The Palm Beach Post is apologizing to golfer Keith Mitchell for the headline it used in yesterday's sports section following his win Sunday at the PGA Tour Honda Classic, with sports editor Nick Pugliese writing the paper "missed the cup by 10 feet" when it ran the header, "No-Name Champion." Many readers were upset with the header, and Pugliese notes the idea "came from Mitchell himself, who said Sunday in his victory news conference that a friend had sent him a newspaper clipping (not from The Post) with the headline, 'No-Name Leading Honda.'" The theme "even showed up on the PGA Tour's web site for its Honda final-round story." Part of the reasoning also came from the "list of players who finished right behind Mitchell," as Brooks Koepka and Rickie Fowler, two of the "bigger names on the Tour," finished tied for second. Pugliese: "We could have tweaked the No-Name headline to make it more appropriate." He writes the header on the Post's website "truly told the story: Keith Mitchell tops Brooks Koepka, Rickie Fowler, Vijay Singh to win first career PGA Tour title" (PALM BEACH POST, 3/5). Palm Beach Post Editor Nick Moschella wrote on Twitter, "Wish we could get a mulligan on our Honda Classic headline" (TWITTER.com, 3/4).
TWITTER HAS ITS SAY: PGA Tour Dir of Internal Communications Dave Cordero praised the Post for "calling a penalty on itself for 'No Name' headline." Golf Advisor's Tim Gavrich noted the newspaper "took a lot of fire for their headline," and while it "wasn’t mean ... it was imprecisely executed." Before the Post issued its apology, many in the golf world were expressing their displeasure with the header. Golfer David Hearn wrote, "Every player on every tour has a name. And every player has a story to be heard...especially when they win. What a terrible thing for a player to have to read about himself after a highlight moment. @pbpost you should be disgusted by this headline." Caddie Jeff Johnson: "Guy realizes a life-long dream to become a @PGATOUR Champion and this is what he has to see the next morning? You guys ought to be ashamed of yourselves." Golf Digest's official feed: "It doesn't get much more disrespectful than this newspaper headline on Keith Mitchell's win."
IT HAPPENS TO ALL OF US: GOLF DIGEST's Stephen Hennessey noted NBC's broadcast crew also "wasn't as familiar" with Mitchell, as Dan Hicks "got Mitchell's name wrong" at the end of the third round on Saturday. He referred to him as Kevin Mitchell, the name of the '89 NL MVP. Keith Mitchell on Sunday night tweeted out a clip of the faux pas with the text, "You can call me Kevin all you want. Just make the check out to Keith," and a winking emoji. Hicks responded, "Aw cmon that was once in 3rd rd. We were clean in the final round!" (GOLFDIGEST.com, 3/4).
