While supporting his wife and mother in their separate fights against breast cancer, the only golf Phil Mickelson has played has been in his mind, picturing the shots he might make when he returned to the course.

After a six-week absence, Mickelson makes that return today and ahead of his appearance at the World Championship Bridgestone Invitational, he said: "When I had my nurse gown on I would mentally rehearse shots and stuff to keep myself sharp, even though I wasn't touching a club.

"It was so that when I came back and was finally able to swing a club, I was able to play fairly decently."

Mickelson will be able to judge just how decently he can still swing a club in the opening round at the Firestone course in Akron, Ohio.

But his presence in a stellar field that includes Tiger Woods, Open champion Stewart Cink and leading British player Lee Westwood already says a lot about the condition of Amy, Mickelson's wife, and his mother, Mary.

Speaking today for the first time about the ordeal he and his family have been through, Mickelson said: "We're in a much better place now than we were. I'm excited about that. I'm excited about the chance to play a little golf, too."

That's important, with the season's last major, the US PGA Championship, at Hazeltine next week. Yet for so long over the summer, winning titles was the last thing on Mickelson's mind.

The 39-year-old world No2 has played only twice since the Players Championship in May. Immediately following that tournament, Mickelson revealed Amy had been diagnosed with cancer.

Surgery was scheduled for July, allowing Mickelson to play the St. Jude Championship and the US Open, where he had a share of the lead until finishing runner-up behind Lucas Glover.

Then came the six-week break during which the player swapped fairways and putting greens for hospital wards.

He said: "I feel we've been fortunate because my mum and Amy have caught it early and we've been able to have some wonderful care.

"And not only have the doctors been incredible in their science but they've also been very compassionate toward us. We've had a great medical experience.

"We feel lucky to be, for a bad situation, in as good a situation as it can be."

And now? "I expect to play well," said the three-times major winner. "I expect to play like I always have. I think that mental rehearsal I went through was every bit as important as physical rehearsal."

Over the next four days, Mickelson faces an 80-man field that includes one player who appears to be particularly sharp, especially on this track.

Woods is coming off a three-shot victory in last week's Buick Open and he returns to a venue where his record is better than at any other course.

Woods is a six-time winner at Firestone and he has never finished out of the top five in his 10 appearances at the course.

The world No1 missed the event for the first time last year because of knee surgery.

Vijay Singh won his first tournament of that season by holding off Mickelson and Westwood on the back nine.

If that defeat was a disappointment for Westwood, an even bigger one was his desperate final hole collapse in last month's Open at Turnberry.

Westwood said: "I came very close to winning the most important tournament in the world.

"But I have to turn all that into a positive and take the confidence I can draw from that into the rest of the season."