Journeyman's First PGA TOUR Win
Unwavering Mitchell Caps Win With Birdie Putt at The Honda Classic
Keith Mitchell made a 15-foot birdie putt on the final hole Sunday to win The Honda Classic for his first PGA TOUR victory. He closed with a 3-under 67 to finish at 9-under 271 at
PGA National, a stroke ahead of Brooks Koepka and Rickie Fowler. "I was trying to focus on what was going on," Mitchell said. "My mind started wandering there a little bit at the end ... and then I hit a great putt."
Mitchell was tied for the lead after 36 holes, and tied for second going into Sunday. Then he birdied four of his final seven holes for his first win as a pro. All
he had to do for that victory was hold off two of the game's best in Koepka and Fowler. Koepka shot a 66, and Fowler a 67. They both birdied the 18th, and Fowler had a huge charge late to get to 8 under with three birdies in his final four holes, including a 45-footer on the 17th.
And with the wind blowing harder than it had at PGA National all week, with flags fully extended off poles in the breezes, palm fronds bending as well, the finish was obviously going to be wild. But Mitchell didn't waver in the wind. He was on the upslope of a fairway bunker about 205 yards from the pin for his second shot at the par-5 18th. All he could do from there was hit a pop-up, leaving him with a wedge in for his third. That checked up about 15 feet below the hole, giving him a putt to win. He made it, pumped his fist and waited for the final group of Wyndham Clark and Vijay Singh to finish about five minutes later.
Singh, the 56-year-old who was bidding to become the oldest winner of a PGA TOUR event ever, Sam Snead was 52 when he won the 1965 Greater Greensboro Open, was right there until the end. Singh, who hasn't won on this tour since 2008, settled for outright sixth after a final-round 70. He had a birdie putt for a share of the lead on the par-3 15th, leaving a 25-footer well short.
Starting his day with two bogeys sent Mitchell's mind racing back to past attempts where he got close and had a final-round falter. Not this time; saying to himself, "I am not letting this happen again,'" Mitchell out-slugged two of the game's best in Brooks Koepka and Rickie Fowler with a Sunday birdie on the par-5 18th, to cap his win at the Honda Classic.
“It was awesome,” Mitchell said. “I wish that I could come up with a better word than that, but just having a chance to come down the stretch against Rickie Fowler and Brooks, those guys are the best in the world and they've been out here proving themselves. And I'm just pleased that I could prove myself against guys like that.”
“Everybody dreams about having that putt on the 18th hole to win a tournament, and I had it today.”