SAN DIEGO — As Phil Mickelson makes his way around Torrey Pines on this Father's Day, his father Phil Sr. will be watching with pride as his oldest son competes in the U.S. Open.

For the Mickelsons, and many of the other players in the field today, golf helped forge a bond between a father and his son.

For Mickelson, not even his two wins at the Masters or his PGA Championship will ever replace the memories of sharing time with his dad on the golf course.

"My fondest memories of the game is when he would pick me up after school and go to courses like Balboa Park and get the all-day rate after 3 p.m. and play until dark," Mickelson said. "We'd get stranded at 13 or 14 and have to hike through the cavern or cliff to get back to the car. Those are some of the fondest memories I have of my game."

When Earl Woods was still alive, Tiger Woods called his father his best friend.

From the time when Tiger would sit in his high chair and watch "Pops" hit golf balls into a net in their garage, golf was their bond. So much so that when Earl died two years ago, the one place he couldn't go was the golf course because it hurt too much.

"When my dad passed, coming back and playing was a lot more difficult because when I take time off and come back, I always work on my fundamentals. Well, who taught me my fundamentals? It was my dad," Woods said.

"All the things I had to go through and my preparation for tournaments, my dad taught me all those things. Overcoming and getting out and playing and practicing, I didn't want to do that because I'd always think about Dad. That was the hardest thing."

Two years later, Woods is now a father himself. As he worked to recover from knee surgery, Woods said it was his new daughter Sam that got him through the tedious process.

"Spending that much time off and away from training and trying to get better, Sam was absolutely incredible, and I had so much fun doing that (spending time with her)," Wood said. "It took my mind away from the fact I had had surgery. Just watching her grow, walking and running now, it's been the greatest thing in the world."

Wait until next year: Mickelson wanted desperately to win the U.S. Open being held in his hometown, but after three disappointing rounds, he has come to the conclusion it's just not going to happen.

After firing a 5-over 76 on Saturday, a round that included a quadruple-bogey nine on No. 13, Mickelson said he plans to go out and enjoy today's final round and then start thinking about Bethpage Black, site of the 2009 U.S. Open.

"I think it's an exciting Open," Mickelson said. "I'm certainly disappointed that I'm not in the mix right now. That was the goal. Bethpage (site of the 2002 U.S. Open) is one of the best memories in the game of golf I've ever had. I get to go back there next year for the U.S. Open. I'm excited about the chance to try and break through and win my first U.S. Open there."

Mickelson did not have a driver in his bag for the first two rounds, but decided to put one in for Saturday. Why the change in strategy?

"I needed to make some birdies and get a few shorter irons in, being that I was 4 over," Mickelson said. "I started out hitting some decent drives, but the back nine I missed some fairways and that was costly."

Hardly working: Earlier in the week, Vijay Singh stated his belief that British golfers weren't working hard enough to win major championships. On Saturday, England's Paul Casey fired back at Singh.

"My work rate is absolutely fine," Casey said. "Vijay's is clearly more than most other people. But look at Monty (Colin Montgomerie). You rarely saw him on the range, but he is absolutely brilliant. This is just his style.

"It's horses for courses. I think overall the British guys are working very hard."