Keith Mitchell was the last player to receive a sponsor’s exemption into the Truist Championship this week at Philadelphia Cricket Club.

By the end of the first day of play, though, he leads the field by one after posting a 9-under 61.

The former Georgia Bulldog took full advantage of his opportunity to play in the sixth Signature Event.

He opened his round with five straight pars. From there, the flat stick got hot.

Mitchell made three birdies in the next four holes to turn in 31 shots. However, coming home, it seemed like he could not miss.

He made his fourth birdie on his 10th hole, the par-4 1st, and added another at the 3rd. Coming down the stretch, Mitchell made four birdies in a row before settling for a par on the par-4 9th to sign for a 61 on a day perfect for golf.

If his score does not indicate his appreciation of the Wissahickon Course, Mitchell confirmed it after his first round.

“It’s a great golf course. Love playing it. Definitely old school. We don’t play a ton of these,” Mitchell said. “This golf course is as classic as it gets, traditional. The weather was perfect today. Taking advantage of it today with the weather was exactly what we were trying to do.”

The 2019 Honda Classic winner made over 91 feet in putts Thursday and was No. 6 in strokes gained putting, picking up +2.161 shots. His approach game, though, was the best in the field.

Mitchell picked up +3.140 in strokes gained approach to the green.

Thursdays seem to be Mitchell’s favorite. He is 59-under-par in round one this season, six shots better than the next person, per golf stat guru Justin Ray.

However, Mitchell has not won yet in 2025. He has come close to winning, but cannot seem to close. The 33-year-old has a runner-up finish at the Corales Puntacana Championship and six Top 25s in 11 starts.

Despite playing this course for the first time, Mitchell had a little help.

“I have a buddy that’s a member that kind of gave me a little bit of info,” he explained. “I knew it was a great golf course. Everybody I talked to said it was amazing, and they were right.”

“We’re lucky to be here. I just plotted my way around Monday and Wednesday to figure out what to hit and where to try to put the ball on the green.”

It seems like his due diligence paid off, at least for Thursday. Will this week be the one where Mitchell gets over the hump? With this track being on a more traditional scale, he has a perfect opportunity to take advantage of it and end his drought.

Weather experts predict that the Philadelphia area will get 1-2 inches of rain between Thursday evening and Friday morning. The PGA Tour moved tee times to be on split tees and into threesomes.

Mitchell will play alongside Michael Kim and Michael Thorbjornsen at 11:09 a.m. ET off the first tee.

More Golf: Sir Nick Faldo’s Masters Story Reveals Why Jim Nantz is the GOAT