Little-known American Keith Mitchell holed a 15-foot birdie putt on the 18th to win his first PGA Tour title – and his first ever win as a professional – at the Honda Classic.
Mitchell’s nine-under-par total saw him finish one shot ahead of Brooks Koepka and Rickie Fowler, ranked three and seven in the world, at PGA National in Florida, and clinch a memorable win for the Georgia native, whose previous best finish as a pro had been tied second in last year’s Dominican Republic Open on the PGA Tour Latinoamerica.
Mitchell, 27, was tied for the lead after the first two rounds, and on Sunday he birdied four of the final seven holes for his first win as a pro.
“My mind started wandering there a little bit at the end, and then I hit a great putt,” said the winner, who moved up from 162 to 68 in the world rankings following the win. “It’s not even close to sinking in. I don’t expect it to, I don’t want it to – this is just awesome. Playing like I did coming down the stretch is unbelievable.”
Vijay Singh missed the chance to create history after a closing round of 70 left him in sixth place. The 56-year-old Fijian had been attempting to become the oldest winner on the PGA Tour, surpassing the record set by the 52-year-old Sam Snead in 1965.
KEITH MITCHELL’S WINNING GEAR
Driver: Mizuno ST190 (9.5°)
Fairway Woods: Titleist 917F2 (16.5°), Titleist TS2 (21°)
Irons: Mizuno MP-18 (4-PW)
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM7 (50°, 54°) Titleist Vokey Design (60°)
Putter: TaylorMade Spider X Copper
Ball: Titleist Pro V1