After shooting 41 and 29 over two nines, Keith Mitchell made U.S. Open history twice in the same week
Jun 21, 2026; Southampton, New York, USA; Keith Mitchell takes his shot on the 13th tee box during the final round of the U.S. Open golf tournament at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club. Mandatory Credit: Pamela Smith-Imagn Images
Jun 21, 2026; Southampton, New York, USA; Keith Mitchell takes his shot on the 13th tee box during the final round of the U.S. Open golf tournament at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club. Mandatory Credit: Pamela Smith-Imagn Images
Keith Mitchell managed to do something never seen in over 125 years of U.S. Open play. Keith Mitchell’s week at the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills produced two separate entries in championship history.
The 34-year-old American competed at Shinnecock Hills during the 126th U.S. Open. His rounds followed a steady pattern on the leaderboard, but his opening nine holes stood out early in the week.
He first posted an unusual split round of 41 and 29 across nine-hole stretches, and later became the first player to finish all four rounds of a U.S. Open at even par. Golf account Flushing It highlighted both records in a post on June 22, 2026, noting his place in tournament history.
The same post also listed his scorecard for the week: 70-70-70-70, making him the only player to record even par in every round of the championship.
The achievement came at Shinnecock Hills, one of the most demanding venues in major championship golf, where scoring conditions have varied across generations of U.S. Opens.
Mitchell entered the tournament having reached the field through Final Qualifying and with limited prior success in majors. Before this week, his best finish in a major was tied for 20th, and he had made the cut in seven of 14 starts.
He finished the championship tied for fourth at 280, four strokes behind the winner, Wyndham Clark. On Sunday, he remained in contention on the back nine before bogeys on Nos. 10 and 17.
His consistency across four rounds kept him inside the top group throughout the week.
Keith Mitchell recognizes the weight of his achievement
“I might have not won, but I felt like I achieved a lot more than potentially I thought I was going to after about two hours into the [first] round,” Mitchell said. "I think I won the week after that start.”
Mitchell’s final-round 70 matched his scores from the previous three days, closing a complete set of even-par rounds.
He ended the tournament at 280, four shots off the lead, after steady scoring across all four days.
“I've never necessarily believed that I was ... I don't know, if it's good enough, but was able to accomplish something this big, and for me right now, a T-4 is a win in my book,” he said.
The result also secured his return to the U.S. Open next year at Pebble Beach.
Written by
Sneha Abraham
Edited by
Siddharth Shirwadkar