Damien Kayat previews the 2022 edition of the PGA Tour’s Sanderson Farms Championship set to take place at the Country Club of Jackson in Mississippi.
2022/2023 US PGA Tour
Sanderson Farms Championship
Country Club of Jackson, Jackson, Mississippi
29th September- 2nd October
I was slightly surprised by the fight shown by the International side at last week’s President’s Cup. Sure, 17.5 to 12.5 is a fairly emphatic result. But Immelman’s men showed a lot of gumption to linger on in the match after trailing 8-2 after Day 2.
The tour now heads to the Deep South for the 2nd event of the 2022/2023 US PGA Tour season: the Sanderson Farms Championship. Originally known as the Magnolia Classic when first staged in 1968, the Sanderson Farms has been an opposite-field event for much of its existence.
It was only during the 2019/2020 season that the US PGA Tour converted this into a full, regular field event. As such, the winner this week will collect 500 FedEx Cup points and an invitation to the Masters.
Country Club of Jackson
This will be the ninth consecutive edition hosted at the Country Club of Jackson and the ninth staging during this new fall period. Designed by Dick Wilson, the Country Club of Jackson dates all the way back to 1914.
John Fought oversaw a significant renovation in 2008/2009, creating a parkland-style course with tricky little Bermuda greens. The par 72 is quite a beast at nearly 7,500 yards.
But it all comes down to finding greens and handling these brisk putting conditions. The greens are said to run at around 13 on the stimp! It’s little surprise that Sergio Garcia won here in 2020 (Garcia is an Augusta champion versed in frighteningly fast greens).
But perhaps a more crucial stat this week will be GIR. Players’ iron-play will need to be pin-point to crack these small Bermuda green complexes. Also look for players comfortable with Bermuda green complexes.
The Contenders
Despite the Tour’s best efforts, the Sanderson Farms Championship has once again attracted a fairly pedestrian field. The President’s Cup just concluded and it is approaching the end of an arduous year. Players simply don’t prioritize this event.
Furthermore, this is the rare time in the season where the DP World Tour is actually attracting top players. Defending champion Sam Burns is by the far the highest ranked player in the field at 12 in the OWGR.
He swung beautifully at Quail Hollow and made buckets of long-range putts (though he didn’t ultimately end with the best record). Could Burns fall victim to a President’s Cup hangover?
Elsewhere, Sahith Theegala is still desperately searching for that maiden US PGA Tour victory. Denny McCarthy has a strong record at the Country Club of Jackson while Scott Stallings has been in the midst of a late-career resurgence.
Past Winners
2021: Sam Burns (-22)
2020: Sergio Garcia (-19)
2019: Sebastian Munoz (-18) *playoff
2018: Cameron Champ (-21)
2017: Ryan Armour (-19)
To Win Outright:
Sam Burns 10/1 | J.T Poston 20/1 | Sahith Theegala 20/1 | Russell Henley 22/1 | Sebastian Munoz 25/1
Value Bet
Scott Stallings- To Win (28/1), To Place (6/1)
Scott Stallings has actually enjoyed one of his best seasons on tour in some time. A golfer who looks more like an NFL linebacker, Stallings has actually posted five top 10’s in the last four months. In fact, he finished inside the top 13 in five of the last six events leading into the Tour Championship. That included a sensational runner-up finish at the BMW Championship. Stallings will look at this field and feel pretty confident of winning his first title since the 2014 Farmers Insurance Open. He finished in a tie for sixth here two years ago when he was in far worse form.
The Man to Beat
Sahith Theegala- To Win 20/1 | To Place 44/10
It’s surely just a matter of time until the talented Theegala claims his maiden victory. He was honestly the picture of consistency towards the end of the US PGA Tour season. He made 13 out of his last 14 cuts last season, powering himself into a maiden appearance at the Tour Championship. He has started the 2022/2023 season in similar fashion, finishing in a tie for sixth at the Fortinet Championship. He actually had a decent chance of winning at Silverado before a fairly subdued weekend. He also knows how to plot success around the Country Club of Jackson, finishing in a tie for eighth last year.
