A six-over par opening nine threatened to wreck his week on Thursday, but Keith Mitchell recovered to produce something never before seen in 126 playings of the US Open.
Keith Mitchell won’t be leaving Shinnecock Hills with the US Open trophy, but the American heads home with plenty to smile about after securing the best major finish of his career and a place in the record books.
Having come through a brutal 36-hole qualifier to secure his spot in the field, Mitchell looked dead and buried after nine holes of the year’s third men’s major. Four days later, the World No.44 left Long Island with a tie for fourth, a hefty check, a spot in next year’s field at Pebble Beach and a record nobody had managed before.
The 34-year-old became the first player in the US Open’s 126-year history to shoot four level-par rounds, carding 70 on all four days at Shinnecock Hills.
It’s a feat that looked highly unlikely through nine holes of the tournament. Mitchell turned in 41 during his opening round on Thursday, reaching the halfway stage in six-over par after a nightmare start. But the Tennessee native mounted a remarkable recovery, playing his back nine in six-under thanks to four birdies and an eagle to salvage an opening 70.
He had to battle again on Friday. Three over through five holes, Mitchell steadied himself to record a second successive level-par round before mixing three birdies with three bogeys on Saturday and two birdies with two bogeys on Sunday.
Only a bogey on the 71st hole denied him joining the six players to finish under par in the six US Opens held at Shinnecock Hills. Instead, he made history in his own way.
Had his putter been hotter over a dramatic final day – or had he avoided that disastrous opening nine on Thursday – Mitchell might even have found himself lifting the famous trophy.
“I might not have won, but I felt like I achieved a lot more than I thought I was going to after about two hours into the round,” he smiled after the round.
“You can always look at winning a tournament, but I think I won the week after the start.”
The American arrived in New York with just one PGA Tour victory to his name, the 2019 Honda Classic, and without a top-10 finish in a major championship from his previous 15 starts. His best showing had been a tie for 20th at the 2023 US Open at Los Angeles Country Club, won by Wyndham Clark. Fitting then that Mitchell should improve his record in the year when Clark lifted his second major.
Mitchell’s tie for fourth is expected to be worth close to $1 million and also turned him into an unlikely internet sensation. Television cameras caught him looking utterly exhausted after his dramatic opening round, with his unbuttoned shirt and weary expression quickly becoming a viral meme.
Asked by The Athletic’s Gabby Herzig whether he had seen the posts after his third round, Mitchell embraced the joke.
“It’s the most accurate meme of all time,” he said. “I felt exactly how I looked.”
After four days of grinding around one of golf’s toughest tests, a career-best major finish, big pay day and a guaranteed return to next year’s US Open should help him get a good night’s sleep.
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