We All Love Amy Mickelson

It’s as simple as that—we all love Amy Mickelson.

And we were all saddened by the news that came on last Wednesday that she has been diagnosed with breast cancer and will likely undergo major surgery in the next two weeks.

So why are we all saddened to a certain degree?

Just about all of us fans don't personally know her.

Well maybe some of you do but I don’t.

I remember when I was working in Chicago back in 2000. Some of my golfing pals and co-workers were planning a trip down to Washington D.C. to see the President’s Cup at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Prince William County, Virginia.

They wanted to see one thing or rather one person only.

And guess who that was?

Amy Mickelson.

I thought it rather strange almost to the point of an obsession or a fetish. Not the erotic type but the unquestioning reverence, respect, or devotion type of fetish.

What was stranger was that they came back with a million pictures and countless stories of walking the golf course with Amy Mickelson. It was like they ran into an old friend and hung out together for a few days catching up.

I thought that was cool and became an instant fan too.

Maybe we love her because she is a regular person like most of us and is more beautiful on the inside then the outside. More beautiful in presence, action and behavior than as a simple pin up photograph or poster as a Phoenix Suns cheerleader or Arm Chair GM’s pick for the 25 Hottest Sports Wives.

Maybe we love her because she is a mother to her and Phil’s three adorable children—almost 10-year-old Amanda, 8-year-old Sophia, and 6-year-old Evan.

For those of us who have lost their mother and those of us who have thought of those three children without Amy huddling around them and loving them here on earth brings instant and complete pain to our hearts.

We know life isn’t fair or guaranteed. We have to live each day to its fullest never knowing if it will be our last. But on average we are trained to expect a fairly long and healthy life. We hope that Amy gets at least the average lifespan of us all. No, we hope she gets the maximum sentence of life here on earth.  

Mothers that we all recently celebrated on Mother’s Day are pure goodness and love. They give us what no one else can.  Something that not even the strongest and most powerful man on earth can—the gift of life through their bodies. Forever they are our mothers.

Maybe we love her because she is married to Phil and in so, she brings him closer to us in our amateurish real world. After all, if we marry and have kids we can play golf like him and win Major Championships.

Whatever the reason or reasons, we do love her and wish her and her family the best as they go through these difficult times.

All 156 golfers playing in the HP Byron Nelson Championship this past week wore pink ribbons in support of Amy. The champion Rory Sabbatini even wore a pink shirt on Sunday as a tribute to her.

John Daly wore pink pants playing in the BMW PGA Championship in England out of respect for Amy.

When Phil won his first Major at The Masters in 2004 he literally leapt for joy right there on the 18th green at Augusta National after making his birdie putt.

I know millions of people will feel joy in their hearts stronger than the sadness felt today when we hear our prayers have been answered and Amy is going to be okay.

God Bless you Amy Mickelson.

Andy Reistetter is a freelance golf writer. He follows the PGA TOUR volunteering for the tournaments and working part time for NBC Sports, CBS Sports, and The Golf Channel. He resides in Jacksonville Beach, Florida near the PGA TOUR headquarters and home of The PLAYERS Championship at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach. He enjoys pursuing his passion for the game of golf and everything associated with it. He can be reached through his website www.MrHickoryGolf.net or by e-mailing him to [e-mail]