PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. -- Brandt Snedeker heads to the final nine holes of the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am with a two-stroke advantage over Chris Kirk.

Snedeker will need to shake off a rare three-putt on the ninth hole, though. He had a downhill 22-footer for birdie there but it slid 15 feet past the hole and he ended up making bogey to turn in 32.

Kirk, playing in the penultimate group, also bogeyed the ninth and is 14 under. He had four birdies on the front nine and shot 33.

Jimmy Walker has surged into a tie at 13 under after making five birdies in a six-hole stretch that began at the fifth hole. He's tied with Fredrik Jacobson and Kevin Stadler, who are 6 under through 14 and 13 holes, respectively; Robert Garrigus and overnight leader James Hahn.

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. -- Brandt Snedeker has just made back-to-back birdies to open a three-stroke advantage during Sunday's final round of the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.

Snedeker said Saturday evening that playing the par 5s well was key to mastering Pebble Beach -- and that's exactly what he's done so far. The Tennessean just two-putted for birdie from 20 feet at the sixth hole after making eagle on the second.

Snedeker then made a 16-footer for birdie at No. 7 to move to 17 under. Chris Kirk, playing in the penultimate group, is his nearest competitor after making an 8-footer at the fifth hole, his third birdie of the day.

Rookie James Hahn is hanging tough, as well, at 13 under. He's made two birdies and a bogey at the par-3 fifth and is 13 under.

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. -- Brandt Snedeker and James Hahn are waging quite a battle in the day's final group.

Snedeker reached the par-5 second hole from 230 yards out and made a 4-footer for eagle after Hahn two-putted for birdie from 8. That moved the reigning FedExCup champ to 14 under while Hahn was 13 under.

Snedeker answered another Hahn birdie with one of his own at the fourth hole. The rookie converted from 10 feet to get to 14 under and Snedeker then made his from 9 to remain one stroke ahead.

Chris Kirk birdied his second and third holes to briefly pull into a tie for the lead. He remains at 13 under, though, and is two off the pace. Kirk's playing partner, Patrick Reed, is also 2 under for the day and 12 under for the tournament.

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. -- Birdie putts eluded Brandt Snedeker and James Hahn Sunday on the first hole of the final round of the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.

Hahn actually came the closest, leaving his 15-footer a mere 5 inches short. Snedeker's 13-footer ended up 21 inches away for the tap-in par.

Should Snedeker go on to win, it would be his fifth PGA TOUR victory and extend his exempt status through 2018. The reigning FedExCup champion would also add to his current points lead with his second win in six starts dating back to last year's TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola.

Snedeker would also be the first player since 1990 to follow two consecutive runner-up finishes with a victory.

Hahn, on the other hand, would win for the first time in just his sixth career start on the PGA TOUR -- earning a spot in the Masters and PGA Championship in the process. The rookie would have job security, too, with exempt status through the end of the 2015 season.

Hahn would be the second 2012 Web.com Tour grad to win on TOUR this year -- Russell Henley at the Sony Open in Hawaii is the other -- and the seventh pro since 1970 to pick up his first win at Pebble Beach. He would also join K.J. Choi, Y.E. Yang, Kevin Na and John Huh as TOUR champions of Korean descent.
 

San Francisco 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh throws hats to fans on Saturday. (Getty Images)

CELEBRITY PHOTO GALLERY: Check out the photos from Saturday's third round

By Helen Ross, PGATOUR.COM

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. -- Forget the Super Bowl. The San Francisco Bay area has plenty to cheer about in the final round of the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.

Not only is Cal-Berkeley's James Hahn tied for the lead with Brandt Snedeker, 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh and his partner Jason Day are challenging for the pro-am title.

Jordan Spieth and Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo are currrently setting the pace at 25 under after posting their second 62 of the week. Harbaugh and Day, who combined for a first-round 61, are four strokes behind after shooting 69 at Pebble Beach on Saturday.

"He's a really, really good guy," Day, who is tied for sixth in the pro competition, said of Harbaugh. "Obviously watching him on TV you think he's really intense. (But he's) a really fun-loving guy. We've had a lot of fun for the past three days and we get to play another day tomorrow, which is great."

Snedeker and his partner, Toby Wilt, the Nashvile investor and fellow Vanderbilt grad, are one stroke off the lead at 24 under in the hunt for dual victories after Saturday's 63. The tournament's low pro-am round of 58 on Saturday landed Michael Letzig and John Erickson in a tie for second with Snedeker and Wilt.

Patrick Cantlay and his partner, professional surfer Kelly Slater, are among four teams tied for fourth at 22 under. Other celebrities who made the cut are musician Huey Lewis, who is playing with PGA TOUR rookie Brad Fritsch;  Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander, who is playing with Robert Garrigus; singer Clay Walker, who is playing with Jeff Maggert; and Lady Antebellum's Charles Kelley, who is playing with James Driscoll.

In case you are wondering, here are the amateurs' handicaps: Romo (0), Harbaugh (12), Erickson (18), Wilt (7), Lewis (11), Verlander (4), Walker (10) and Kelley (6).

A total of 25 teams survived to play the final round. Dustin Johnson, a two-time champion at Pebble Beach, and NHL Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky were among the two teams at 18 under eliminated by the tiebreaker.

By Fred Albers, PGATOUR.COM Correspondent

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif.— Jim Nance of CBS sports says the putting green at Pebble Beach is the most expensive piece of property in the country on “Celebrity Saturday” at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. It’s a wonderful scene as athletes, stars from entertainment and CEOs gather before their rounds.

The gallery strained to see Aaron Rogers, who had his driver colored Green Bay green and whipped a football in the stands at the 18th hole with a powerful pass.

Bill Murray tried on the Super Bowl rings of Harris Barton. CBS set up a special booth by the 17th green and the celebrities got a free swing analysis. Celebrity Saturday at Pebble Beach is one of the great days of the PGA TOUR season.

Observations

Putting: Brandt Snedeker is tied for the lead in the tournament and is not putting well. He hasn't been happy with his stroke the entire season, saying he is “slightly missing his lines.” The 2012 leader in strokes gained-putting is ranked 25th this season in SGP and has putting rounds of 28-27-30 this week. Snedeker leads the tournament because he’s getting lots of looks at birdies. He has hit 42 of 54 greens. Snedeker missed several makeable birdie putts on his inward nine that could prove very costly by Sunday afternoon.

Phil the thrill: What an awful 18th hole for Phil Mickelson. He hit two balls into the ocean, taking a triple bogey. Adding to the embarrassment was a slip that could have been dangerous. Mickelson went into the hazard left of the 18th fairway and slipped on some wet rocks, falling hard on his backside. He was wearing a beautiful pair of chocolate pinstriped trousers that became wet but did not tear. To Mickelson’s credit, he stayed and signed autographs following the bad finish and he did so with a smile on his face.

High tide: The weather report called for “an extreme high tide” on Saturday and the ocean crashed onto the beach just yards away from fairways. The close proximity of the waves lent an invigorating scent to the golf course as salt air permeated the grounds.

Heavy air: One professional told me Northern California is the land of the “140-yard 8-iron.” That is a slight exaggeration but the moisture-laden air and soft fairways make for an adjustment in distances. Last week, Phil Mickelson hit a 191-yard 8-iron into the 15th green at the Waste Management Phoenix Open. On Saturday, Mickelson had 164 yards into the eighth green and hit the same 8-iron. Professionals take two to three clubs more when figuring yardage this week.

Refreshing: Professionals and amateurs had their thirst and appetites taken care of during the third round. Hamburger “sliders” were available at the sixth tee. Murray enjoyed several and graciously passed out more to the volunteers in his group. Meanwhile, fruit smoothies were available to all contestants at the 14th tee.

Frosty: The overnight low was officially 36 degrees but there was ice on the course as players arrived in the early morning. It did not affect play but caddies had a jolt as they dipped towels into water buckets on the range to clean grips and clubs. There is nothing like icy water in the early morning to jolt a caddie’s nervous system.

Fred Albers is a course reporter for SiriusXM PGA TOUR Radio. For more information on SiriusXM PGA TOUR Radio, click here.