List, Mitchell finish their best pro golf seasons
Former Baylor School golfers Luke List and Keith Mitchell were eliminated Monday from the FedEx Cup playoffs at the BMW Championship near Philadelphia.
They are not among the top 30 players who advanced to next week’s Tour Championship in Atlanta, but List and Mitchell have few regrets after posting the best seasons in their respective professional careers. For List, this PGA Tour season produced even more success than his impressive run last year, while Mitchell had a dream rookie season that included three of the four FedEx Cup playoff events.
“To be disappointed in not making the Tour Championship means I had a pretty incredible rookie season,” Mitchell said. “I don’t want to say that I didn’t expect to make it this far, because if you don’t believe that you can do something, you won’t be able to do it. I just tried to take each step at a time, and the final step was to win a tournament and make the Tour Championship.
“Unfortunately that didn’t happen, but achieving what I have has been incredible, and it’s a great steppingstone for next season.”
With just the one event remaining in the 2017-18 season, List ranks fifth (314.7 yards) on the PGA Tour in driving distance, while Mitchell is 10th (312.6).
Mitchell produced four top-10 finishes as a rookie, placed 67th in the FedEx Cup standings and earned $1,641,200. The 26-yearold spent last year attempting to qualify for the PGA Tour from the Web.com Tour, where he earned $151,444.
List had three top-10 finishes last season and earned $1,813,219, but he surpassed that with five top-10 showings and $2,710,736 in earnings. The 33-year-old finished second to Justin Thomas at the Honda Classic in February, losing in a playoff, and tied for third at the RBC Heritage in April.
His performance at the RBC Heritage vaulted him to 11th in the FedEx Cup standings, but he finished 45th.
“I’m pretty disappointed with the entire second half of the season and the playoffs,” List said, “but overall, there were some great moments to the year. I just need to work harder to keep improving. I simply have to get my scoring clubs closer to the hole to give myself more opportunities.
“It’s a fun challenge to take on, and I look forward to a few weeks off and getting settled and moving on to a new season.”
List and his wife, Chloe, are in the process of moving to Augusta, Georgia.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.