From Yahoo! via the AP:

Phil Mickelson will return to the PGA Tour at the Bridgestone Invitational next week, his first tournament since he tied for second at the U.S. Open.

Mickelson has been away for nearly two months because his wife, Amy, has breast cancer. She had surgery July 1. At about that time, Mickelson learned his mother has breast cancer and is being treated.

Mickelson’s decision was announced Tuesday by tournament organizers and suggests he also will play the following week in the PGA Championship at Hazeltine. Bridgestone is the third of the four World Golf Championship events of 2009.

The article goes on to say that Tiger Woods is expected to commit to the Bridgestone later this week.

I have to say, I’m pleasantly surprised by the Mickelson news. If for nothing else but precautionary reasons, I did not think we would see Phil for the remainder of the season. Hopefully this means that his wife and mother are doing well in their battles with cancer. Having had first hand experience with relatives battling this disease, I understand the extreme mental and physical tole it can take on everyone involved.

The Phil story doesn’t end with sentimental value either. The last time we saw Mickelson, he was in heavy contention for a major championship at Bethpage Black. So on top of seeing Phil play at all,its perfectly feasible to expect him to play well. Maybe it won’t come at the Bridgestone, but don’t be surprised to see him in serious contention at the PGA. Remember, his almost-perfect showing at the U.S Open came after a very average weekend at the St Judes….

…The other interesting nugget from today involves Tiger. He was a bit of a surprise entry in this weeks Buick Open field. If he indeed commits to the Bridgestone, he will be playing three consecutive weeks. It would also be the first time this season that Tiger will be playing the weekend before a major championship. I’d imagine that this stems from the fact that Tiger has been a non-factor by 3pm on any of the last three major Sundays. In the case of the missed cut at the British, he was not only a non-factor, but a non-player as well. He’s looking to turn his luck around by not taking that “prep-week” before a major.

This says to me that Tiger isn’t taking the missed cut at the British lightly. Nor should he. Because of the magic carpet ride that Tom Watson took us on, Tiger’s British disaster was swept under the rug. But it was no less troubling.

Prior to the British, I wrote a number of pieces defending Tiger Woods’ performances in Majors. No matter how hard you look, their was no defense for the way Tiger played at Turnberry. He was dreadful. He looked so frustrated that I believe his mechanics suffered as such. It’s hard to criticize the mechanics of the worlds greatest, but their is no ignoring the stark difference between his first 31 holes and his last five. For the first time in ages, it looked like something might have been legitimately wrong with Tiger Woods. That had to concern Tiger. I just don’t buy the theory that his performance can be ignored because of who he is. It was a major disappointment…pardon the pun.

Maybe he saw the mechanical flaw. Maybe that’s why he plans on turning the PGA preparation dial to 11 and gunning it. He did consult the guidance of his swing coach, Hank Haney, last week.

Any other player, you might be worried about this kind of all-out approach. Not Tiger. He’s used to playing with this kind of frequency. Until his leg injury sidelined his last year, Tiger had played three weeks in a row in every season of his career. In his 2007 triple stretch, he came out a winner twice and finished second once.

He’s obviously angry about the British. He’ll begin his revenge mission at 12:54 on Thursday.

And if there’s one thing to be weary of, its an angry Tiger.

It should be a fantastic three weeks of golf…..