Does anyone on the PGA Tour dress better than Keith Mitchell?
Photographs by Steven Brahms
Feature image:
Shirt: Sid Mashburn slim-fit “made-to-measure” white oxford.
Jeans: Sid Mashburn selvedge rigid denim.
Watch: Rolex Oyster Perpetual Explorer II Cream Dial.
The season isn’t half over, but Keith Mitchell wins Golf Digest’s Best Dressed of 2024. If the PGA Tour created such an award, you can bet it’d be remunerative. (Sorry, Cashmere Keith, but our editorial team doesn’t have outsize “financial reserves” to play with, so all you got was this photo shoot.) Now in his seventh season, the 32-year-old from Chattanooga in Tennessee has a win and a respectable lifetime cuts-made percentage hovering about two-thirds. Such a record hasn’t translated into a lot of time on television, but he has made every second count with an elegance so subtle that it can’t go unnoticed. Amid all the loud peacocking and stretchy slim-fitting sameness, Mitchell stands out for quietly placing intention in every article he wears, and it all combines for a fairway strut that is instantly recognisable from the far end of a par 5. Here, Mitchell is interviewed by the only other man in golf whose name is as synonymous with style, Marty Hackel, a.k.a. “Mr Style”, who served as fashion director at Golf Digest for 15 years.
Shirt: Sid Mashburn, short-sleeve knit “popover”, pink pima pique.
Trousers: Sid Mashburn dress trouser, high-twist mid-grey.
What is your take on the state of men’s golf fashion on tour?
Too scripted! Also, I think the white belts need to die.
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A strong sense of fashion is prevalent in other major professional sports, especially football, basketball and soccer. Why is pro golf seemingly allergic?
All these athletes can wear what they choose walking into the stadium, then put on their uniforms. The problem in golf is whatever players wear, fans equate that to their personal style, when in fact those clothes are most likely outfits scripted by their apparel sponsor. If more golfers could wear their own style on the course, I think a lot of guys would blossom. Then again, I also think some players are helped by their uniforms.
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How do you see the difference between on-course style and off-course style?
I like to treat mine the same, and that is why my look is a bit different. I like to wear something I can go straight to dinner in at a nice restaurant, or vice versa if there’s something to do before I get to the course. Most golfers are so golf-oriented and not very fashion-oriented.
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When people see you, who is the man you want them to see?
Oh, wow, a passionate man.
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Shoes: FootJoy, Dry Joy Premiere Series, white.
Watch: Tank Louis Cartier
You’ve been given the nickname “Cashmere Keith”. Is it difficult travelling with all those sweaters?
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Not at all. I just spot clean them if dirty and use a sweater razor if they pill from abrasion under my swinging arms.
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Which golfers of the past have you looked to for style inspiration?
Arnold Palmer and Seve Ballesteros are the easy ones. Johnny Miller when he wasn’t completely loud. So much of what Miller did was one step ahead. His bell bottoms were just that bit wider, for example. The famous black-and-white houndstooth pants he wore, I personally liked and appreciated, but I don’t think I’d wear them. I prefer subtle patterns.
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What’s the hardest trip to pack for?
The West Coast swing because you go to Hawaii, San Diego, Palm Springs, Pebble Beach and then Phoenix. That’s four different climates, arguably five. I’m definitely checking three bags, as I’ve only ever been upset by underpacking, never overpacking. The hardest single tournament is the Masters because you never know what you’re going to get. Might be 40 degrees [Fahrenheit] and raining, or 80s and sunny and humid. The Open is actually the easiest because you know it’s going to be cold. Even when they say it’s warm, it’s cold.
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Sweater: Sid Mashburn fine-gauge v-neck cashmere, navy.
Trousers: Sid Mashburn glen plaid hopsack, chocolate/sand.
Shoes: Sid Mashburn Italian tassel loafer, suede, dark chocolate.
Watch: Patek Philippe, Grand Complications Ref. 5320G.
Where do your signature visors go?
Ha! I do travel with a hat case because my Imperial visors would get crushed in a suitcase. I typically pack four or five visors and carry that on.
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Why the “no-see-’em” socks?
I love the really thick FootJoy ones that won’t roll down, but they don’t make them anymore, so I buy them on Amazon. They’re very comfortable and stable inside in my shoes.
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You were a customer of the Sid Mashburn label long before you wore his clothing on tour. What’s the backstory?
When I turned pro in 2014, I wore Nike, but it was during college that a good friend alerted us to Sid. He’d heard Sid speak at a retreat and told us what an incredible person he was. I visited the store when I could barely afford to buy a pair of jeans and was treated like a guy buying a $10,000 suit. That stuck with me. It wasn’t until a couple of years later that I met Sid for the first time at a pop-up store in New York. It’s fun working together now, being involved in all the little design details of what I’ll wear on tour. When I’m in Atlanta, I bring friends to the store all the time to play ping pong and drink bourbon.
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This is an interesting shirt you’re wearing. Tell us about it.
It’s called a “popover”. It’s basically if a dress shirt and a golf shirt had a child. Sid says he stopped the placket exactly where a blazer would button. This is so that it looks formal under a coat but casual without one. I loved the design so much that I asked if he could make the shirt using piquet [knit] fabric and cut the sleeves off. He decided to also put a tennis tail and an extra inch on the bottom to make it a more athletic cut. I love when things have a specific functional purpose that turns into style.
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Belt: Sid Mashburn conroy, chocolate alligator.
What’s the most recent gift you bought for someone?
A firepit. Nice to be able to sit out there and smoke a cigar.
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Give us a cigar recommendation.
Montecristo White Label on the course because I cannot play golf and drink.
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A style mistake you’ve regretted?
Any time my pant lengths were too long. Perfect is no break, when the bottoms just kiss the tops of your shoes.
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Trousers: Sid Mashburn side-tab sport, seersucker, stone.
Watch: Laurent Ferrier Classic Micro-Rotor, Magnetic Green, Fourtane Jewellers.
Every golfer with a sense of style considers his watch seriously, and from what I understand, you’re no different.
My grandfather passed when I was in eighth grade, and through my dad he gifted me his Rolex Datejust model, and it was engraved: “To Keith with love, Papaw and Dad.” The backstory is, when my dad graduated from medical school, he bought my granddad this Rolex Datejust as a gift for putting him through school. My dad put me through school and supported me when I started trying to play on tour, so when I got my PGA Tour card, I did the same for him. I purchased a Rolex Datejust and had it engraved: “Thanks for the love and support, Keith,” and he has not taken it off since that day. I also bought my mum a Rolex before I ever bought anything big for myself. My parents made so many sacrifices for me. I’m fascinated by the sophistication of workmanship in watches that goes back hundreds of years. I bought my wife an engagement ring, but when we got married, we each bought Cartier Tank watches engraved with our initials and wedding date. I’ve bought all my watches at Fourtane Jewellers in Carmel, California, which is run by my friend Josh Bonifas. He took the business over from his father, so his knowledge is remarkable. Every time I play Pebble Beach, I visit the store.
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Best style advice you ever received?
“Elegance is in simplicity,” which I got from my dad. After all, a tuxedo is just black and white. My belt buckle is my dad’s, and I’ve worn it since I got my first belt strap at 16. This is why style is timeless to me.
