Sanderson Farms Championship Preview and Picks

⛳ Welcome to This Week’s GolfStats Insider

Welcome to this week's edition of the GolfStats Insider. As the PGA Tour season winds down, we turn our attention to the Sanderson Farms Championship in Jackson, Mississippi. This week, we'll break down the field, analyze the course, and look at what it takes to contend for the title. We'll also take a moment to reflect on the recent Ryder Cup, dissecting Team USA's performance and looking ahead to the future of both teams' leadership. It's a week filled with storylines, from the pressure of securing a PGA Tour card to the ongoing fallout from one of golf's premier events.

This newsletter is free, but if you want more detailed golf stats, consider a GolfStats subscription. It offers detailed performance charts, easy-to-sort history, and special formulas to help you make the best choices. If you want to improve your fantasy league or betting strategy, now's a great time to upgrade!

If this newsletter was forwarded to you, we would really appreciate you subscribing by clicking the button below. Please forward to a friend if you are already a subscriber.

🏆 Sanderson Farms Championship Field

This week’s field includes 23 players from the top-100 in the latest Official World Golf Ranking, with four of those ranked in the top 50. This is a slight decrease from last year, which featured 28 top-100 players and two from the top-50. The top-ranked players teeing it up are: #34 Akshay Bhatia, #43 Min Woo Lee, #46 Sam Stevens, and #48 J.T. Poston. Other top-100 players in the field include Rasmus Hojgaard, Mackenzie Hughes, Tom Hoge, and Tom Kim.

Seven past champions are also competing, including last year's winner, Kevin Yu (2024). He is joined by Luke List (2023), Mackenzie Hughes (2022), Cameron Champ (2019), Ryan Armour (2018), and Peter Malnati (2016).

📊 Data-Driven Insights for Fantasy & Betting

If you’re serious about making the best picks this week, our GolfStats tools have you covered.

• Our Performance Chart ranks players by their average finish of all players in [the Sandersons Farm field, helping you identify those who consistently contend.

• Our GolfStats Custom Formula highlights the best performers at this event over the last five years, factoring in course history and key stats.

• Our Sortable 8-Year Glance lets you track trends, breakout performances, and potential sleepers at Sanderson Farms.

These tools are invaluable whether you’re betting, setting a DFS lineup, or simply looking for an edge in your fantasy league. Check out the full blog post for DK fantasy advice.

⛳ A Look Back at the 2025 Ryder Cup

What can be said about America losing another Ryder Cup on home soil? This marks the third time in 21 years and the fifth time in the last 38 years that Team USA has fallen short in front of a home crowd. While there are dozens of reasons one could point to for this recurring issue, it can be summarized in just three words: a captaincy disaster. For the second consecutive Ryder Cup, the European captain completely outmaneuvered his American counterpart, not just in preparation but in motivating his 12 players. European captain Luke Donald pulled all the right levers, reportedly going as far as putting a more desirable shampoo in the players' showers to boost morale. In the 20 Ryder Cups since 1985, the American squad, often featuring the greatest players in the world, has had to dissect 13 losses.

The losses can largely be traced to team play, specifically the Foursomes format. In the last two Ryder Cups, the American record in Foursomes is a dismal 13-3. Expanding that view back to the 2014 matches in Wales, the U.S. has been outplayed 30.5 to 16.5 in the alternate-shot format, with Europe nearly doubling their output. This year was another glaring example of this struggle. In his four team matches on Friday and Saturday, the world's number one player, Scottie Scheffler, went 0-4-0. His partner in the Foursomes matches, world number three Russell Henley, also lost both of his pairings. Bryson DeChambeau, last year's U.S. Open winner and expected spark plug for the team, lost three of his four team matches. The duo of two-time major winner Collin Morikawa and Harris English was defeated in both of their Foursomes matches. While Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele secured a Foursomes win, they later lost a Fourball match. At least Justin Thomas managed to win two of his four team contests.

Much like Zach Johnson in Rome two years ago, American captain Keegan Bradley will bear the brunt of the blame. Bradley's own Ryder Cup playing record is a respectable 4-3-0, but the teams he played on in 2012 and 2014 both lost. His history with the event is also marked by personal disappointment, having been passed over for the 2023 team by captain Zach Johnson despite a strong season. This loss as captain will likely be a significant casualty for his Ryder Cup legacy. In contrast, Zach Johnson, despite his captaincy loss in Rome, had experienced victory twice as a player in his five Ryder Cup appearances.

On the other side, Luke Donald's Ryder Cup career has been close to perfection. He was a player on four winning teams and has now captained two victorious squads. Common sense suggests he should step down for the 2027 matches in Ireland to allow someone else the opportunity. Team Europe will want to avoid having a rookie captain for the 2029 matches at Hazeltine. There is speculation about whether LIV players like Sergio Garcia, Lee Westwood, or Ian Poulter will be considered, but their involvement with LIV may still be too contentious. More likely candidates include Francesco Molinari or Alex Noren. Molinari, who served as one of Donald's assistant captains and was instrumental in the team's analytics and pairings, seems to be the frontrunner.

For Team USA, it's unlikely that LIV players Phil Mickelson or Dustin Johnson will be considered for captaincy. Mickelson has burned too many bridges, and neither Johnson nor Tiger Woods seems inclined to take on the demanding role of a captain. While some have suggested bringing back successful 2008 captain Paul Azinger, his relationship with the PGA of America is reportedly strained. Steve Stricker, who led the team to victory in 2021, has already had his turn. This leaves a few potential candidates. Matt Kuchar, who will be 49 for the matches in Ireland, is a hard worker with a 6-7-2 record in four Ryder Cups. Jordan Spieth is another name, but at 30, he is still focused on his playing career and regaining his form after injury and becoming a parent. A long shot could be Stewart Cink, a five-time Ryder Cup participant and member of the winning 2008 team.

Finally, the existence of the Presidents Cup, now in its 30th year, raises questions about its impact on Team USA. These biennial cup events are demanding, and some wonder if it's fair for the American team to compete in both. While unlikely to happen, an interesting proposal would be for the PGA Tour, European Tour, and PGA of America to have the Ryder Cup winner play the International team in the following Presidents Cup. This would give Team USA a much-needed rest and potentially make the Presidents Cup more compelling.

Make Trillions of Probiotics at Home

Stop wasting money on ineffective probiotics and get the #1 probiotic yogurt maker in America.

It's easy to make delicious yogurt with trillions of live probiotics to support healthy digestion, weight, and energy.

Get the Ultimate Probiotic Yogurt Maker for only $69.95 with our Ultimate Lifetime Warranty.

Get Yours Today!

_{Not evaluated by the FDA. This product isn’t meant to diagnose, treat, or cure.}

 🏌️‍♂️ Tournament and Course Information

The Sanderson Farms Championship has been a PGA Tour fixture since 1968, originally known as the Magnolia Classic. It became an official event in 1986 and has found its niche as a fall tournament since Sanderson Farms took over sponsorship in 2013. However, the future of the event is uncertain. Despite having a contract through 2026, the company decided to downgrade its sponsorship after last year's event, leaving the tournament in search of a new title sponsor. This puts significant strain on tournament officials and the PGA Tour.

The tournament faces several challenges in attracting a new sponsor willing to pay the estimated $10 million fee. Located in the small city of Jackson, Mississippi, it competes for attention with the more popular college football programs of Mississippi State and Ole Miss. While the tournament has overcome challenges in the past, the modern era of professional golf makes it difficult for an event to survive without a title sponsor. This is particularly concerning given the tournament's charitable impact, having raised over $17 million for local charities since 2013. Although Sanderson Farms had a last-minute change of heart to sponsor this year's event, a similar reprieve is not expected for next year, meaning this could be the final Sanderson Farms Championship.

This event has a rich history in Mississippi. It began as an unofficial event in 1968 and gained official status in 1986, initially playing opposite the Masters. Over the years, it has been played opposite The Open Championship, the TOUR Championship, and the Ryder and Presidents Cups. In 2013, Sanderson Farms became the title sponsor, and a year later, the tournament moved to its current home, The Country Club of Jackson.

The move to The Country Club of Jackson was driven by the club's superior hospitality infrastructure, which allows for greater charitable donations. The course itself, a John Fought design, features "Golden Age" architectural elements like pushed-up greens and closely mown run-off areas. The fairways have been narrowed, and a second cut of rough has been added, making accuracy a key factor. If the course remains dry, the greens can become treacherous. Interestingly, the site is famous in Mississippi for a 1966 raid that led to the legalization of liquor in the state, which was the last dry state in the U.S.

🔑 Keys to Success at The Country Club

With only ten years of history at The Country Club of Jackson, picking a winner can be challenging. However, some key trends have emerged. Hitting greens in regulation is crucial; last year, the course ranked 28th in this statistic. Despite its length, the course played as the 45th hardest on Tour in 2024, with a scoring average of 69.42.

The course features some demanding holes, including the 612-yard par-5 fifth and the 505-yard par-4 finishing hole. Only one par-4, the 16th, is under 400 yards, suggesting that power hitters may have an advantage. While the first four winners at this venue were shorter hitters, the last five have been known for their length off the tee, indicating a shift towards a "bomber's course." The par-5s played to an average of 4.62 last year, ranking as the 17th toughest on Tour. Look for long-hitters to do very well this week.

The average winning score over the last eleven years is just over 19-under par, so players will need to go low. With perfect weather and low winds forecasted for the week, expect scoring to be low, similar to last year.

Picks for the Sanderson Farms Championship

Subscribe to Premium to read the rest.