Keith Mitchell was keeping score for Georgia during his round.
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Keith Mitchell is a classic Georgia boy.
He has earned his name “Keith Cashmere” for his frequency of sporting luxe sweaters and cardigans, but also his frequent use of whites and bright pastels in his outfits, a classic embodiment of the Southern vibe.
He also speaks with the melodic cadence that can only be identified as a strong Georgian drawl.
But more importantly in the context of this send-off, he loves his Georgia Bulldogs football, so much so, he’s even thinking about it while competing on the PGA Tour.
While most of the PGA Tour season is now played out in the vacuum of America’s most popular sport, this week Sanderson Farms Championship played long FedEx Cup Fall season and has the unenviable task of going straight into the heart of the football season.
So with PGA Tour events running Thursday through Sunday, Saturday’s third round was taking place just as the Mitchell Bulldogs were taking on the Auburn Tigers.
But even though Mitchell was five under on the day through 15 holes, reaching 18 under and tying for the tournament lead, he wanted to control the game.
While standing in the 16th round, he asked a fan to give him some updates.
“Are you watching the football scores?” he asked.
“Oh yeah!” the fan replied.
“What do we have?”
“14-10 Dawgs,” the fan told him, giving him the good news that his beloved No. 5-ranked Bulldogs were winning against the unranked Tigers.
Mitchell’s attention then turned to the team that handed Georgia its first loss of the season last week in Tuscaloosa.
“What about the Bama score?” Mitchell asked.
“23-14 Commodores,” the fan replied, telling him about the shock of the college football world so far that afternoon that No. 1 Alabama was losing to undefeated Vanderbilt.
The Golf Channel camera focused on Mitchell’s partner, Jacob Bridgeman, and his caddy, who looked shocked to hear Alabama was losing.
“Holy cow!” someone said.
But Mitchell was still focused on his game.
“Auburn scored though? 14-10?” he asked.
“Yes.”
If you thought any of this meant Mitchell was losing touch with his round, think again. The veteran drained a 37-foot bomb for birdie on 17 before closing his approach on No. 18 to seven feet for another, giving him the sole lead on Sanderson heading into the final round.
