PEBBLE BEACH -- Phil Mickelson will begin defense of his AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am title Thursday at 9:50 a.m. on the Shore Course at Monterey Peninsula Country Club.

Because he is starting at MPCC, Mickelson, whose amateur partner is banker Skip McGee, will play Pebble Beach Golf Links on Saturday, annually known as celebrity day on the famed links.

Other featured first round pairings at MPCC include 2009 and 2010 Pro-Am winner Dustin Johnson and amateur partner Wayne Gretzky, 2011 Pro-Am winners D.A. Points and Bill Murray and Jason Day and 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh.

Webb Simpson, who won last year's U.S. Open at The Olympic Club, will also open at MPCC with actor/partner Andy Garcia.

Those opening at Spyglass Hill, normally considered the toughest of the three tournament venues, include 2006 U.S. Open winner Geoff Ogilvy, Jim Furyk and three-time major winner Padraig Harrington.

At Pebble Beach, Lee Westwood, playing in the AT&T Pro-Am for the first time since 2005, will tee it up with former Pro-Am champ Vijay Singh. Westwood's amateur partner is his father, John.

Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who's a member at nearby Cypress Point Club and is making her tournament debut, will also open at Pebble Beach with pro partner Jason Bohn.

  • A bespectacled Harrington spent about an hour on the practice green at Pebble Beach. The three-time major champion recently began wearing
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    glasses to help with his putting.

    Harrington, however, said he won't be wearing them at this week's Pro-Am.

    "There will be no glasses," Harrington said.

    At last week's Phoenix Open, the Irishman explained how it's been a task to find the right pair.

    "They've managed all the way through my practice round up until I started hitting wedges on the range, and I could have been sowing potatoes after a while in the divots I was taking," Harrington said. "I don't know if those glasses will make it."

    In the offseason, Harrington began working with an eye specialist.

    "It's kind of the way these days, you know, you're looking for specialists in every area of the game, whether it's short game specialists, putting, long game coach, psychology, everything is par for the modern game, and this is just another little addition," Harrington said. "We'll wait and see how it goes."

  • Wednesday's main event will be the 3M Celebrity Challenge, which will also feature a hole-in-one challenge. Celebrities slated to play include Bill Murray, Kenny G, Huey Lewis, Ray Romano, Aaron Rodgers and Garcia.

    The event, to be held on holes No. 1, 2, 3, 17 and 18 at Pebble Beach, begins at 11 a.m.

    George Lopez is not playing in the tournament this year. Lopez is expected to possibly return next year.

  • Six players since 1970 have earned their first win at the Pro-Am: John Cook (1981), Steve Jones (1988), Brett Ogle (1993), Matt Gogel (2002), Arron Oberholser (2006) and D.A. Points (2011).