Sanderson Farms Championship Picks & Preview (Bonus: DPWT & LPGA Bets)

Sanderson Farms Championship Picks & Preview

After an exciting President’s Cup last weekend, the PGA Tour returns to the 72 hole stroke play grind this week at the Sanderson Farms Championship in Jackson, Mississippi. Unfortunately, Jackson’s adopted son Sergio Garcia will not be playing this year, however, defending champion Sam Burns is playing this week despite carrying Scottie Scheffler around on his back all week at the President’s Cup. The remainder of the field is pretty weak, which presents another opportunity for the Korn Ferry graduates to make a splash. Also returning this week is one of my favorite trophies on the PGA Tour:

That beauty must bring a little extra motivation to everyone in the field this week.

The Course:

Country Club of Jackson (Par 72, 7,400 yards)

- The course was redesigned in 2008 and Donald Ross-Style hump back greens were introduced.

- Bermudagrass greens

- Difficult par 5s, easy par 4s

- Recent winners don’t point to a particular skillset (Burns, Sergio, Munoz, Cam Champ)

- The key to winning here is a hot putter. Outside of Burns & Sergio, no one has won this event in 7 years without finishing in the top 5 in Strokes Gained: Putting.

- You must go low to win. Since 2015, every winner has finished at -18 or better.

- Throw out the odds-board. Burns delivered at 16-1 in 2021, but prior to that, the odds of the winner were:

o 2020: Garcia 70-1

o 2019: Munoz 66-1

o 2018: Champ 66-1

o 2017: Armour 125-1

o 2016: Gribble 125-1

o 2015: Malnati 250-1

o 2014: Taylor 400-1

o 2013: Austin 125-1

o 2012: Stallings 100-1

Sanderson Farms Picks:

Taylor Montgomery 30-1

I picked Taylor Montgomery at the Fortinet 2 weeks ago where he finished 3rd and I’ll happily back him again this week. He is riding the momentum from his Korn Ferry season and is out to a way-too-early lead in the Rookie of the Year race. At Fortinet he had the putter rolling, including a round with 8 strokes gained putting. If he keeps the putter hot this week, I expect him to contend again.

Harris English 45-1

This is a bet on ceiling and talent against this field. Remember, last year English played on the loaded United States Ryder Cup team. Following a run of injuries, he was miles out of the conversation for this President’s Cup team. He’s still arguably the second most talented player in this field, and maybe seeing the victory of the US will inspire him to play some good golf. He is rounding back into form after a 9th place finish two weeks ago at the Fortinet, and he has some course history to draw on with a 6th place finish in his last trip to Jackson in 2019.

Thomas Detry 50-1

Detry is another in the line of Fighting Illini Belgian bombers. He has flashed on the European Tour and in a few Korn Ferry starts over the last year but has yet to find a breakthrough win. He’s riding good form with a 12th and a 5th in his last two starts, and I will back him at a very fair price against this field.

Christiaan Bezuidenhout 55-1

Trevor Immelman made a few head-scratching decisions in the Presidents Cup last weekend. One of those was the choice to play Bezuidenhout only twice out of the five sessions. C Bez delivered with a 1-0-1 record, which is pretty impressive considering how overmatched the Internationals were. That record didn’t make it easy to determine how well Bezuidenhout actually played last week, but he’s a great course fit as one of the best Bermudagrass putters in the world (the Presidents Cup was also played on Bermudagrass last week). There is a history of Internationals jumpstarting their season with a good performance at the Presidents Cup, and I hope that will be true for C Bez this week.

Byeong-Hun An 66-1

Byeong-Hun An had a few solid years on the PGA Tour before completely losing his game. But he delivered a great Korn Ferry season last year and is riding that into the PGA Tour season with a 4th place finish at the Fortinet two weeks ago. He can run hot & make lots of birdies, especially on Ross-style bermudagrass greens where he has good history (e.g. Sedgefield for the Wyndham Championship). He has to be inspired by the strong performances of his fellow countrymen Si Woo Kim, Tom Kim, and Sungjae Im last week and will be looking to continue the Korean momentum on the PGA Tour.

Bonus Bets

Alfred Dunhill Links (DP World Tour)

This is sneakily one of the best events on the calendar each year. The DPWT heads to Scotland to play links golf. Over the first three days, play rotates between the Old Course at St. Andrews, Carnoustie, and Kingsbarns before the whole field finishes on the Old Course on Sunday. It is a pro-am and brings out all the best European players, including Rory, Fitzpatrick, and Lowry. I am backing 3 Englishmen:

Tyrell Hatton 16-1

Little to be said here. He’s one of the best links golfers in the world and has proven it at the Alfred Dunhill Links with 2 wins & 2 second place finishes here in the last 5 years.

Tommy Fleetwood 20-1

Another great links player who always seems to be more comfortable playing on the DPWT than on the PGA Tour. He’s finished 7th, 5th, and 2nd in his last three tries at the Dunhill links and I would not be surprised to see him win this week.

Danny Willett 35-1

Willett had an excruciating three-putt from 4 feet to lose to Max Homa 2 weeks back at the Fortinet. But I was impressed with his attitude in the post round interviews where he seemed to hint that his game was returning to his old form that won him a green jacket and had him ranked inside of the top 15 in the world. He’s the defending champion at this event and I’ll back him at the fair price of 35-1.

The Ascendent LPGA

Celine Boutier 22-1

Boutier finished 8th here last year and is coming in on form of 5th & 6th the last two weeks. Lydia Ko is the only player of the 10 higher than Boutier on the odds board that has even recorded a top 10 at this event since it moved the Old American Golf Club in 2018.

Jeong-Eun Lee6 50-1

A personal favorite player of mine. She’s one of the best ball strikers on the LPGA Tour and clearly likes this golf course with 2 top 10 finishes in the last three years. That’s an auto-bet for me on a former top 10 player in the world at 50-1.

Gaby Lopez 60-1

Gaby has already played great this fall with a win in Toledo earlier in September and she finished 3rd here last year. 60-1 seems more than fair.

Good luck to everyone this week. Let’s cash some winners.

RM