I don't know who actually wrote this piece. It was obviously written last
Sunday, and I certainly hope it was published in the editorial columns of at
least one or more newspapers. It says what a lot of us were thinking and
feeling as The Masters came to a close. Feel free to share it with others.


Phil Mickelson

For the past few days, while I tried to enjoy one of the greatest golf
tournaments in the world, all I was entertained with was the Tiger Woods
show. As soon as one golfer would hit a tee shot or make a putt, it seemed
that the next view would be that of Tiger Woods. Tiger Woods just missing
a putt that would have put him in contention with the other golfers. Tiger
Woods hooking his drive which showed how his time off had hurt his game.
Tiger Woods trying to "respect" the game. How it seemed that the Tiger was
able to put his past transgressions behind him and was able to concentrate
on the job at hand. It just kept going on and on about Tiger this and Tiger
that.

On the other hand, a little miracle was occurring at the Masters; one golfer
just kept smiling. He smiled if he made a good drive, or if he made a bad
drive. He smiled if he made a 50 foot putt or missed a 5 foot putt. As he
walked between holes, he smiled and shook hands with the crowd. He never
cursed a bad stoke or blamed another person for a miss. All he did was
smile.

Why would Phil Mickelson be smiling? Here was a man whose wife has breast
cancer. Here was a man whose mother has breast cancer. Here is a man who
rather than allow his wife and mother to fight this battle by themselves,
took time off from the PGA tour to be with them. Here was a man that
returned to the game he loved when his wife ordered him to. Here was man,
who was so glad for the miracle that was happening as his wife moved closer
to a cure, that he rewarded her oncologist by allowing him to be his guest
caddy at last week's golf tournament. This move, which could have cost
Mickelson thousands of dollars in purse money, was his gift to a man he knew
he could never thank enough for what he had given to him.

During the last round today, Phil's wife was staying in their hotel room
since she was still weak from the chemo treatments she is receiving. Phil
did not know as he walked up to the 18th tee that his wife would be there.
All Phil did was smile. He smiled to the crowds, he smiled to the TV
audience, he smiled to God. After his last putt found the bottom of the
hole, he hugged his caddy and others and walked to the scorer's shack. He
then gave the biggest smile of the whole four days. He saw his wife, and
even in the midst of thousands of people, it seemed that only two were
there.

Tomorrow I am going to smile. I am going to smile if it is nice weather or
bad. I am going to smile at the driver who honks his horn at me, or the
driver who cuts me off. I am going to smile if I get the order or not. And
when the day is done, I am going to save my biggest smile for the person who
makes me complete. Then I am going to look to the heavens and give thanks
for being able to smile.

Thanks Phil! God bless you and your family. And keep on smiling!