. Woods pettied and groused about not having his game.  He didn't apologize for his religious invectives, rather he said, "You can't expect me to be humming a tune after shots like that."  Ah.  Got it.

Costas then interviewed Lee Westwood, the British golfer who has finished in the top three of the last three major tournaments and who was paired with and lost to Mickleson Sunday.  "Disappointed?" queried Costas.  "There is always a bit of disappointment," the gracious Westwood answered, "but that will pass.  Phil (Mickleson) encouraged me in the scoring tent saying that he couldn't break into the winner's circle for years, always the also-ran.  He told me to just persevere and the wins would come."

That's Phil.  Encouraging his fellow golfers and helping them handle the difficulties they face with grace and character.

Nice to see a guy like Phil, a man already a winner, succeed from tee to green once again.  While Phil might not have the raw talent or honed talent of Mr. Woods, while he doesn't have the overwhelming endorsements of Mr. Woods, he has learned life's lessons well, and he is an outstanding champion. 

Meanwhile, Tiger heads to the practice tee to ponder what's wrong with his game.  And with his life.