The WGC-HSBC Championship will take center stage this weekend on the PGA Tour, but there is an alternate event going on as the Sanderson Farms Championship tees off in Mississippi. This event goes back to 1968 and from 1969 to 1993, it was played opposite the Masters. Since then, it has been played opposite of the Open Championship, the Tour Champion, the WGC-American Express Championship, and both the Ryder and Presidents Cups.
Details
Event: Sanderson Farms Championship
Category: PGA
Date: October 26th – 29th
Location: Country Club of Jackson, Jackson, Mississippi
Cody Gribble won with a -20 last year by four strokes over Chris Kirk, Luke List and Greg Owen, while Lucas Glover, Hiroshi Iwata and Xander Schauffele rounded out the top five. The winner doesn’t go to the Masters automatically, but they do get an invite to the PGA Championship along with a two-year exemption on the PGA Tour, and points for the FedEx Cup and the world golf rankings.
Past Five Winners
2017: Cody Gribble -20
2016: Peter Malnati -18
2015: Nick Taylor -16
2014: Woody Austin -20
2013: Scott Stallings
The Field
It’s an interesting field at this event with plenty of golfers capable of winning. Luke Donald will be one of the bigger names in the field but he hasn’t won an event since 2012. He’s probably best to avoid unless you’re playing props.
Hadley is the favorite here and while he’s not a household name, he might be one day. He is a three-time All-American. He was the 2014 Rookie of the Year, so he’s not new on the scene. Hadley lost his PGA card last year but has played well on the Web.com Tour with two wins in the past three months. He tied for third at the Safeway Open too, so he has some momentum going in.
Angel Cabrera is another big name in the field but he usually saves his best stuff for the big events. He’s probably best to avoid here.
What To Know About The Course
The Country Club of Jackson opened in 1914, so it has some history. It is a par-72 that is anywhere from 7,284 to 7,334 yards as it is usually played on the Dogwood and the Azalea nines; there is a third nine on the property, called Cypress. The par-5 fifth hole can measure out to 612 yards, while, where is a 330-yard par-4 on the 15th hole that could persuade a few players to go for it in one, especially on Sunday.
A Good Matchup To Bet: Jonathan Byrd over Luke Donald
Byrd is back on the PGA Tour for the first time since 2014 after winning the Tour Championship on the Web.com Tour, and he last won on the PGA Tour in 2011. Donald hasn’t won on the PGA Tour or the European Tour since 2012 and the former #1 player in the world has plummeted all the way down to 117th. He is coming off a T-50 at the Italian Open in Europe and even though he finished T-7 at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, that was his first top-five result since 2014. A myriad of injuries have served to hurt Donald, and he might not be able to get it back. Byrd is just happy to be back on the PGA Tour and while he won’t win, he’ll win this matchup.
Top-Five Pick: Kevin Streelman
Streelman opened his season with a T-13 at the Safeway Open, and he finished the previous season with a T-35 at the Dell Technologies Championship. He is a solid enough player where a top-five result isn’t out of his reach, especially in a field where he is certainly one of the top players teeing it up. He finished T-18 here last year and shot a 63 in the opening round, so a return trip might be encouraging for Streelman.
Odds To Win 2018 Sanderson Farms Championship
Chesson Hadley +1650
Jason Kokrak +2050
Bronson Burgoon +2250
Chris Kirk +2550
William McGirt +2550
Kevin Streelman +2550
Jonathan Byrd +3250
Robert Garrigus +3550
Ben Martin +3050
Austin Cook +3550
Andrew Landry +3550
Brandon Hagy +4050
Brice Garnett +4550
Matt Jones +4550
Cody Gribble +4550
Tyler Duncan +5050
Corey Conners +5050
Rob Oppenheim +5050
David Hearn +5500
Zac Blair +5500
Harris English +5500
Tyrone Van Aswegen +5500
Blayne Barber +5500
Cameron Percy +5500
David Love III +5500
Vaughan Taylor +6550
Retief Goosen +6550
Aaron Baddeley +6550
Scott Stallings +6550
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