While Keith Mitchell failed to qualify for this week's Truist Championship from a performance standpoint, the 33-year-old was given a sponsor's exemption into this sixth Signature Event of the 2025 PGA Tour season, and he's certainly taking advantage.
Some see the exemption as a little fishy, as Mitchell was named one of two co-chairmen of the Player Advisory Council a few weeks back, the other being Maverick McNealy. But we're not here to get into any exemption controversy, as we recently went through some of that with Rickie Fowler and his special invite to the PGA Championship.
What we are here to discuss is how Mitchell has put himself in prime position to make a little PGA Tour history, even if the history we're talking about isn't all that lengthy, as the former Georgia Bulldog has a shot to become the lowest-ranked player to win a Signature Event.
Currently ranked No. 90 in the Official World Golf Ranking, Mitchell has just one PGA Tour victory to his name, that coming all the way back in 2019 at The Honda Classic (now the Cognizant Classic) at PGA National.
But he's certainly playing like he's ready to notch his second.
Coming off a T2 in his last start at the Corales Puntacana Championship, Mitchell opened his week at Philadelphia Cricket Club by shattering the course record at the A.W. Tillinghast-designed Wissahickon Course, firing a 9-under 61 with nine birdies and zero bogeys.
He wasn't quite as sharp during Friday's second round, carding a pair of bogeys, but still made five birdies en route to a 3-under 67, thus taking a one-stroke lead over Shane Lowry into the weekend.
And as mentioned, if Mitchell can hang on, he'll become the lowest-ranked player to win a Signature Event, which were established by the PGA Tour in 2023.
Year | Tournament | Winner | World Ranking |
|---|---|---|---|
2023 | Sentry Tournament of Champions | Jon Rahm | No. 5 |
2023 | WM Phoenix Open | Scottie Scheffler | No. 2 |
2023 | Genesis Invitational | Jon Rahm | No. 3 |
2023 | Arnold Palmer Invitational | Kurt Kitayama | No. 46 |
2023 | RBC Heritage | Matt Fitzpatrick | No. 16 |
2023 | Wells Fargo Championship | Wyndham Clark | No. 80 |
2023 | Memorial Tournament | Viktor Hovland | No. 7 |
2023 | Travelers Championship | Keegan Bradley | No. 28 |
2024 | The Sentry | Chris Kirk | No. 52 |
2024 | AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am | Wyndham Clark | No. 10 |
2024 | Genesis Invitational | Hideki Matsuyama | No. 55 |
2024 | Arnold Palmer Invitational | Scottie Scheffler | No. 1 |
2024 | RBC Heritage | Scottie Scheffler | No. 1 |
2024 | Wells Fargo Championship | Rory McIlroy | No. 2 |
2024 | Memorial Tournament | Scottie Scheffler | No. 1 |
2024 | Travelers Championship | Scottie Scheffler | No. 1 |
2025 | The Sentry | Hideki Matsuyama | No. 6 |
2025 | AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am | Rory McIlroy | No. 3 |
2025 | Genesis Invitational | Ludvig Ã…berg | No. 6 |
2025 | Arnold Palmer Invitational | Russell Henley | No. 14 |
2025 | RBC Heritage | Justin Thomas | No. 8 |
As you can see, the mark is currently owned by Wyndham Clark, who was the 80th-ranked player in the world when he won the 2023 Wells Fargo Championship, which, of course, is now known as the Truist Championship.
Clark jumped from No. 80 to No. 31 with that win, and one would assume Mitchell would get a similar bump if he hoists a trophy come Sunday afternoon in Philly.