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Keith Mitchell hoists the crystal trophy after winning the Honda Classic
Palm Beach Gardens, Fl - So the Florida Swing is officially underway.
Coming down the 72nd hole at PGA National's Champion course on
Sunday, Keith Mitchell found a calmness in knowing that a birdie would
be good enough to notch his first win on the big stage at the Honda
Classic, but as he looked up at the leaderboard, he had seen that the
cream had risen to the top. Local residents Brooks Koepka and Rickie
Fowler (the two highest ranked players in the field) were tied with him
atop the leaderboard at 8 under par and were waiting in the clubhouse.
Mitchell pulled his tee shot on the par 5 eighteenth into the left fairway
bunker, and with no chance of reaching the green in two, it was looking
like a playoff with two of game's best was inevitable, but the former
University of Georgia standout settled himself. After a safe lay up,
Mitchell hit his approach to 15 feet below the hole, perhaps the best
location to make a bold putt to win. He didn't take long, and confidently
poured the putt into the cup for his 1st PGA Tour victory, in grand Walk-
off style.
Afterward, in his press conference Keith Mitchell discussed what it was
like to have that experience and the thought process leading up to the
clutch stroke, "I've dreamed of having a putt like that to win a big
tournament, and I had that today. Fortunately, I was able to capitalize
on it," Mitchell said. "Thankfully, I knew what I was doing before I even
got there (to the ball), all of the grain on that green goes left to right,
and it was a little uphill. I didn't have much of a question in my read
and speed, so I was able to be confident in what I was doing - which
is huge. I did a great job from the fairway leaving myself below the
hole. I think I might have early looked that putt (in), it looked so good
so early. It was the best putt I've ever hit under the circumstances,
hands down. To have it fall is too cool."
Keith Mitchell finished with rounds of 68-66-70-67 to finish at -9 (271
total).
Mitchell's prior career achievements will give hope and inspiration to
thousands striving to make it - his last win prior to the Honda Classic
was a 2016 mini-tour event in North Carolina. He lost in a playoff on
the Latin American Tour, and never won on the Web.com Tour. In his
winning press conference, Mitchell discussed working diligently on
controlling his emotions and managing himself to be calmer when
it mattered. The reward - $1,224,000 and a chance to play in his first
major championship, a trip down Magnolia Lane in his home state
come April.
Brooks Koepka fired a final round 66 including birdies on 2 of his last 3
holes to tie for second with Rickie Fowler who birdied 3 of his last 4 to
shoot 67 and finish at 8 under par. Lucas Glover shot a final round 66
and Ryan Palmer had the round of the day shooting 63 to tie for fourth.
Scores:https://www.pgatour.com/leaderboard.html
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