Fantasy Golf Picks, Odds, and Predictions for the 2023 Sanderson Farms Championship  

Sanderson Farms Championship Fantasy Preview

Is there a more highly-pressurized environment in golf than the Ryder Cup?

Representing a team – or an entire country, to be exact – rather than yourself comes with a whole bunch of mind-funk, and it would be fair to say that the United States rather dropped the ball when it came to coping with the psychological examination that a Ryder Cup tie on the road brings.

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That said, when you look at the pressure of the PGA TOUR’s Fall Series – basically play well or perhaps kiss goodbye to your professional golf career – then you might argue that playing for your future, and thus the financial stability of your caddie and your respective families, is a level that those at the Ryder Cup are pretty fortunate to get to avoid.

The Fall Series got underway a few weeks ago at the Fortinet Championship, but now it’s full steam ahead with an uninterrupted schedule that takes us through to the RSM Classic in November.

First up, it’s the Sanderson Farms Championship at the Country Club of Jackson in Mississippi. 

Last Event’s Fantasy Results

Last event our top efforts were Brendon Todd and Max Homa, who finished 6th and T7 respectively.   

Not a bad start to the season, but it’s not the win we were eyeing.   

This week we’re seeking revenge in Mississippi.

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2023 Sanderson Farms Championship Field

Given the proximity of the Ryder Cup and the fact that this event is rarely well-travelled to, it’s once again no surprise that the Sanderson Farms Championship looks set to be a low-quality affair.

But as we’ve learned, the stakes are still high for plenty of players in this field, while those in a rather more comfortable position – i.e. the likes of Emiliano Grillo, Eric Cole, Tom Hoge and Keith Mitchell – have the luxury of playing with little pressure or concern.

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Ludvig Aberg will take his hot hand from Rome back into individual golf, although another Ryder Cupper scheduled to play this week, Nicolai Hojgaard, has taken the sensible step of withdrawing – Rome to Mississippi is a hell of a flight with a hangover.

So the Sanderson Farms Championship in 2023 is essentially a monument to those battling for their playing privileges. Mackenzie Hughes returns to defend his title, while former winners Cameron Champ, Peter Malnati, Ryan Armour and Cody Gribble will return hoping to give their respective careers a timely shot in the arm.

This Week’s Course Preview

As was the case at the Fortinet Championship, some of these Fall Swing layouts are devoid of unique characteristics – making roster builds so much more difficult. 

There’s nothing bad to be written about the Country Club of Jackson, which is a perfectly respectable and lush parklands layout flanked by gentle tree coverage and a handful of water hazards.

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But there’s super-wide fairways and greens of a size that is ample for a professional golfer, meaning that tee-to-green efficacy is rather easier to come by. 

In truth, it was noticeable that the driving accuracy count was down on the average in 2022, which suggests that a few yards have been pinched back by course marshals, while some tricky run-off areas on and around the Bermuda greens at least offers some complexity. 

But it’s hard to shake the feeling that this is little more than a putting contest, and the fact that eight of the first ten players on the leaderboard last year ranked 19th or higher in the field for SG: Putting is indicative of that.

The four Par 5s on this 7,461 yard, Par 72 layout are amongst the easiest, although perhaps the primary scoring hole is the 330-yard 15th – birdie seems almost inevitable on this drivable Par 4.

But the players will need to mind their work at the business end of their round, with holes 16 and 18 – the latter a 505-yard Par 4 – comfortably averaging over par in 2022. 

Weather Forecast for Jackson, MI

A warm and rain-free week looks likely to be in the offing for Jackson, Mississippi.

Thursday looks set to open up 89 degrees, which is a rather nice start to proceedings, with the wind set at around 6mph according to the early forecast.

Friday should be another nice day (84 degrees, 9mph) before things should cool down somewhat over the weekend, albeit to a still pleasant 73 degrees. The breeze on Saturday could reach up to 12mph, which may prove notable. 

JACKSON WEATHER

Last Year’s Results from the Sanderson Farms Championship

Mackenzie Hughes ended his six-year long wait for a second PGA TOUR title at last year’s Sanderson Farms Championship.

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And he did it in impressive fashion too, seeing off future Ryder Cupper Sepp Straka with a birdie on the second playoff hole after the pair had been locked at -17 at the end of four rounds.

A Friday 63 got Hughes’ title bid firmly back on track after an opening 71, while solid turns of 68 and 69 were enough to keep the field at bay as conditions toughened over the weekend.

Straka, meanwhile, played the tricky 16-18 stretch in level par on the Sunday to book his playoff place – alas he couldn’t match the Canadian’s birdie on the replayed 18th hole.

Spare a thought too for Mark Hubbard, who finished four back after a final round of 74, and Garrick Higgo, who needed a birdie down the stretch to gatecrash the playoff but simply couldn’t muster one.

Where to Play Fantasy Golf for the Sanderson Farms Championship this Week

Now is a the perfect time to start building up a bankroll ahead of the rest of the Fall Series, although we might have to take an accumulative approach for a tournament that is notoriously difficult to model and profile.

• PGA $100k Drive the Green: It may be savvy to build a handful of lineups to spread risk this week, so this quintessential contest – $5 per entry, $25k to the winner – is a straightforward way of hopefully accumulating some cash wins.

• PGA $15k Birdie: For a similar strategy albeit one that requires a lower budget, try this $3 multi-entry contest – there’s still some decent payouts to be won from the $15k prize pool.

This Week’s Fantasy Notes

You could turn yourself in knots trying to connect the dots between the last five winners of this event: Hughes, Sam Burns, Sergio Garcia, Sebastian Munoz and Cameron Champ.

But the connection is actually pretty straightforward: Hughes and Burns have excellent short games, Garcia – not known for his putting – has still won dozens of titles around the world (he knows what he’s doing on the greens), and Champ ranked second in SG: Putting when he lifted this trophy in 2018.

So yep, we’re in putting contest territory alright. 

Perhaps that’s because the Bermuda surfaces run at a quick speed, which can separate the wheat from the chaff as far as flourishing the flat stick is concerned, although in the case of Burns and Garcia you could also argue that they were simply amongst the best players in the field that year. 

When you scroll through the list of winners and runners-up here, something else leaps off the page: there’s a definite Southern connection. Burns (Louisiana), Straka (Alabama), Malnati (Missouri, Tennessee), Munoz (Texas) and Champ (Texas) all have some roots in this part of the country via upbringing or university, and that seems too prescriptive to be coincidental. 

Our Top 5 (and Top 2 Sleeper) Fantasy Picks and Odds to Win the Sanderson Farms Championship   

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Fantasy Golf Predictions – This Season (2023-2024)

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