Every reference to the surgery ahead and the decisions to be made carried the word "we." Mickelson clearly doesn't see himself as a bystander in this.
The news conference wandered through the normal questions about whether playing golf this week would be a sanctuary or a distraction. And it took little side streets, with Mickelson thanking reporters who had written about his wife's situation and saying he had called some of them personally, as well as his acknowledging that he loves New York fans so much he has boned up on the Knicks and Nets and Rangers and Jets and Giants in preparation for his week here.
Nobody calls writers to thank them. Mickelson did.
Nobody acknowledges prepping for the satisfaction of the fans. Mickelson did.
Many will see this as calculated and phony. Some of us who once did don't anymore.
If Mickelson suffers from anything in the world of athletic image building, it is that the guy who plays Hertz to his Avis in golf is Tiger. They are so diametrically opposed in styles that fans seem inclined to pull for one to the exclusion of the other.
Woods marches courses with steely resolve and bulletproof focus. Mickelson galumphs along, grinning and chatting. Tiger is the PGA Tour's Rock of Gibraltar. Mickelson is more like the tour's Charles Barkley, golf's Round Mound.
Somehow, these things always seem to translate into public perception of an unfriendly Tiger-Phil rivalry. The public doesn't see the private side:
Tiger and Phil as archrivals and frequent competitors in table tennis, where the laughs and banter are nonstop.
Tiger and Phil playfully exchanging verbal jousts at breakfast the morning they were paired for this year's final round of the Masters.
It is likely that 90 percent of the fan interest this week will center on Tiger or Phil. Nothing wrong with the "or" in that sentence being an "and."
You can root for the guy who will stare down the fairways with a laser beam. Or for the guy who might just stop and chat with your Uncle Tony along the 11th fairway.
Or root for both. It is allowed.
109th U.S. Open
When: Today-Sunday
Where: Bethpage State Park (Black Course), Farmingdale, N.Y.
Field: 156 players (142 professionals, 14 amateurs)
Purse: TBA ($7.5 million in 2008)
Winner's share: TBA ($1.35 million in 2008)
Defending champion: Tiger Woods
Noteworthy: This is the 18th time the U.S. Open has been held in New York, more than any other state.
Television (all times EDT): Today and Friday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. ESPN; 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., chs. 11, 4; 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., ESPN; Saturday, 2 p.m. to 8 p.m., chs. 11, 4; Sunday, 1:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., chs. 11, 4; Monday playoff (if necessary), noon to 2 p.m., ESPN; 2 p.m. to conclusion, chs. 11, 4
U.S. OPEN
Today-Sunday
Bethpage State Park (Black Course), Farmingdale, N.Y.
Today's TV: 10 a.m.-3 p.m., ESPN; 3 p.m.-5 p.m., chs. 11, 4; 5 p.m.-7 p.m., ESPN
