Phil Mickelson plans to return to the PGA Tour for next week’s St. Jude Classic and compete in the US Open that follows, the player’s manager said on Monday.
The US world No. 2 shut down his 2009 campaign indefinitely last month after his wife Amy was diagnosed with breast cancer.
However, his wife’s breast cancer surgery has been scheduled for the end of this month, allowing Mickelson to compete at the June 18-June 21 US Open, his manager T.R. Reinman said.
“Phil will be playing in the St. Jude Classic next week and then in the US Open the week after that,” Reinman said.
Last week, Mickelson expressed optimism about his wife’s breast cancer, saying that doctors believed they had diagnosed the condition early.
“We have a wonderful team of doctors helping us and it is believed that we caught this early,” he said on his official Web site.
“We are anxiously waiting for a number of test results that will help guide us in the best possible direction,” he said.
A three-time major champion, Mickelson had been due to compete at the May 21-May 24 Byron Nelson Championship in Dallas before defending his title at last week’s Colonial Invitational in Fort Worth.
He will now have one warm-up event at the St. Jude before competing in the US Open at Bethpage, New York, where he can expect an emotional welcome at a venue where he received huge support when the tournament was previously held there on 2002.
Roared on by huge galleries for all four rounds on Bethpage’s Black Course, the left-hander finished second, three strokes behind compatriot Tiger Woods.
He has never finished worse than fourth in his four U.S. Opens held in New York.
Phil and Amy Mickelson married in 1996 and have three children aged nine, seven, and six.
His wife’s treatment and recovery will dictate whether Mickelson plays in the British Open, or how much he plays at all the rest of the summer.
On Saturday at Colonial, the PGA Tour Wives Association worked with the tour and title sponsor Crowne Plaza to promote “Pink Out,” in which players, wives, officials and fans were encouraged to wear pink in support of Amy Mickelson.
Ian Poulter was dressed in pink from head-to-toe, and most players wore some form of pink. Even the CBS Sports crew wore the color in support.
“We have been home watching the golf at Colonial surrounded by loved ones,” Amy wrote on Saturday on her husband’s Web site.
“Every time we see a player, caddy, announcer or fan wearing pink, we are overwhelmed by the love and support we feel. ... The 11 days since we received the diagnosis have been very difficult, but this incredible gesture helps us feel so much stronger,” she wrote.
Mickelson typically plays the week before a major to work into a competitive mode, but he has not done that in the last two years when Memphis moved into that spot on the schedule.
The last time he has played the St. Jude Championship was in 2001, when he missed the cut.
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