First child takes away Mickelson's Open sting

Phil Mickelson had never been so close to winning a U.S. Open, or walking away from one.

A short birdie putt on the 18th hole brought him to within stroke of the lead after three rounds on Pinehurst No. 2. Still silent was the pager that linked him to an expectant wife in Arizona and a promise to leave -- no matter what -- if she went into labor.

He was starting to believe it would never beep.

Daily reports from the doctor in Phoenix indicated the birth was still 10 days away. As each day passed, Mickelson began to lock in on his first major championship.

"I feel like I'm just a smidge away,'' he said Saturday evening after his round.

Seven hours later, Amy Mickelson felt her first contraction.

"I was totally in tears," she told The Associated Press. "The worst thing that could happen was I have the baby Saturday night and he's leading the U.S. Open."

After all, they had a deal.

Mickelson wanted to be there, not just for the birth of their child, but for the entire process. Even if that meant leaving the U.S. Open with a chance to win. Even if that meant not going at all.

A 13-time winner in only seven full seasons on the PGA Tour, Mickelson has never won a major championship. He had never missed one for which he has been eligible, except for the time he broke his leg skiing in 1994 and sat out The Masters.

Still, he didn't depart for Pinehurst until two days before the Open, and only then after an assurance that an early delivery was unlikely. If anything changed, she would punch in a secret code for his pager, and he would come home immediately.

"He made me swear left and right, up and down, that I would beep him," Amy said.

She never did. Ultimately, she didn't have to.

Payne Stewart won the U.S. Open over Mickelson, making a 15-foot par putt on the last hole to win by one stroke. One day later, unaware of the early contractions, Mickelson was holding a prize far more precious -- Amanda Brynn.

"I can't describe how special that feeling is when you see your own child come out of the woman you love," Mickelson said. "It was amazing. I can't believe that people would want to miss that. There are few experiences in life that you always cherish, and those events are what you live for."

In a way, Mickelson became an icon for his indomitable desire to give up pursuit of his first major championship to experience the birth of his first child.

Only later did he realize the sacrifice his wife was willing to make for him.

The loophole in their deal was Tribulatin, a drug that slows the labor process. Amy went to the hospital that Saturday night begging for it.

"Just give me 24 hours," she told her doctor. "I was telling my brother to tape my knees together. Just don't let her come for one more day."

After about three hours, contractions that had been only 4 minutes apart became irregular and eventually ceased. Mickelson woke up Sunday morning for the final round unaware of what had transpired in Arizona.

Amy wasn't about to tell him.

"He had enough to think about," she said. "He called me before the round and I started to cry. He said, 'Why are you crying?' I said, 'I just love you so much.' I didn't want to tell him.''

She watched the final round on the sofa, using pillows to prop up her pelvis and prevent the baby from dropping any farther.

Mickelson played brilliantly. One birdie and no bogeys gave him the lead with only three holes to play. But he missed an 8-foot par putt on the 16th to fall into a tie, and Stewart regained the lead with a 3-foot birdie on the par-3 17th.

But Stewart hit into the rough on the final hole and had to play short of the green. After Mickelson missed a 25-foot birdie putt, Stewart had 15 feet left for par -- make it and win the Open, miss it and go to an 18-hole playoff Monday.

How did Amy handle such a pressure-packed moment?

"I was watching my stomach," she said.

Stewart made the putt, becoming the first player in the 105-year history of the U.S. Open to win with a final stroke of such length.

Mickelson was on his way home.

"It was a difficult night,'' he said. "That tournament meant a lot to me. I kept thinking about the last few holes, and I had a difficult time relaxing. At that point, I didn't think the baby would come until June 30. I didn't get to sleep until 7:30 in the morning.''

He didn't sleep long.

Amy's water broke about 9 a.m., when Mickelson and Stewart would have been shaking hands on the first hole had there been a playoff. Mickelson had a private plane and a copilot ready to take him home if the pager went off. The trip from Pinehurst No. 2 to the hospital would take five hours.

"I didn't labor for five hours," Amy said. "It's ironic how everything worked out.''

They rushed to the doctor, then to the hospital. Suddenly, Mickelson stopped thinking about the putts that slid by the hole or the domed greens by Donald Ross that he had navigated so well until the end.

The feeling of a bump-and-run from 30 yards away to save par on No. 9 was not nearly as exhilarating as cutting the umbilical cord of his firstborn.

Amy cried just at the mention of seeing her husband hold their daughter.

"He's been great," she said. "We just sat in our hospital room for a couple of days and didn't answer the phone, having really great family time, just the three of us."

The Mickelson house doesn't include the championship cup from the U.S. Open, but it does have a baby to finally occupy the room Amy has been decorating for the past seven months -- the dark-stained wood furniture, the handmade crib and a dozen angels painted on the ceiling.

"Even though I'm disappointed about the Open, the excitement and memory I have of seeing my child born, and taking care of her, will far surpass any letdown I felt,'' Mickelson said. "I've thought about the final round a couple of times, but not nearly as much as I thought I would.''

AP