Just a few weeks ago, Phil Mickelson’s mind was far from golf than humanly possible. A devout husband and family man, he chose to be at his wife’s side during her heroic battle with breast cancer. He chose to attend the appointments for her chemotherapy over walking 36 holes. He chose to be at her bedside over competing against Tiger Woods at The Memorial last weekend. Mickelson only chose golf when he received the o.k. from his better half.

“I’ve never been this emotional.” He said to reporters at Bethpage Black, the site of the 2009 U.S. Open. He arrived along with 155 other competitors to play in the world’s most difficult golf tournament.

Most of the PGA (Professional Golf Association) field admired Mickelson for his balanced professional and personal life. A few years back, he shook off the albatross of being “the best golfer never to have won a major” after capturing the Masters at Augusta, Georgia. Since then, he achieved two more major victories and maintained that balance. His decision to return home earned him even more respect from his peers and immeasurable admiration from golf fans.

He just became America’s sentimental favorite to win this weekend.