The PGA Championship is right around the corner, and the search for sleeper picks is underway. One player who deserves attention is Keith Mitchell. He’s got an excellent mindset and approach to the game and is already being touted as a dark horse for the 2023 Championship in Oak Hill. In this article, we’ll delve into two reasons why we think Keith Mitchell stands out as a promising 2023 PGA sleeper pick.
The Power of a Growth Mindset
If you’ve read our post on ways pro golfers deal with the pressure of the PGA Championship, you’ll be familiar with a growth mindset. A concept of a growth mindset, pioneered by renowned psychologist Dr. Carol Dweck, argues that talent and abilities can be developed through dedication, effort, and perseverance and that challenges and setbacks are opportunities for growth and improvement.
We think that Keith Mitchell applies a growth mindset to excel in his game. In the video below, Keith talks about his love for competition: the internal and external pressure it brings and the “laser focus” that arises when he competes. He says, in essence, that he loves competition because it pushes him to be better.
He doesn’t directly say, “I use a growth mindset” in the video, but enjoying competition for the focus and improvement it brings is an indirect way of saying so. To further prove our point, in the same video, Keith Mitchell also describes his work with famed sports psychologist Dr. Rotella, who is a proponent of a growth mindset. In this 2020 interview, Dr. Rotella’s approach is succinctly summarized: “Routine, process, positive mindset, baby steps, and avoid results-driven practices.” These are the core tenants of a growth mindset: focusing on the process of improvement and avoiding outcome-focused thinking. So, for us, Keith has taken a growth mindset approach and that’s one reason why why he’s a promising PGA sleeper pick.
Striving for Excellence, Not Perfection
Another aspect we think makes Keith Mitchell a solid PGA sleeper pick is his pursuit of excellence rather than perfection. While perfection may seem like an ideal goal, it can actually be detrimental to performance—because perfectionism has zero margins for error and, thus, a 100% failure rate. This is why perfectionists are easily frustrated and upset about their performance. We think Keith approaches his game from an excellence-focused approach. Take a look at this short interview—from nearly a decade ago—where he reviews his performance.
In the video, he says, “I didn’t play perfect golf this week, but, at the end of the day, it was good enough.” We’d call this “good-enough” approach seeking excellence rather than perfection. What this means in practice is accepting that golf is a game of constant refinement and improvement, so by striving for excellence, we set ourselves up for long-term success.
Ultimately, striving for excellence increases our confidence, while striving for perfection decreases our confidence. The difference between excellence and perfection lies in how we manage challenges. Perfectionism has zero margin for error. Excellence, however, indicates that mistakes, setbacks, and challenges are inevitable and are actually extremely valuable for developing as a golfer. The excellence mindset helps us work through challenges with less frustration, so we learn faster and build more stable confidence.
The Mental Edge
Golf is as much a mental game as it is a physical one. That’s why we train golfers to perform their best when it matters most. We think Keith Mitchell’s growth mindset and pursuit of excellence position him as a compelling PGA sleeper pick. No wonder he’s a dark horse contender to win this year’s PGA Championship. Do you agree? Who else on the tour has a similar mindset? Let us know in the comments below.
—MTI
