Mickelson's 64 earns win at Pebble Beach

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. -- Phil Mickelson's doubts were wiped away Sunday in a bravura golfing performance. Tiger Woods' still may exist.

Woods was the one expected to make the birdies and the run that would win the AT & T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Instead, it was Mickelson, almost surprising himself.

Woods' closing round of 3-over-par 75 was as miserable as Mickelson's 8-under 64 was exciting -- an eagle, six birdies and no bogeys. So, for the fourth time in his 40 PGA tournament victories, Mickelson, 41, won the AT & T.

Mickelson, like Woods a Southern California native, finished with a 72-hole total of 271, 17 under par. He was two strokes ahead of Charlie Wi, who led by three strokes after three rounds. Wi couldn't overcome a four-putt for double bogey on the first hole and is winless in 163 starts.

Ricky Barnes, the former U.S. Amateur champion, finished third at 273. Woods, who began the day in third, ended it tied for 15th, so he still hasn't won a full-field tournament in the United States since September 2009.

"It feels great,'' Mickelson said, "because it's a special place for me, Pebble Beach, my grandfather having caddied here, and it's such a national treasure. It means a lot because the last year I haven't played the way I would like to.

"It was one of the more emotional victories for me, and the reason is I've had some doubts the last couple of weeks, given the scores I've shot after having great practice rounds. I started to wonder if I could bring it to the course. So this gives me a lot of confidence and erases the doubt.''

Mickelson followed a script as old as Pebble Beach, which opened in 1919 -- score big on the first seven holes, then hang in on the tougher ocean and closing holes. Except he went one better, playing well both nines.

The man known as Lefty birdied the second, fourth and fifth holes and eagled the 515-yard, par-5 sixth, picking up five shots on par and grabbing the lead from Wi.

On the back nine, Mickelson, whose putting often is erratic, excelled. He made a 30-footer for par on 12, a 2-footer for a birdie on 13, a 6-footer for a birdie on the difficult par-5 14th and a 38-footer for a par after a poor bunker shot on 15.

Amy Mickelson, Phil's wife, who was stricken with breast cancer in 2009, flew up from their home near San Diego to follow him.

Mickelson was paired with Woods, whom he has beaten five times in a row when they have played together in the final round. Mickelson said he drew inspiration from Tiger and insisted Woods is not that far from success.

"I know it's not easy to go through something like he's going through, because I've been through it,'' Mickelson said, "but it can change in a week.''

Woods was 1 under after six holes, but he bogeyed Nos. 7, 8 and 9 and was done. He blamed his poor putting.

"As good as I felt on the greens [Saturday] was as bad as I felt [yesterday],'' Woods said. "I could not get comfortable where I could see my lines. I was looking to get off to a two or three under start, and you know Phil got off to that start.''