You have to love Phil Mickelson, you really do.

Even before he won his first major and when he was being called the best golfer never to win a major, I was a Phil Mickelson fan.

I liked the way he carried himself on the course, and in post round interviews. He has always come across to me as a devoted father and husband. I never remember a time when Mick lost his cool on the golf course.  He has always been the picture of class, at least when the cameras were on.

What impressed me most about Mickelson was the fact that he plays the game left-handed (also called wrong-handed). Despite the fact that by nature, he is right-handed, the story is told that as a youngster, Mickelson would go out on the driving range, stand across from him father and mirror his golf swing, turning him into a left-handed golfer.

He has a beautiful wife, three precious children and I don’t remember ever hearing of him being involved in a late night car crash or of  his wife Amy running after him with a nine-iron.

Everyone also knows that when it comes to being “friends” Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods would not necessarily fit into that category. So how fitting was it that, while the whole world had their eyes on Tiger and his return to the links after his numerous indiscretions, Phil charged to the top to grab his third green jacket?

Mickelson won his first major back in 2004 with a win at Augusta National. The following year, he earned the U.S. PGA Championship title, then in 2006, it was green jacket number two.

Despite the fact that Phil and Tiger don’t jive, or that most of the big names on tour have spent the past three months answering more questions about Tiger than about their own golf games, or that he himself has had a rather slow start to the 2010 tour, Phil Mickelson was at the top of his game and could not have cared less what happened to Tiger.

Phil, that makes two of us.

To me, when all was said and done, there was not a better story line for the 2010 Master’s than the one involving Phil Mickelson.

You see, it was almost a year ago that his wife Amy was diagnosed with breast cancer. In mid summer, there was more bad news for his family as his mother Mary was also diagnosed with the terrible disease.

One can only imagine the emotions that were going through his mind as he stepped to the 18th green on Sunday afternoon, only to have his family there by his side, watching and waiting to celebrate.

What a touching moment as Phil and Amy embraced and cried together.

How fitting!

As for Tiger, I didn’t really care where he finished, was not impressed by his post tournament interview, and really think the hype of his return was over-played.

What would have been funny, however, IF Tiger had won would have been to see which girl in the crowd he would have chosen to embrace.

Not THAT would have been entertaining!

-Hit ‘em straight

Dale Jones is a staff writer for The Islander. Reach him at djones@gulfcoastnewspapers.com