Spieth says impatience cost him on a windy course

PEBBLE BEACH — Jordan Spieth is the world’s No. 1 player, but he will find himself in a strange spot Sunday: essentially relegated to the “B” flight, teeing off at No. 10 while Phil Mickelson and Co. tussle for the lead.

Spieth shot 74 on Saturday at Pebble Beach. He made the cut on the number, at 1-underpar, and will begin the final round 15 strokes behind Mickelson.

It was striking to hear Spieth, who thinks his way around golf courses better than virtually any other player on tour, blame Saturday’s struggles on his impatience in breezy conditions.

“I just had a bad attitude that first nine,” Spieth said. “I’ve come to this course thinking it’s just kind of pitch-and-putt, because that’s the way it’s played before. But with conditions like today, you’ve got to be patient.”

Spieth needed 87 putts in the first three rounds, 14 more than Mickelson. The biggest problem for Spieth: He’s only even-par for the week on the par-5s.

“I would say the average for me there would be 7- or 8under,” he said. “That’s losing eight shots on the par-5s, so that’s a bit sloppy.” Harbaugh update: Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh abandoned his customary khakis to wear light blue pants Saturday. As it turns out, that was a nod to his college coach, Bo Schembechler.

“These are Bo pants,” Harbaugh said. “Bo always used to wear light blue pants, and I saw these and had to get them because they’re like his.”

One other Harbaugh nugget: During his round Thursday at Spyglass, one spectator shouted, “We want you to come back and coach the 49ers!” According to another fan who was there, Harbaugh replied, “Fire the owner.” Fitzgerald goes splash: Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald played his first full round at Pebble Beach, aside from all those times on Tiger Woods’ video game.

“It’s a little harder to execute shots in real life,” Fitzgerald said. “I envisioned myself making birdie on 18, and unfortunately I didn’t finish the hole. The water was calling me today.”

Fitzgerald hooked two shots into Carmel Bay. Briefly: There’s a three-way tie for the lead in the pro-am competition, with Andres Romero-Sean Kell, David Hearn-David Dube and Freddie Jacobson-Bill Rhodes all at 23-under. … Two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson was one of 11 pros who made the cut but will not play Sunday. The top 70 (plus ties) usually advance at PGA Tour events, but only the top 60 move on at the AT&T because of the pro-am format.