Tiger Woods Addresses Amy Mickelson’s Health

The World’s No. 1 golfer Tiger Woods showed his softer side commenting on the Phil Mickelson said he dont know how he will cope at this week’s U.S. Open, with the constant reminders of his wife’s serious illness.

Woods and Mickelson return to Bethpage Black in New York for the second major of the year, seven years after they dueled at the same course for the 2002 U.S. Open title.

Woods emerged a three-stroke victor on that occasion, but it was runner-up Mickelson who had the majority of the New York crowd on his side as he was in hunt of that elusive first major title.

World No. 2 Mickelson will again be the center of attention on Long Island as he returns to major play for the first time since his wife, Amy, was diagnosed with breast cancer last month.

Though Woods has experience of having to deal with personal grief in a very public setting following the death of his father, Earl, in 2006, the defending champion acknowledged that their circumstances were very different.

“Is it easy? No, it’s not easy,” Woods said. “When my dad was sick, that’s kind of the natural progression anyway. Your parents are supposed to pass away before you. And God forbid how they get sick or how it ends.

“But to have a spouse, you’re supposed to go together. I couldn’t imagine dealing with what he has to deal with on a daily basis,” he added. “And hats off to how he’s handled it because certainly it’s so hard to do.

“Everywhere you go people are reminding you of it, and you can’t get away from it. And you think that the golf course would be your escape, but it’s not,” he explained. “You’re surrounded by people wishing you well the entire time and hoping everything works out. But then again, they keep reminding you of the same circumstance you’re dealing with on a daily basis, and you just can’t get away from it.

“It’s hard, and I don’t know how they’re doing it. But certainly it’s difficult.”

Woods and Mickelson are perceived as not being friends but Woods revealed that he and wife Elin had shared many personal moments with his rival and Amy.

“She’s a sweetheart. She’s been just so nice and so generous to everyone she meets,” Woods said of Amy Mickelson. “And all the years that we’ve played doubles and table tennis, Elin and myself and Phil and Amy, those are priceless times.

Tiger and Phil will not be paired for the US Open this year, as the UGSA moved to take Phil out of that pressure and spotlight that a pairing with Tiger brings. I am extremely happy for that fact, so it gives Phil a few quiet moments out there on the Links.

New York is like his second home because of the golf fans, and I hope they will be there this week as Phil makes a push for it.