"IF YOU LIKE GOLF"
online golf column
by
Chris Dortch

August 5, 2008

Adam Mitchell can’t wait to get to the U.S. Amateur later this month.

Given the way the Georgia All-American and former McCallie star has played the last few weeks, his enthusiasm isn’t hard to figure.

Last month Mitchell won the prestigious Porter Cup, placing his name on a trophy with David Duval, Phil Mickelson and Ben Crenshaw. (But not, surprisingly, Tiger Woods.)

Buoyed with confidence after winning one of amateur’s golf’s most important tournaments, Mitchell went to Memphis Aug. 4 for U.S. Amateur qualifying and torched the North Course at Colonial Country Club with rounds of 64-66. That was easily the day’s low score as Mitchell claimed one of only two spots.

Next comes a trip to famed Pinehurst, where the U.S. Amateur will be played. And though school starts that same week—“I’m going to have to figure that one out,” Mitchell said—he’s eagerly awaiting the challenge.

“I’m really looking forward to the U.S. Amateur,” Mitchell said. “It just seems like the Porter Cup has brought my game to a whole new level. It’s pretty special to have won a tournament against that great a field, that’s been won in the past by Phil Mickelson, Ben Crenshaw.

“It’s also important for me to know that all the hard work I’ve been putting in on my game has paid off. There were some rough times—you always have to take a step back when you try to get better—but now I’m starting to play really well.”

The scores prove as much. He did most of his damage at the Porter Cup with an 8-under-par 62 in the first round, and after sitting idle for a day because the second round was postponed by rain, he followed that with a 66. He wound up winning by three shots despite the almost constant presence of rain.

It was during a two-hour rain delay on the final day that Mitchell got a pleasant surprise. Mitchell’s father Jim is almost always around whenever he plays, whether it’s as a caddy or a spectator. But on the week of the Porter Cup, the elder Mitchell had another obligation to his daughter, driving her around on a tour of colleges in Cincinnati.

But when Jim Mitchell found out his son was in the hunt at the Porter Cup, he caught a flight to New York for the final round. He didn’t bother telling Adam.

“I looked up and saw a guy that looked like my dad,” Mitchell said. “Then I said, ‘wait a minute, that is my dad.’ I was stunned.”

Jim Mitchell had brought his camera and was just planning on watching. Adam had other ideas.

“I wanted him to caddy for me,” “I was worn out, just really tired. Having him on the bag definitely helped.”

Jim was also on hand at Memphis during U.S. Amateur qualifying, where the heat made it a brutal, 36-hole endurance test. And he’ll caddy for Adam in the U.S. Amateur.

“It’s been great to have him there with me,” Mitchell said.

For the last two years, Chattanooga swing instructor Zeb Patten has also been a part of Mitchell’s support group. Mitchell credits his recent ascension to another level to the work he’s done with Patten.

“We’ve worked a lot on the short game,” Mitchell said, “and my chipping and putting have gotten so much better. And my swing has gotten more consistent, too. It really takes a lot of pressure off when you know you can get up and down if you miss a green.”

Mitchell hasn’t missed too many greens the last month or so. His irons have honed in on the flag. In that first-round 62 at the Porter Cup, he had five tap-in birdie putts.

“It’s all about confidence,” Mitchell said. “I know what I need to do to make the ball go straight. That’s been the key.”

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