Jimmy Walker stood in the bunker next to the sea wall along the 18th fairway, soaking up the scenery. Every 15 seconds, waves crashed into the rocks and sent a spectacular splash of white surf some 15 feet high.

There was so much salt water in the front of the bunker that the father of Harris English said to Bob Estes, “Is this played as a waste area?’’ Estes smiled and pointed to the rakes placed neatly next to the sand. “No, these are bunkers,’’ he replied.

If the final day of practice for the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am was any indication, then this could be a special week.

Not just because Tiger Woods is back for the first time in 10 years. He practiced on the Shore Course at Monterey Peninsula, which he had never seen. The last time he played, Poppy Hills was part of the rotation.

There are times when the beauty of Pebble Beach makes a six-hour round tolerable.

No one was in any hurry yesterday.

“If you have a bad experience here, it can feel like the longest week of your life,’’ Geoff Ogilvy said as he walked up the fourth fairway at Pebble, his head turned to the right to gaze at the sea. “If it’s a good experience, it’s enjoyable.’’

It proved to be a tonic for Spencer Levin.

Only four days ago, Levin was poised to win his first PGA Tour event when he took a six-shot lead into the final round of the Phoenix Open. He found himself rushing, just wanting the final round to be over, and he kept dropping shots. A double bogey on the 15th hole doomed him, and Kyle Stanley rallied from eight shots behind to win.

Levin was heartbroken, which was to be expected.

“I was really bummed out Sunday night, pretty bummed out Monday,’’ Levin said. “But I got here, and then I was like, ‘Man, I get to play Pebble Beach today, so that’s pretty cool.’ ’’

The condition of the greens was one of the things that drove Woods away. Along with the occasional bad weather and six-hour rounds - it’s mostly a lot of standing around on the tees - there was a feeling that bumpy greens from 360 pairs of shoes eroded his confidence.

Then again, Woods is known to putt these poa greens better than most. It’s a skill to get the right pace on the medium-length putts, and having the confidence to drill the short putts.

“I think I’ve had my share of success on poa greens, just because the fact I grew up on it,’’ Woods said. “To come out here, popping it, it’s like second nature. My stroke does change. I don’t want it to change, but it does. It reverts back to how it was when I was a kid and how I putted. It’s worked out.’’