PALM HARBOR, Fla. — Keith Mitchell thrived in a troublesome wind on a troublesome Copperhead course at Innisbrook on Thursday till he dropped two photographs late in his spherical and needed to accept a 4-under 67 and a five-way share of the lead within the Valspar Championship.
The gusts had been within the 30 mph vary at instances. Rain pelted the gamers within the afternoon throughout a quick bathe. And the course already has a repute as top-of-the-line exams on the PGA Tour.
For Mitchell, it was all about timing. He was anticipating his share of bogeys on a day like this. It simply stung slightly extra to be at 6 underneath, within the fairway on the par-5 fifth simply 90 yards from the opening, and must accept a 67.
That dropped him right into a share of the lead with Stephan Jaeger, Jacob Bridgeman, Ricky Castillo and Sami Välimäki. Solely 21 gamers broke 70 with the potential of one other, Kevin Velo, who was 2 underneath via 17 holes when play was suspended by darkness.
Velo can recognize what Mitchell felt. He was bogey-free, tied for the lead, till his day ended with back-to-back bogeys.
Mitchell had a birdie probability from simply inside 50 ft on the par-3 eighth, his seventeenth of the day, when he left it 10 ft quick and three-putted for bogey. He then rode a robust wind into the proper tough on the uphill ninth, went simply over the again and completed with a bogey.
“It is loopy to say you left some on the market when it is windy,” Mitchell stated. “I do not need to say that as a result of you are going to make errors, you are going to hit photographs that you just want you may have over or putts that you just had over.
“However you are taking these two (bogeys) out of the spherical and sprinkle them some place else (and) I am feeling good.”
Xander Schauffele confirmed some enchancment in his third straight event since being away two months with a rib damage. He dropped a number of photographs like everybody else — three of his 4 bogeys on the par 3s — and opened with a 70.
Justin Thomas went out in 40 within the afternoon and performed laborious to the top, bogey-free on the again 9 to salvage a 73. That was one shot higher than Jordan Spieth, who received at Innisbrook 10 years in the past throughout his highway to a Masters inexperienced jacket. Spieth hit solely two fairways via 13 holes till hitting his final 5 in regulation.
He three-putted from 18 ft for bogey on the seventeenth and made a 5-foot birdie on the 18th for 74.
Mitchell has blended emotions about Innisbrook, a course he loves however one that offers him dangerous recollections. He had a two-shot lead going into the ultimate spherical a 12 months in the past earlier than a wild last spherical when he did not make birdie till the 14th gap and shot 77.
“I nonetheless give it some thought,” Mitchell stated. “It is nonetheless positively at the back of my thoughts and I would like it to remain there for hopefully for the remainder of my profession to simply inspire me to recollect what it appears like while you let these type of nerves get in your means. A spherical like immediately appears like the alternative of that.”
The others at 67 rallied late. Jaeger, who subsequent week defends his title within the Houston Open, birdied his final two holes. Bridgeman began bogey-bogey and rallied with a 32 on the entrance 9, beginning with an eagle on the par-5 opening gap.
Bother was at all times lurking, although. Sahith Theegala was at 4 underneath after working off 5 birdies in a six-hole stretch on the again 9. He completed with a pair of three-putt bogeys, one from 18 ft at No. 17, the opposite from about 60 ft down the ridge on the 18th, and shot 69.
