Baylor’s Mitchell joins line to Georgia golf

Keith Mitchell has plans to follow in some big footsteps.

The Baylor rising senior has committed to play golf for the University of Georgia beginning in the fall of 2010.

“I grew up being a Bulldog golf fan,” Mitchell said Wednesday after the second round of Ringgold Telephone Junior Classic. “I tried to be as non-biased as I could. I took three visits to Georgia and loved the coach (Chris Haack) and the guys.”

He follows a lineage of Chattanooga-area golfers who have helped raise Georgia into a national contender every year. The Bulldogs reached the semifinals of match play in the NCAA championship last week.

Baylor’s Michael Morrison became an All-American and helped the Bulldogs win the 1999 national championship.

McCallie’s Adam Mitchell, who just finished his Georgia career, reached the semifinals of the 2008 U.S. Amateur at Pinehurst No. 2. And rising Georgia junior Harris English, another Baylor graduate, won his first college tournament despite playing as an individual.

“It’s nice having the local connection, but they’ve had such great careers it’s almost like mine can’t be less than theirs,” said Keith Mitchell, no relation to Adam. “They set high expectations.”

The younger Mitchell earned AJGA All-American honorable mention last year. During his junior season at Baylor he won the City Prep tournament by four shots and placed sixth in the Division II-AA state tournament, which Baylor won.

“I think he’s got enough game to go down there and play for them right now,” said swing coach Zeb Patten, who also coaches Adam Mitchell. “He’s as talented of a student I’ve ever had. Keith is further along in his career as a junior than Adam was.”

Keith said he visited and considered Georgia Tech, Virginia, Tennessee and North Carolina.

“Michael put Georgia in my mind before I even knew I had Georgia in my head,” he said. “When I was like 7 or 8, we’d have putting contests. I guess he was the start of it.”