By Helen Ross, PGATOUR.COM

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. -- Turns out, all that was hurt was Phil Mickelson's pride.

But he did take a tumble on the rocks beside the Pacific Ocean as he searched for his drive at the par-518th hole on Saturday. His feet went out from under him and Mickelson ended up sitting abruptly on the sand, the television cameras catching what was actually a relatively graceful spill.

"I got lucky," Mickelson said. "I didn't get hurt."

The triple bogey capped a frustrating day for Mickelson, who ended up on the cut line at 1 under after a third-round 73. His expectations for his title defense had been so much higher after the performance he turned in last week in Phoenix, shooting 28 under to win by four strokes.

"We got perfect weather, and I just couldn't get going, and then to finish with a triple, it doesn't feel great, but it was really a fun day to play golf,"  Mickelson said. "I just wish I had played a lot better."

Had Mickelson been able to birdie the scenic par 5, he would have started Sunday's final round at 5 under, with an outside shot of catching Brandt Snedeker. Instead, Mickelson, who came from six shots back with a final-round 64 last year, now will have an early tee time, trailing by 11 strokes. 

"That triple takes a lot of the wind out, because if I could have made a birdie on last hole, be within six, seven shots of the lead, you never know," Mickelson said. "Kind of like what happened last year if I get a hot round, but now that put me a little bit too far back."

Mickelson said he doesn't really know what the problem is. "I wish I did," he said. "It would be easier to fix." He didn't rule out summoning his swing guru, Butch Harmon, prior to next week's Northern Trust Open, his fifth straight event and a tournament which he has won twice and posted two runner-up finishes in his last six starts.
 
"I've been just a little bit off this week:  Just a little bit off on the greens, just a little bit off with the driving, just a little bit off with the irons," Mickelson said. "It just has not quite been on."

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. -- James Hahn birdied his last three holes at Spyglass Hill on a sun-drenched Saturday to pull even with Brandt Snedeker at the top of the leaderboard at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.

The PGA TOUR rookie fired a bogey-free 66 to finish at 12 under. Hahn, who grew up in the San Francisco bay area after moving to the United States from South Korea, used just 25 putts on a day when he hit 11 fairways and 12 greens in regulation.

Hahn and Snedeker are one stroke ahead of Chris Kirk, who has four holes remaining at Monterey Peninsula. Richard Lee iis finished at 9 under after a 66 at Pebble Beach while another TOUR rookie, Patrick Reed, is also at that number with one hole remaining on the Shore Course.

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. -- Patrick Cantlay already has received a sponsor's exemption for next week's Northern Trust Open. But the former UCLA standout might not have to use it if he can finish in the top 10 on Sunday.

Cantlay is currently 3 under through 11 holes at Pebble Beach. He's 9 under for the tournament, which puts him three strokes behind Brandt Snedeker. Players who finish in the top 10 earn entry into the next full-field event.

The last player to win a PGA TOUR event while playing on a sponsor's exemption was Lee Westwood at the 2010 FedEx St. Jude Classic.

Cantlay is not currently a member of the PGA TOUR. But the 20-year-old would be eligible for special temporary membership with a three-way tie for second or better -- which is important because it affords him unlimited sponsor's exemptions.

As a non-member, though, Cantlay can only accept seven sponsor's exemptions. He can play in a maximum of 12 events, counting any spots he earned by Monday qualifiying and top-10 finishes in the previous event.

Should Cantlay earn special temporary member status, he will not be eligible to receive FedExCup points. He will, however, be on the FedExCup points non-member list.

Non-members finishing with enough points to put them inside the top 125 of the final FedExCup list will earn their TOUR card for the 2013-2014 season.

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. -- Brandt Snedeker has just posted his ninth straight round in the 60s to open a three-stroke lead at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.

Snedeker is 12 under after shooting a 68 on the famous host course. It was his 17th sub-par round in 18 attempts this season and moved him to a cumulative 75 under for the year.

Snedeker has finished second at the last two PGA TOUR events and also was third in the season opener. Small wonder then that Snedeker sits atop the FedExCup standings after winning the $10 million bonus last year.

Richard Lee, who tied for fourth at q-school to get his PGA TOUR card back, is finished at 9 under after shooting a 66 at Pebble Beach. He's tied with James Hahn, Patrick Reed, Chris Kirk and Patrick Cantlay.

Hahn is through 15 holes at Spyglass Hills while Reed has played 13 at Monterey Peninsula and Kirk is through 10 on the same course. Cantlay, the UCLA product who is making the most of his sponsor's exemption, is 2 under through 13 holes at Pebble Beach.

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. -- Defending champion Phil Mickelson has just put two shots in the Pacific Ocean at the 18th hole on the way to a triple bogey.

The 8 on the scenic par 5 completed a disappointing 73 and dropped Mickelson back to 1 under for the tournament. He made up six strokes in the final round a year ago but right now trails Brandt Snedeker, playing a group behind, by 11.

To add insult to injury, Mickelson slipped on the rocks and fell on his posterior as he searched the beach for his errant drive.

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. -- Patrick Cantlay has cut Brandt Snedeker's lead to one shot with a 5-foot birdie putt at the seventh hole at Pebble Beach.

Snedeker, meanwhile, has cooled off after that birdie barrage to end the front nine. He bogeyed the 10th hole, missing the green and a 7-footer to save par; answered with a 12-foot birdie putt at No. 11 and has parred the next four holes.

Snedeker, who was runner-up in the last two PGA TOUR events, remains at 12 under. Cantlay turned pro last summer after his sophomore year at UCLA.

PGA TOUR rookies James Hahn and Patrick Reed are tied with Chris Kirk at 9 under. Hahn has played 12 holes at Spyglass Hills while Reed is through 10 and Kirk through eight at Monterey Peninsula.

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. -- PGA TOUR rookie James Hahn made headlines for his dance moves last week at the Waste Management Phoenix Open.

His golf is garnering the recognition on Saturday a Spyglass Hills, though, as Hahn posted a trio of birdies in his first nine holes to move within three strokes off the lead held by Brandt Snedeker. Hahn is 9 under and tied with Patrick Cantlay.

Cantlay, the 20-year-old UCLA product, is playing Pebble Beach. He eagled the fifth hole with a 6-foot putt and added a 7-footer for birdie at No. 3.

Cantlay, who tied for 95th at q-school, is playing on a sponsor's exemption this week. He can earn special temporary membership by finishing in a three-way tie for second or better this week @attproam.

Cantlay missed the cut in his first two PGA TOUR starts this year.

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. -- Brandt Snedeker, the runner-up each of the last two weeks on the PGA TOUR, has taken sole possession of the lead at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am on Saturday.

Snedeker reeled off four straight birdies to get to 12 under, three strokes clear of rookie Patrick Reed and four ahead of James Hahn and Fredrik Jacobson. Snedeker is playing at Pebble Beach.

The reigning FedExCup champion and current points leader two-putted from 32 feet at the par-5 sixth hole for the first birdie of the streak, which came in response to his first bogey in 24 holes. He then added a 10-footer at No. 7, a 5-footer at the eighth and a 4-footer at No. 9 to make the turn in 32.

Defending champion Phil Mickelson is also playing at Pebble Beach, where he closed with a 64 a year ago to make up a six-stroke deficit. He hasn't gotten untracked on Saturday, though, making bogey on the first hole and adding a pair of birdies to turn in 35.

Mickelson is 3 under for the tournament.