Mickelson's return to Colonial colored by emotion, support
It's a line used as the name for a 1980s hit movie, lifted from the heavily played pop tune of the same name and era, penned by the Psychedelic Furs.
For Phil Mickelson, a child of the '80s himself, the gender in the song's chorus is all wrong -- sort of like the color. Hum along with us for a moment.
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| Support for the Mickelsons dominated Round 3 at Colonial last spring. (Getty Images) |
Back to semi-defend his 2008 title at the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial after missing last year while tending to his ailing wife, Mickelson was both flattened and flattered to learn that for the second straight year, the tournament will stage a Pink Out on Saturday to raise awareness for breast cancer, the affliction contracted a year ago by Mickelson's wife and mother.
The funny part, and there is ample room for doses of humor given the generally dreadful topic, is that if Mickelson makes the cut, he'll don the hue himself, which he joked was a bigger emotional hurdle than the medical reminder the color serves to represent.
"Mentally the challenge for me is wearing pink," Lefty said Wednesday before his pro-am in Fort Worth, "because I know I don't look good wearing pink."
I can almost hear him cracking, "Hey, does this color make my butt look big?"
Guess he never heard that everything's bigger in Texas, including some folks' hearts. Rest assured, of all the magnanimous gestures made relating to the Mickelson family's dual cancer fight, the 2009 Pink Out was atop the family's list. Cobbled together in approximately five days as a show of support for Mickelson, a Colonial winner who could not be on hand to offer a title defense, it promises to be dwarfed by this week's offerings.
Take a bow, the hundreds of you who will wear pink bows in the DFW area. The utterly impromptu '09 event will seem like a happy accident by the time Saturday night rolls around.
"You know, last week Amy and I commiserated over our one-year anniversary and this event really helped us get through some tough times," Mickelson said. "It meant a lot to us and gave us a huge emotional boost at a very difficult time for us. We will always remember that and be appreciative of that."
Mickelson has won the Colonial title twice, but last year's fight in absentia might ultimately result in his biggest victory of all. On Saturday, every player, caddie, PGA Tour official, tournament employee, marshal and fan is being asked to don something pink.
On the Texas plains, something resembling a sea of Energizer bunnies will replace the ubiquitous jackrabbit. Donations to the breast cancer fight will be made by the hotel sponsor for every birdie and eagle, and two downtown office buildings will be lit with pink lights on Friday night. For the week, 50,000 pink fans will be supplied to attendees to both stifle the Texas heat and help spread the word.
The wise whys and wherefores are downright alarming. According to data, every three minutes a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer in the United States -- or approximately 210 over the course of tournament play on Saturday. At the completion of the third round, exactly 210 helium-filled pink balloons will be symbolically released behind the 18th green at Colonial. Bubbles and baubles aside, it should all help raise the collective consciousness.
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The jaw-dropping numerical tally cited above doesn't count women outside the States, where rates also are rising. If you're over the age of 20, you probably know somebody who has been afflicted by the malady, like last week's winner, Australian Jason Day. His mom had the disease and didn't tell him for months because she didn't want him to worry.
"I think it means a lot, just to make people aware of breast cancer," Day said of Saturday's event. "Just to make sure that they get checked up regularly.
"But for Phil, obviously, he has the pink ribbon on his hat, and he shows that. The support that people show towards and feel for his wife Amy was just fantastic. I think everyone was praying that she was going to get through this and his mom as well."
So far, Mickelson says the long-term prognosis is good for both. The doctors caught the disease early enough, though Amy has been effectively floored by treatments and has attended exactly one tournament in the past year since she was diagnosed -- Phil's emotion-sapping win in April at the Masters.
The Mickelsons learned that her tests were positive for cancer shortly before he was set to defend his Colonial title last year. Ryder Cup teammate Steve Stricker won the title in Mickelson's absence and is anticipating some tear-inducing responses from the gallery this week.
Stricker, a popular guy, isn't talking about his personal return from a painful clavicle injury after six weeks off, either.
"I think he will have a great reception here," Stricker said of Mickelson. "I think he will be very excited to be here. He is almost the defending champion as well this week.
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| Analyst David Feherty went head-to-toe pink to show where his heart was. (Getty Images) |
For the Mickelsons, and maybe a few others, the Pink Out last year felt like a group hug.
"That was at a time that we were at an emotional low, and to feel that type of support meant a lot," Mickelson said. "I know that every year a couple of hundred thousand women are diagnosed with this disease and I think a lot of them felt some emotional support as well."
Maybe the sentimental wave this week will at last propel Mickelson to the apex of his career. As was the case two weeks ago at the Players Championship, Mickelson can climb to world No. 1 with a victory, a position he has never enjoyed despite being the second-winningest active player on tour.
"I think it's one of those things you will look back on in your career if you've accomplished it, whether it's one week, a year or whatever the time frame is, it would be something very special," he said. "But to accomplish that, I can't focus on that. That's a result. I still need to go out and play like the No. 1 player in the world, so I've got some work to do."
Grab a shovel and rake, bro, because the road is cleared. Tiger Woods, the man who, with only a few short-lived exceptions, has ruled the rankings roost since he turned pro, isn't entered.
"I would say 13 of those years were in Tiger years," Mickelson lamented of his quest to be No. 1. "It hasn't been the easiest."
Nor will his wardrobe selection on Saturday. Guys like rookie Rickie Fowler might look tolerable in fuchsia, magenta or salmon, but Mickelson, who turns 40 on June 16, usually gravitates toward darker hues. Hibiscus-tinted trousers are not exactly his thing.
But he can always make exceptions for worthy reasons. For instance, like on Sunday, when the winner at Colonial dons a particularly colorful champion's sport coat.
As a new world No. 1, Mickelson wouldn't look half bad in plaid, would he?
