In Phil Mickelson (Stats | Bio) 's universe - where family and golf are not mutually exclusive - his priorities might finally be aligned to snag that elusive first major.

''Things couldn't be better with my family doing well and (me) playing well," Mickelson said.

Mickelson sent a clear message about his priorities in 1999 when he swore he would walk off the Pinehurst No. 2 course, even if he held the U.S. Open lead, if he got the call that his wife, Amy, was going into labor with their first child.

Amy held off on the call until after Mickelson lost by a shot to Payne Stewart. She gave birth the next morning, when her husband might have been engaged in an 18-hole playoff had Stewart missed an 18-foot winning putt.

A year ago, on the eve of The Players Championship, Amy gave birth to their third child, Evan. An e-mail was distributed to the media that mother and son were doing well, but it was hardly that simple.

Amy suffered a 6-inch tear in an artery that supplies blood to her uterus and came within a few minutes of dying during childbirth. Evan didn't breathe for seven minutes after he was born. Mickelson says the quick responses of doctors and nurses saved his wife and child.

While his family was going through all that last year, Mickelson's critics debated his passion for the game.

''I heard a lot of people question my heart, question my motivation," he said. "I still have the same heart, the same desire, the same motivation that has led to (22) tour wins."

Mickelson skipped the Players last year but went to the BellSouth Classic a week later a shaken father and golfer. He missed the cut.

''I hit it so poorly that I didn't practice for five days leading up to Augusta," Mickelson revealed. "I was hitting so poorly that I didn't want to see myself hit bad shots all the time, so I didn't practice."

Mickelson came into the Masters Tournament relatively cold. He played only nine practice holes while everyone else in the field was preparing for the Masters. Mickelson, for the most part, showed up Thursday and played.

While Tiger Woods (Stats | Bio) failed to convert his Masters threepeat, Mickelson achieved one of his own. He posted his third straight third-place finish at Augusta and his fifth consecutive Masters top 10 - the longest current streak.

This year he heads into Augusta with a healthy, happy family behind him and his primary professional goal in front of him. He calls it "fabulous," and his game reflects it.

''It makes focusing on practicing much easier, and it makes playing much more enjoyable," he said. "It's much easier to keep my mind on the game and on the golf course and the shot at hand than it has been in the past."

Last year, only his second in 11 full pro seasons without a win, Mickelson seemed to lose his aim, especially off the tee. He averaged 306 yards (third overall) but hit only 49 percent of the fairways (189th).

This year he's sacrificed distance for accuracy. He said he hasn't wavered from the aggressiveness that's marked - and sometimes marred - his career, but he's being more selective.

His numbers don't lie. He's averaging 15 fewer yards off the tee but hitting 62.5 percent of the fairways. Consequently, he's hitting more greens (72 percent) and hitting them closer to the hole than all but one player on tour this season. Mickelson won his first tournament of the season at the Bob Hope Desert Classic and backed it up with four straight top 10s.

Reach Scott Michaux at (706) 823-3219 or scott.michaux@augustachronicle.com.