Cancer survivor Mayfair: Amy can 'beat this'

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Billy Mayfair had to face his own cancer battle in 2006, undergoing surgery for testicular cancer.

IRVING, Texas -- Billy Mayfair was playing in the HP Byron Nelson Championship Pro-Am on Wednesday when he heard the news.

"I bogeyed the next three holes," Mayfair said after learning that Phil Mickelson's wife, Amy, had been diagnosed with breast cancer.

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Mayfair is a cancer survivor, so the news hit harder than most. He was diagnosed with testicular cancer in July 2006. He had surgery on Aug. 3 and returned to play in the PGA Championship two weeks later, eventually finishing tied for 37 th .

"Attitude is 95 percent of it," he said. "I was lucky. I was diagnosed on the Monday, had the surgery on a Thursday and knew I would be all right by Friday. With breast cancer, it could go on six months to a year."

Mayfair, an Arizona State product like Mickelson, knows the family well. He is quick to point to Amy's strength as a huge asset over the difficult time ahead.

"Knowing Amy like I do ... I know she's a very positive person," Mayfair said. "She may come across as a princess and not very strong, but to be a TOUR wife and your husband be one of the top players and have three kids, you have to be strong.

"You think of Amy and you know she's got the strength to beat this."