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Euphoria hasn't waned for Lefty

SAN DIEGO - Back in his hometown, Phil Mickelson walked into an exclusive country club looking a lot like he did at dusk two days earlier at Augusta National.

"I said Sunday night that it was going to be hard to wipe away the smile and take away the jacket," said a beaming Mickelson, clad in green again Tuesday at La Jolla Country Club.

"They tried to pry it away when I left, but I'd have none of it. So here it is," added Mickelson, who won the Masters with an 18-foot birdie putt on the last hole.

Mickelson must have had the jacket pressed, because his wife, Amy, said he slept in it Sunday night. "It was me, Phil and the green jacket," she said. "We might be sleeping with that green jacket for a while."

Mickelson held a news conference at La Jolla Country Club, where he is a member, before heading to Burbank to appear on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno.

Mickelson was reminded he went from being labeled the best player to have never won a major to being the only guy with a shot at the Grand Slam this year.

"Yeah, how quickly it changes," said Mickelson, who had been 0-for-42 in majors as a pro. "It's been such a nice change. I'm certainly not thinking that far in advance. I really just want to spend the next few weeks enjoying this."

SENIOR CHAMPIONSHIP: The first round in Boca Raton was suspended because of heavy rain. The field will be flighted after the end of the first round today. The final round is Thursday. Don Lucas of Lithia was leading by one with 2-under 70.

Michael Phelps won the 2003 Sullivan Award as the nation's top amateur athlete. Phelps, the 19-year-old American swimmer who will try to equal Mark Spitz's seven Olympic gold medals at the Athens Games, beat LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Diana Taurasi, who led Connecticut to its third straight NCAA women's basketball championship. In 2003, Phelps became the first male to win five U.S. titles at one meet, setting a world record in the 200 individual medley. At worlds, he set five records.

Nine members of the Afghanistan national team were missing after leaving the squad's hotel in Italy, though police said it was unclear if the players were attempting to defect. Afghanistan was scheduled to face Verona in a friendly benefit match, part of a tour marking the team's first appearance in Europe in 20 years. Police spokesman Luigi Altamura said the players were carrying visas that enabled them to enter Italy, though a team official held all the players' other documents.

Denmark was kicked out of the Davis Cup until 2005 and dropped to a lower tier for refusing to play a first-round match in Algeria because of security concerns. Algeria will move into the Euro-African qualifying group and face Poland in July. Denmark was supposed to visit Algeria on April 9-11, but the Danish Tennis Federation requested a switch to a neutral venue.

FAMILY CIRCLE CUP: Martina Navratilova lost the second match of her return to singles play in the United States, falling 6-4, 6-4 to Amy Frazier at Charleston, S.C. World No. 1 and defending champion Justine Henin-Hardenne withdrew because of lightheadedness from a low blood-sugar count.

OLYMPICS: American synchronized swimmer Tammy Crow will not compete in a test event in Athens though she was approved by the USOC after her sentence on a manslaughter charge was delayed until after the games. The USOC's executive board said there is no legal basis to ban Crow from Olympic competition. Crow, 27, was sentenced to 90 days in jail for a California car crash last year that killed her boyfriend and a 12-year-old boy, but a judge agreed to postpone the sentence until after the Aug. 13-29 Games.

WNBA: Carrie Graf was hired as Phoenix coach, returning to where she was an assistant four seasons. She replaces John Shumate, who left Feb. 6 to rejoin the Phoenix Suns as a college scout.