By AL MILLEY

DANVILLE, Va. – Bobby Mitchell is in his 43rd year as a golf professional and the 58-year-old Danvillian still feels he can be competitive.
Mitchell recently picked up an alternate berth in the Turtle Bay Senior Tournament in Hawaii. He finished 13 over and picked up $1,140. It was Mitchell’s first appearance in a senior tournament since returning from his yearly trip to Finland.
Mitchell started traveling to Finland in 1991, teaching golf and working on his own game in preparation for the Senior Tour. The only year he missed the trip was 1995 when he qualified to play the entire Senior Tour.
"Obviously, I would rather be playing on the Senior Tour," said Mitchell recently, "but I haven’t been able to get through qualifying school. Going to Finland is the next best thing, because I enjoy teaching golf and I like the people.
Mitchell received the invitation to teach golf in Finland through his association with Averett University athletic director Vesa Hiltunen, a native of Finland. He goes early in June and returns early in September. "Those are about the only good months to play golf in Finland," Mitchell explained.
"Golf is a young sport in Finland and the people are anxious to learn the game. I have worked with some youngsters who have become very good golfers," added Mitchell in mentioning present Averett player Janne Mommo who finished ninth in the Division III NCAA Tournament last year as a sophomore.
Mommo says Mitchell helped him learn about the game of golf. "We didn’t know a lot about golf, but we knew Bobby Mitchell had beaten Jack Nicklaus and that made him a hero to everyone he came in contact with in Finland. Everyone wanted to take lessons from Bobby Mitchell."
Mitchell says this year was an unusually busy time for him in Finland. "I was teaching at two courses (Nokia and Tampere) and I worked seven days a week. It stays light until after 10 during the summer months in Finland, and there were days when I taught until 10.
"It was fun and I made good money, but it was very tiring. When I did get some time to myself, I was too tired to practice. That didn’t help my game, but I enjoyed helping others. They seemed to enjoy it too, because they’ve already asked me to come back next year."
Mitchell says his decision on returning in 2002 will depend on Senior Tour qualifying school. "If I qualify, I’ll stay here and play the tour. If I don’t, I’ll go back to Finland."

The regionals for the Senior Tour qualifying are Oct. 30-Nov. 6. Survivors will move on to the finals Nov. 13-16. Only 16 players earn privileges on the 2002 Senior Tour.
In 1995, the only year he played full time on the Senior Tour, he won $130,000 official money along with picking up some unofficial money.
"That was the only year I qualified to play them all and I played them all despite being injured. I was playing in a pro-am and I was backing up after helping an amateur read his putt and I stepped on his putter. I tried to catch myself and keep from breaking his putter, and I twisted my knee. I continued to play, and it got worse, finally developing into a back problem."
Mitchell says he still has the desire to play, but he admits to having obstacles he has been unable to hurdle.

"My biggest hurdle is Monday qualifying. I’ve never had success on Mondays and it’s probably the toughest thing for any golfer. You have to shoot three or four under in one round, and one bad hole can kill you.
"I tried to qualify for the recent North Carolina senior tournament at Cary shortly after returning from Finland. I was two-under after five holes before a three-putt and a ball in the hazard knocked me out of any chance to get in the field."
Putting has been Mitchell’s major obstacle in recent years. He has tried the long putter, the belly putter and the claw grip without any measure of success.

"I still hit the ball as long as I ever have with a little better control off the tee. But, like everyone knows, it all comes down to chipping and putting. When I miss the green, I’m not able to get it up and down consistently. And, where it once took 28 or 29 putts in a round, it now takes me 33 to 36.
"I think part of my problem is trying too hard in qualifying or whenever I get in a tournament. Golf is a mind game and you have to be able to control yourself. Like Ben Hogan wrote in his book, you have to control yourself before you can control a golf ball."
Mitchell’s best years on the PGA Tour were 1971 and ’72. He won the Cleveland Open by seven shots in 1971 and followed that up the next year with a tie for second at The Masters and a victory at The Tournament of Champions, beating Nicklaus in a playoff.
He finished 11th on the money list in 1972 with $113,000. He laughs when comparing that year with the winnings today. "They can win that with a third or fourth in one tournament now, and they can win more now in one year than I made in a career."
Mitchell was a high school dropout who did odd jobs for Al Smith in the pro shop at Danville Golf Club. He turned pro at age 15 and experienced his first success by winning both the VSGA Open and State PGA Open in the same year. He also won the Carolinas PGA that year before going on the tour.
He says he has only two regrets since turning pro.

"I regret not playing in the Byron Nelson Classic after winning the Tournament of Champions. I had played in a lot of tournaments and I felt I needed a break. That was probably a bad decision. I also regret not playing in the British Open in 1973. I was exempt, but I decided not to go.
"Except for those two instances, I have no regrets. I was a caddy at Danville Golf Club and I dreamed of playing against the best and beat them. I accomplished my goal of playing against the best, and I guess when I beat Nicklaus, I beat the best."