Just inside the top 70, Keith Mitchell still hopes to play Monday
JERSEY CITY, N.J. – Keith Mitchell was sizing up his 25-footer for birdie from just short of the 18th green when he glanced up at the leaderboard.
He’d avoided the ubiquitous boards all day. Having entered The Northern Trust at 101st on the FedExCup points list, he knew he needed a special performance at Liberty National to crack the top 70 and advance to the BMW Championship.
The leaderboard told him what he needed to know: Projected 69th.
With Tropical Storm Henri closing in on Long Island, officials canceled play on Sunday and planned to complete the final round Monday, but that plan could be changed by more rain in the forecast and the event could be shortened to 54 holes.
“You never know what’s going to happen with the weather and when I knew I was in the top 70, at the time, I was like I’m going to try and make this putt with the best speed we possibly can and get out of here,” said Mitchell, who calmly two-putted the final hole for a third-round 70 that left him tied for 11th place.
Full-field scores from The Northern Trust
Mitchell said he played Saturday’s round like it would be the last, but he hopes to get one more chance to improve his status on the point list.
“We have no idea what’s going to happen on Monday, if the course is even going to be playable on Monday, fingers crossed that everything is OK,” he said. “We might not be able to play at all on Monday. If that’s the case then I think I’m still in for next week.”