Golfer Keith Mitchell shoots a 4-over 75 in opening round of the U.S. Amateur

photo Keith Mitchell is shown in the 2009 file photo.

JOHNS CREEK, Ga. - Former Baylor School golfer Keith Mitchell shot a 4-over 75 in his opening round of the U.S. Amateur on Monday at Atlanta Athletic Club.

"I didn't play that bad on 17 holes," Mitchell said, after signing his scorecard.

Mitchell, who recently graduated from the University of Georgia, played the more difficult Highlands Course, and he will play the Riverside Course on Tuesday. The top 64 out of 312 competitors will reach the match-play portion of the tournament.

Mitchell bogeyed his second hole, but birdied No. 6 after hitting his drive into a fairway bunker.

His biggest mistake came on the par-4 No. 8 which has water down the left side of the fairway and trouble to the right.

Mitchell pulled his tee shot into the water resulting in a triple-bogey.

"I was trying to press too much," he said.

He bogeyed No. 11, birdied No. 12, bogeyed Nos. 13 and 15 before hitting his highlight shots of the day on the final hole. He crushed a perfect drive 320 yards into the center of the fairway. Then he smoked a 4-iron 235 to the middle of the green. Two putts later he had a birdie.

"Those were my two best shots of the day," Mitchell said. "It's a good way to end."

See Tuesday's Times Free Press for more coverage.

Contact David Uchiyama at duchiyama@timesfreepress.com or at 423-757-6484. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/UchiyamaCTFP

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