One shot, one tear-jerking scene defined Phil in 2010

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It was the perfect antidote to grooves, grumping and, of course, the 24/7 news cycle swirling around Tiger Woods.

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No more strain and drain. Instead, a Camelot moment at Augusta. A brief shining reminder of the beauty of the game and the celebration of human spirit. A moment to cling to in what would devolve into pretty much of a lost season.

Yes, we look back at that moment between Phil and Amy Mickelson and smile. After wrapping up his third Masters title, he wrapped his arms around his wife. It wasn't just a major. It was a major warm fuzzy for a couple whose last 10 months had been turned upside down by breast cancer surgery and treatments -- for Amy and Phil's mother Mary.

And the shot off the pine straw? Already labeled iconic.

Nine months later, it's the one moment from 2010 to build on.

Not much happened on the course after that. Or at least nothing anyone expected.

A few weeks later, Mickelson stood still while Rory McIlroy outran him -- and everyone else -- to the Quail Hollow Championship. A few top 10s and a lost U.S. Open weekend later . . . we find out Mickelson had been diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis. He became a vegetarian. Kind of. More struggles. More than a dozen chances to become No. 1 in the world and he went 0-fer. A share of eighth at the BMW Championship. An eye toward 2011.

Think Abu Dhabi. The HSBC World Championship the third week of January. That's the first time we'll see Phil emerge from his long winter's nap. Plenty of rest, relaxation and family time. Plenty of gym time with Sean Cochran where things are going great.

In 'n Out or Five Guys? We'll have to wait and see about that one.

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This scene on Sunday ranked as one of the most poignant moments on TOUR in 2010.

If it wasn't an unforgiving putter in 2010, it was his game from 150-yards out. It was either close or somewhere on the planet. Not what we expect from a guy who takes down courses with his ever-expanding collection of wedges.

We're used to the, um, interesting places he puts it off the tee, but this was one of those years when -- with the exception of Augusta -- nothing much fell into place.

To understand, you have to go back to May, 2009 when Amy and Mary were both diagnosed with breast cancer. Yes, they were just two of the 200,000-plus women diagnosed each year, but there is a huge impact on every family and the Mickelsons were no exception.

"The last 16 months has been an interesting 16 months,'' he said at the TOUR Championship. "As a family we've been through a lot. And the Masters kind of made the year for me.

"It meant a lot to us emotionally, it meant a lot to me personally. And I look back at the year, and it really comes down to that one event. For me the year was kind of salvaged by that Masters win. That's how much that tournament means to me."

We're already wondering how he'll handle defending at Augusta -- he's won three of the last seven Masters -- where he could join Tiger (2001-2002) and Nick Faldo (1989-90) as the only players to successfully defend and join Tiger, period, with four Green Jackets. The last two times he defended? He put the Green Jacket on Tiger in 2005 and Zach Johnson in 2007.

But before we even get that far, there's always the West Coast. Mickelson loves the events and will likely play everything, with the exception of the Bob Hope which conflicts with Abu Dhabi.

Looking down the road, there's Congressional, which he didn't play that well in 1997, but it could be just the place to shut the door on his Open jinx, and Atlanta Athletic Club where he lost by a shot to David Toms. The British Open? Royal St. George's is a strange, quirky course and, that didn't suit him at all in 2003.

And No. 1? The first chance he had to take the spot was at THE PLAYERS when Tiger withdrew everyone seemed focused on No. 1. Everyone but Mickelson, who was No. 2 in the world at the time and happier to talk about his slacks, which were by designer Tom Ford.

Six months later, he went into the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions ranked fourth in the world, this time behind world No. 1 Lee Westwood. The excitement, the interest, he said before the event, is fun to be a part of and have a chance.

He downplays it, but you know it's important. Maybe not as big as getting that first major was back in 2004, but it's a benchmark, nonetheless, even in a Hall of Fame career.

Another major? Another Camelot moment? A stop at the top of the world rankings? Just the form we've come to expect?

If only we knew. What we do know is the family is doing well, Mickelson was getting healthier every day and, at the end of 2010, his putting had come around.

Could that mean a great start to the season? We'll just have to wait another three weeks to find out.