PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — The six-hour rounds at the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am are enough to drive some players out of their minds, if not drive them away.

Phil Mickelson is an exception. He actually enjoys them.

"I enjoy my partners and we just make a fun day of it," Mickelson said. "Some guys fight it and wish that it was quicker. But if you accept that it's going to be six hours and you enjoy it and find good conversation, it's a fun day."

One of his favorite memories involves an amateur partner, saxophonist Kenny G. They had a one-shot lead on the 18th hole in the final round, and a par would have been enough to win the pro-am title. In the real tournament, though, Mickelson was trailing by one shot.

"Kenny just wanted me to hit iron down there, lay up and make par and win the amateur side of it," Mickelson said with a smile. "I'm kidding. He ended up making a double (net bogey)."

Mickelson wound up in the ocean, hitting a driver off the deck for his second shot into the par 5 and watching it sail over the wall, onto the rocks and vanishing in the blue Pacific. Someone mentioned that Kenny G was in the middle of the fairway for his third shot, in perfect position to get that coveted par.

"To be honest, I was so occupied banging the ball around the ocean floor that I didn't see what he did," Mickelson said. "I lost the tournament by a couple and Kenny ... we tied for first."

Of course, there are other reasons Mickelson loves Pebble Beach.

He made his professional debut at Pebble Beach in the 1992 U.S. Open and shot 68 in the first round, although he wound up missing the cut. He won the longest PGA Tour event in history at Pebble Beach — he shot 65-70 in February, then closed with a 67 in August when the tournament was delayed six months by rain.

And then, there was last year.

In a performance that ranks among his best, Mickelson shot a 10-under 62 at Spyglass Hill in the first round, sending him to a wire-to-wire victory. Spyglass is reputed to be the second-toughest course in Northern California, and the beast of three courses at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-am. Lefty broke the course record by two shots.

He was asked which was better, his 62 at Spyglass or the 60 he shot the previous week at the FBR Open in Phoenix.

"It's tough to compare those," he said. "I think the 60 at TPC of Scottsdale has been duplicated, but I don't think 62 at Spyglass has. That would probably be the better round."

Mickelson can be unconventional, for sure. The guy who loves six-hour rounds also thinks Spyglass is a chance to go low, and he'll get that chance Thursday when the tournament gets under way.

Mickelson is among four of the top 10 players from the world ranking at Pebble Beach, the others being 2004 winner Vijay Singh, Jim Furyk and Chris DiMarco, who returned for the first time since 2001.

"This is the second time I've ever seen the sun here, so that's good," DiMarco said.

Maybe he should have come back sooner. Pebble Beach was beset by bad weather during a stretch in the late '90s, most notably 10 years ago when the tournament was canceled because of heavy rain that left one hole at Spyglass underwater. It was shortened to 54 holes in '99 because of rain, and it was finished Monday the following year because of more bad weather.

Lately, though, the most picturesque peninsula in golf has been a beauty.

The forecast is for sunshine and warm temperatures (mostly 70s) all week, and this might be the first time in years that players did not get to lift, clean and place the ball.

As for the bumpy greens, another thing that some players despise? That probably won't change. Pebble Beach has the largest field in golf, with 180 professionals and 180 amateurs leaving their footprints all over.

Mickelson has an answer for that, too.

"It's very difficult to putt the week of the AT&T," Mickelson said. "I accept the fact I'm going to miss putts. I try from 20 and 30 feet to die the ball at the hole. The closer I can leave it, I will be able to two-putt. You just have to accept the fact guys aren't going to make every putt."

That's also the one area of his game that hasn't come together.

Mickelson takes long breaks at the end of the year. He skipped the season-ending Tour Championship and the season-opening Mercedes Championships, playing only two rounds of competitive golf in three months.

He opened with top-10 finishes in his first three starts, although his only good chance at winning came two weeks ago at the Buick Invitational. He was tied for the lead with five holes to play until making three straight bogeys, all of them on putts missed inside 6 feet.

"I haven't quite put it together on the greens the first three weeks," he said. "But I spent some time these last couple of days, and I think I'm starting to stroke it a little bit better. It's a tough judgment here to tell how you're putting. I think I've got it close to turning it around."