You can read Liam Williams’ Power Rankings for the Procore Championship at bet365 News.
Course Guide: Despite extending the Country Club of Jackson course by 57 yards in 2018, the course doesn’t hold too many fears for PGA Tour pros. At 7,461 yards for a Par 72, length is pretty standard for these modern times, especially as it’s set on a flat property with fairways that are relatively wide by modern standards. Trees are a feature on most holes but they’re relatively sparse and the course features plenty of straight holes.
Country Club of Jackson, Jackson, Mississippi: Designer: Wilson, 1962, Fought redesign, 2008; Course Type: Resort, Long; Par: 72; Length: 7,461 yards; Number of Holes with Water In-Play: 5; Number of Sand Bunkers: 56; Acres of Fairway: 28; Fairways: 419 Bermudagrass; Rough: 419 Bermudagrass with Zeon Zoysiagrass, 2.5″; Greens: 6,200 sq.ft average Champion Ultra Dwarf Bermudagrass.
Course Scoring Average + PGA Tour Difficulty Rank:
2024: 69.42 (-2.58), Rank 46 of 51 courses
2023: 70.25 (-1.75), Rank 45 of 58 courses
2022: 71.15 (-0.85), Rank 29 of 50 courses
2021: 69.87 (-2.13), Rank 45 of 50 courses
2020: 71.08 (-0.92), Rank 32 of 51 courses
2019: 70.90 (-1.10), Rank 26 of 41 courses
2018: 71.25 (-0.75), Rank 26 of 49 courses
Fairway Widths (yards): Below are the fairway widths for CC of Jackson and how they compare to recent courses that we’ve seen on Tour:
CC of Jackson: 250 yards from the tee: 29 yards wide; 275:28; 300:29; 325:28; 350:25.
Silverado: 250 yards from the tee: 27 yards wide; 275:26; 300:26; 325:27; 350:26.
Caves Valley: 35-40 yards.
TPC Southwind: 250 yards from the tee: 29 yards wide; 275:29; 300:28; 325:31; 350:25.
Sedgefield: 250 yards from tee: 29 yards wide; 275:28; 300:26 325:23; 350:22.
TPC Twin Cities: 250 yards from the tee: 38 yards wide; 275:38; 300:31; 325:30; 350:36.
Hurstbourne CC: 25-30 yards at 300 yards.
TPC Deere Run: 250 yards from tee: 41 yards wide; 275:40; 300:36 325:33; 350:30.
Detroit Golf Club: 250 yards from tee: 34 yards wide; 275:34; 300:35 325:34; 350:33.
TPC River Highlands: 250 yards from the tee: 38 yards wide; 275:36; 300:29; 325:29; 350:28.
Oakmont: 18-28 yards at 300 yards
TPC Toronto: 35-37 yards at 300 yards.
Muirfield Village: 24-25 yards at 300 yards.
Colonial: 25-30 yards at 300 yards.
Quail Hollow: 28-30 yards at 300 yards.
The Dunes Golf and Beach Club: 20 – 25 yards at 300 yards.
Philadelphia Cricket Club: 30-32 yards at 300 yards.
TPC Craig Ranch: 30 – 40 yards at 300 yards.
Harbour Town: 250 yards from tee: 29 yards wide; 275:26; 300:22; 325:26; 350:22.
Oaks Course: 250 yards from tee: 33 yards wide; 275:34; 300:29; 325:27; 350:26.
Memorial Park: 30 – 40 yards at 300 yards.
Copperhead: 250 yards from the tee: 24 yards wide; 275:20; 300:21; 325:23 350:19.
TPC Sawgrass: 250 yards from the tee: 31 yards wide; 275:32; 300:30; 325:28 350:20.
Bay Hill: 250 yards from the tee: 32 yards wide; 275:33; 300:33; 325:39 350:29.
PGA National: 250 yards from the tee: 29 yards wide; 275:27; 300:25; 325:27 350:25.
TPC Scottsdale: 250 yards from the tee: 33 yards wide; 275:30; 300:28; 325:27; 350:27.
Pebble Beach: 250 yards from the tee: 33 yards wide; 275:33; 300:29; 325:30 350:26.
Torrey Pines South: 250 yards from the tee: 26 yards wide; 275:27; 300:25; 325:24; 350:23.
Pete Dye Stadium: 250 yards from the tee: 29 yards wide; 275:27; 300:26; 325:26; 350:24.
Waialae: 250 yards from the tee: 34 yards wide; 275:32; 300:34; 325:37; 350:34.
Plantation Course: 250 yards from the tee: 59 yards wide; 275:61; 300:65; 325:60; 350:62.
Course Overview: The course is a mixture of 2 sets of 9 holes, namely Azalea and Dogwood. John Fought, who re-modelled the course in 2008, is an admirer of Donald Ross’s work and as such it’s interesting to note that green complexes on the whole are raised and have run-off areas similar to many a Ross design. Greens are pretty average in size – 6,200 sq.ft. average – and feature UltraDwarf Champion Bermudagrass.
Across the recent PGA Tour schedule, the courses where Champion Bermudagrass greens feature are Congaree (2021 Palmetto Championship & 2022 CJ Cup), The Dunes Golf and Beach Club (Myrtle Beach Classic), Sedgefield Country Club, TPC Southwind and Quail Hollow (since the 2017 PGA Championship). You can also add to the list Pinehurst Number 2 which hosted the 2024 U.S. Open which also featured Champion.
Visually the course looks quite tight and with Nick Taylor, Peter Malnati, Cody Gribble, Ryan Armour, Sebastian Munoz, Sergio Garcia and Sam Burns all ending up at least mid-division for driving accuracy when winning here, a level of respect off the tee seemed a pre-requisite.
However the severe “bomb and gouge” tactics of Cameron Champ worked fantastically well in 2018 as he posted, at the time, a CC of Jackson record winning score of -21/267 to beat Corey Conners by 4 shots. 2022 saw Mackenzie Hughes hit only 27 of 56 fairways (48.2%) plus was 30 yards off the tee shorter than Champ as he edged out Sepp Straka in a play-off. 2023 saw Luke List rank 10th for Driving Distance – 313 yards – and like Hughes only hit 27 of 56 fairways when shooting -18/270 across 72 holes. Plus Kevin Yu followed this inaccuracy model hitting 29 of 56 fairways shooting -23/265. Interestingly for a long hitter he took a little distance off his driver on the week ranking mid-pack 35th. Hitting fairways is therefore no pre-requisite for victory here in Mississippi.
The Country Club of Jackson can present a level of challenge and interestingly we’ve seen a mix of relatively fast, soft and cold/windy conditions across the past 11 renewals held here. Ultimately though winning scores of -20/268, -19/269, -21/267, -18/270, -19/269, -22/266, 17/271, -18/270 and -23/265 over the past 9 years highlight a tournament where low scoring and top-notch Champion Bermudagrass putting are the order of the day.
The key to contending here seems to be to unlock a relatively difficult set of par-5s – in the top 10 most difficult for Birdie or Better Conversion on the PGA Tour most years – whilst scoring well on a set of par-4s that are far easier in comparison. Taylor, Malnati, Gribble, Armour, Champ and List all topped the field for birdies made on their way to victories here. Whilst Munoz, Garcia, Burns, Hughes and Yu were ensconced within the top 10 for birdie and better conversion whilst only leaking 3, 5, 4, 4 and 4 bogeys respectively.
Sanderson Farms Championship Winners: 2024: Kevin Yu (-23); 2023: Luke List (-18); 2022: Mackenzie Hughes (-17); 2021: Sam Burns (-22); 2020: Sergio Garcia (-19); 2019: Sebastian Munoz (-18); 2018: Cameron Champ (-21); 2017: Ryan Armour (-19); 2016: Cody Gribble (-20); 2015: Peter Malnati (-18); 2014: Nick Taylor (-16).
2024: Kevin Yu 66-66-66-67 -23/265 AM/PM Wave
2023: Luke List 66-66-68-70 -18/270 PM/AM Wave
2022: Mackenzie Hughes 71-63-68-69 -17/271 AM/PM Wave
2021: Sam Burns 68-66-65-67 -22/266 AM/PM Wave
2020: Sergio Garcia 68-68-66-67 -19/269 PM/AM Wave
2019: Sebastian Munoz 70-67-63-70 -18/270 PM/AM Wave
2018: Cameron Champ 65-70-64-68 -21/267 AM/PM Wave
OWGR of Sanderson Farms Championship Winners: 2024: Yu 135; 2023: List 159; 2022: Hughes 82; 2021: Burns 25; 2020: Garcia 51; 2019: Munoz 179; 2018: Champ 234.
Datagolf Ranking Sanderson Farms Championship Winners: 2024: Yu 243; 2023: List 129; 2022: Hughes 126; 2021: Burns 25.
Cut Line: 2024: -6; 2023: -5; 2022: -2; 2021: -5; 2020: -3; 2019: -3; 2018: -1.
CC of Jackson Lead Score Progression:
2024: Round 1 -12; Round 2 -15; Round 3 -20; Round 4 -23.
2023: Round 1 -8; Round 2 -14; Round 3 -20; Round 4 -18.
2022: Round 1 -6; Round 2 -10; Round 3 -15; Round 4 -17.
2021: Round 1 -8; Round 2 -13; Round 3 -18; Round 4 -22.
2020: Round 1 -8; Round 2 -13; Round 3 -14; Round 4 -19.
2019: Round 1 -8; Round 2 -12; Round 3 -16; Round 4 -18.
2018: Round 1 -7; Round 2 -9; Round 3 -17; Round 4 -21.
Path to Victory: Below are the end of round positions for the winners of the Sanderson Farms Championship since 2014:
2024 – Kevin Yu: Round 1: 14th, Round 2: 6th, Round 3: 3rd.
2023 – Luke List: Round 1: 4th, Round 2: 2nd, Round 3: 3rd.
2022 – Mackenzie Hughes: Round 1: 43rd, Round 2: 1st, Round 3: 2nd.
2021 – Sam Burns: Round 1: 17th, Round 2: 7th, Round 3: 2nd.
2020 – Sergio Garcia: Round 1: 17th, Round 2: 7th, Round 3: 1st.
2019 – Sebastian Munoz: Round 1: 43rd, Round 2: 9th, Round 3: 1st.
2018 – Cameron Champ: Round 1: 1st, Round 2: 1st, Round 3: 1st.
2017 – Ryan Armour: Round 1: 1st, Round 2: 1st, Round 3: 1st.
2016 – Cody Gribble: Round 1: 101st, Round 2: 8th, Round 3: 3rd.
2015 – Peter Malnati: Round 1: 42nd, Round 2: 8th, Round 3: 3rd.
2014 – Nick Taylor: Round 1: 2nd, Round 2: 3rd, Round 3: 5th
Shots From the Lead: Below are the Sanderson Farms Championship winners since 2014 and where they were positioned in terms of shots from the lead during the tournament:
2024 – Kevin Yu: Round 1: 6 back, Round 2: 3 back, Round 3: 2 back.
2023 – Luke List: Round 1: 2 back, Round 2: 2 back, Round 3: 4 back.
2022 – Mackenzie Hughes: Round 1: 5 back, Round 2: level, Round 3: 1 back.
2021 – Sam Burns: Round 1: 4 back, Round 2: 3 back, Round 3: 1 back.
2020 – Sergio Garcia: Round 1: 4 back, Round 2: 5 back, Round 3: level.
2019 – Sebastian Munoz: Round 1: 6 back, Round 2: 5 back, Round 3: 1 ahead.
2018 – Cameron Champ: Round 1: 1 ahead, Round 2: level, Round 3: 4 ahead.
2017 – Ryan Armour: Round 1: level, Round 2: 1 ahead, Round 3: 5 ahead.
2016 – Cody Gribble: Round 1: 10 back, Round 2: 4 back, Round 3: 1 back.
2015 – Peter Malnati: Round 1: 7 back, Round 2: 6 back, Round 3: 1 back.
2014 – Nick Taylor: Round 1: 2 back, Round 2: 2 back, Round 3: 4 back.
Incoming Form of Sanderson Farms Championship winner since 2014:
Kevin Yu: MC Wyndham/52nd Olympics/73rd 3M Open/MC Barracuda.
Luke List: 25th Fortinet/35th Scottish Open/WD Rocket/33rd Travelers.
Mackenzie Hughes: 25th Fortinet/58th BMW/46th St Jude/MC Wyndham.
Sam Burns: 17th Tour/8th BMW/21st Northern Trust/2nd WGC St Jude.
Sergio Garcia: MC USO/MC Safeway/66th Wyndham/MC PGA.
Sebastian Munoz: 7th Greenbrier/43rd Northern Trust/48th Sedgefield/11th Barracuda.
Cameron Champ: 25th Safeway/MC web.com TC/33rd Boise/16th DAP.
Ryan Armour: MC Safeway/25th DAP/51st Boise/2nd Nationwide Children’s.
Cody Gribble: 8th Safeway/5th Nationwide Children’s/MC Boise/MC/DAP.
Peter Malnati: 56th Shriners/MC Fry’s Open/MC web.com TC/MC Nationwide Children’s.
Nick Taylor: MDF McGladrey/56th Shriners/MC Fry’s Open/21st web.com Tour Championship.
Tournament Stats: We’ve published some key player statistics for this week’s event that are well worth a look. Naturally they’ll help to shape a view on players who could go well this week: Current Form | Tournament Form | First Round Leader | Combined Stats.
My published predictor is available here. Top 10 of my published predictor are: 1) Rico Hoey; 2) Kevin Yu; 3) Michael Thorbjornsen; 4) Nicolai Hojgaard; 5) Keith Mitchell; 6) Ben Kohles; 7) Lee Hodges; 8) Thomas Rosenmueller; 9) Isaiah Salinda; 10) Akshay Bhatia.
Our brand new predictor model is running alongside, where you can build your own rankings in live time using the variables listed on the left hand side.
Sanderson Farms Championship Winning Prices: 2024: Yu 110/1; 2023: List 50/1; 2022: Hughes 110/1; 2021: Burns 16/1; 2020: Garcia 70/1; 2019: Munoz 66/1; 2018: Champ 66/1; 2017: Armour 125/1; 2016: Gribble 125/1; 2015: Malnati 250/1; 2014: Taylor 400/1; 2013: Austin 125/1; 2012: Stallings 100/1; 2011: Kirk 30/1; 2010: Haas 22/1. Past 5 Renewals Average: 71/1; Overall Average: 111/1.
Historical Weather:
2024: Thursday: Mostly cloudy with occasional showers. High of 89. Wind ESW 5-10 mph. Friday: Mostly cloudy with occasional showers. High of 87. Wind E 7-13 mph. Saturday: Partly cloudy. High of 89. Wind E 8-13 mph. Sunday: Mostly Sunny. High of 88. Wind ENE 8-13 mph.
2023: Thursday: Mostly cloudy with occasional showers. High of 84. Wind SSW 10-15 mph, with gusts to 20 mph. Friday: Mostly cloudy with morning showers. High of 84. Wind N 10-15 mph, with gusts to 20 mph. Saturday: Sunny and breezy. High of 72. Wind N 10-15 mph, with gusts to 20 mph. Sunday: Sunny. High of 74. Wind NW 5-10 mph.
2022: Thursday: Sunny, with a high of 76. Wind NNE 10-15, gusting to 20 mph. Friday: Sunny, with a high of 79. Wind N 10-15 mph. Saturday: Sunny, with a high of 80. Wind N 6-12 mph. Sunday: Sunny, with a high of 83. Wind N 6-12 mph.
2021: Thursday: Overcast, with light showers off and on. High of 82. Wind SSE 7-12 mph. Friday: Mostly cloudy. High of 85. Wind SE 8-13 mph. Saturday: Mostly cloudy, with scattered showers. High of 81. Wind SSE 7-12 mph. Sunday: Mostly cloudy, with possible showers. High of 82. Wind SW 8-13 mph.
2020: Thursday: Sunny, with a high of 80. Wind NNW 7-14 mph. Friday: Sunny, with a high of 73. Wind NE 4-8 mph in the morning, switching to NNW 5-10 mph in the afternoon. Saturday: Sunny, with a high of 76. Wind ENE 4-8 mph. Sunday: Sunny, with a high of 80. Wind NNW 5-10 mph.
2019: Thursday: Partly cloudy. High of 92. Wind SE 5-10 mph. Due to inclement weather, play was suspended at 2:46 p.m. CT and called for the day at 5:57 p.m. Friday: Round one resumed at 7:01 a.m. Partly cloudy. High of 88. Wind SE 6-12 mph. Due to darkness, round two was suspended at 7:03 p.m. Saturday: Round two resumed at 7:30 a.m. and ended at 9:34 a.m. Third-round tee times were adjusted to be between 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. in threesomes of Nos. 1 and 10. Partly cloudy. High of 88. Wind SE 6-12 mph. Sunday: Mostly sunny. High of 90. Wind SSE 6-12 mph, with gusts to 15 mph.
2018: Thursday: Mostly cloudy. High of 61. Wind NW 10-15, with gusts to 20 mph. Due to darkness, round one was suspended for the day at 6:13 p.m. and resumed at 8:20 a.m. Friday (12 players). Friday: Round one concluded at 8:41 a.m., with round two beginning as scheduled at 7:20 a.m. Light rain and cloudy. High of 61. Wind NW 10-15, with gusts to 20 mph. Saturday: Sunny. High of 70. Wind W 5-10 mph. Sunday: Sunny. High of 83. Wind SW 10-15 mph.
2017: Thursday: Sunny with a high of 79. Wind SSW 6-12 mph with gusts to 18 mph. Friday: Cloudy, with a high of 77. Wind SSW 10-15 mph with gusts to 20 mph. Saturday: High of 58. NNW wind 10-15 mph. Sunday: Sunny and cool, with a high of 63. NW wind 7-12 mph.
2016: Thursday: Partly cloudy, with a high of 85. Wind NW 6-12 mph. Friday: Sunny, with a high of 86. Wind S 5-10 mph. Saturday: Sunny, with a high of 87. Wind S 5-10 mph. Sunday: Sunny, with a high of 88. Wind SSW 5-10 mph.
2015: Thursday: Cloudy, with showers off and on throughout the day. High of 81 degrees. Winds SSW 7-14 mph. Friday: Due to lightning, round two was suspended for the day at 4:49 p.m. Saturday: Cloudy, with rain throughout the day. High of 68 degrees, with NNE winds 10-15 mph. Play was called for the day just before 2 p.m. local time with 76 players remaining to complete the second round. Sunday: Partly cloudy with a high of 62 degrees. NNE winds 10-15 mph. Monday: Mostly cloudy, with a high of 66 degrees. Winds NNW 5-10 mph.
Weather Forecast: The latest weather forecast for Jackson, Mississippi is here.
Now we do see varied turf conditions from year to year here. Significant rain in July and August here plus 22mm last Wednesday may see slightly softer fairway conditions here than standard, but expect the same watered greens as ever. Stronger than standard easterly winds up to 15-20 mph should put a slight lid on scoring, so I’m expecting high-teens. Temperatures of 25-31 degrees Celsius – 77-88 Fahrenheit is the norm here.
Player Strokes Gained Rankings: These top 25 in the field rankings are based on an 8-tournament window that stretches back to the Wyndham Championship which includes both PGA Tour and DP World Tour events, where recorded. Player rankings are based on performance relative to the rest of the field:
Top 25 SG Off The Tee: 1) Alex Smalley; 2) Davis Thompson; 3) Pierceson Coody; 4) Doug Ghim; 5) Keith Mitchell; 6) Isaiah Salinda / Kevin Yu; 8) Rico Hoey / Sam Stevens; 10) Akshay Bhatia; 11) Ryo Hisatsune / Adam Schenk; 13) Jesper Svensson / Carson Young; 15) Harry Higgs; 16) Cameron Champ; 17) Steven Fisk; 18) Max Homa; 19) Jacob Bridgeman; 20) David Ford / Chan Kim; 22) Niklas Norgaard / Seamus Power; 24) Zac Blair; 25) Max McGreevy / Thorbjorn Olesen.
Top 25 SG Approach: 1) Sami Valimaki; 2) Rico Hoey; 3) Ben Kohles; 4) Akshay Bhatia; 5) Matteo Manassero; 6) Lee Hodges / J.T. Poston; 8) Max Homa; 9) Taylor Montgomery / Andrew Putnam; 11) Mark Hubbard / Mac Meissner; 13) Emiliano Grillo; 14) David Skinns; 15) Jacob Bridgeman / Zach Johnson; 17) Kevin Yu; 18) Patrick Fishburn / Nicolai Hojgaard / Rasmus Hojgaard / Greyson Sigg / Michael Thorbjornsen; 23) Eric Cole; 24) Matt Wallace; 25) Vince Covello / Matt Kuchar / Matt Riedel.
Top 25 SG Around The Green: 1) Nick Dunlap; 2) Ben Silverman; 3) Taylor Montgomery; 4) Taylor Moore; 5) Mackenzie Hughes; 6) Jacob Bridgeman / William Mouw; 8) Vince Covello; 9) Rafael Campos / Chandler Phillips / Adam Svensson; 12) Patton Kizzire; 13) Beau Hossler; 14) Davis Thompson; 15) Mason Andersen; 16) Sam Stevens; 17) Mac Meissner; 18) Christiaan Bezuidenhout; 19) Tim Widing; 20) Akshay Bhatia / Patrick Fishburn; 22) David Ford / Kevin Velo; 24) Mark Hubbard / J.T. Poston / Matt Wallace.
Top 25 SG Tee to Green: 1) Rico Hoey; 2) Ben Kohles; 3) Davis Thompson; 4) Akshay Bhatia / Mac Meissner / Carson Young; 7) Kevin Yu; 8) Jacob Bridgeman; 9) David Skinns / Sami Valimaki; 11) Vince Covello; 12) J.T. Poston; 13) Keith Mitchell / Matthew Riedel; 15) Patrick Fishburn; 16) Mark Hubbard; 17) Ricky Castillo / Lanto Griffin / Emiliano Grillo / Garrick Higgo / Matteo Manassero; 22) Doug Ghim / Lee Hodges / Rasmus Hojgaard / Min Woo Lee.
Top 25 SG Putting: 1) Mackenzie Hughes; 2) Lanto Griffin; 3) Kevin Streelman; 4) Hayden Springer; 5) Beau Hossler; 6) Aaron Wise; 7) Frankie Capan; 8) Anders Albertson; 9) J.T. Poston; 10) Mark Hubbard / Min Woo Lee; 12) Patrick Fishburn; 13) Emiliano Grillo / Davis Riley; 15) Jacob Bridgeman / Seamus Power; 17) Harry Higgs; 18) Mason Andersen; 19) Peter Malnati / Matti Schmid; 21) Tom Hoge; 22) Jackson Suber; 23) Brandt Snedeker; 24) Henrik Norlander; 25) Akshay Bhatia / Taylor Montgomery.
Top 25 SG Total: 1) Lanto Griffin; 2) Davis Thompson; 3) Akshay Bhatia; 4) Mark Hubbard / J.T. Poston; 6) Patrick Fishburn; 7) Jacob Bridgeman / Mac Meissner / Sami Valimaki; 10) Michael Thorbjornsen; 11) Ricky Castillo; 12) Min Woo Lee; 13) Matt Kuchar; 14) Taylor Montgomery; 15) Beau Hossler; 16) Mackenzie Hughes; 17) Emiliano Grillo; 18) Rasmus Hojgaard; 19) William Mouw; 20) Harry Higgs; 21) Doug Ghim / Ben Kohles; 23) Garrick Higgo / Chandler Phillips / Matt Wallace.
Trends & Key Factors: Analysing the Strokes Gained Stats of the Sanderson Farms Championship winners here at Jackson since 2016 gives us a little more insight into the requirements for this Par 72:
Strokes Gained Tournament Trends:
2024, Kevin Yu (-23). SG Off the Tee: 19th, SG Approach: 24th, SG Around the Green: 51st, SG Tee to Green: 2nd, SG Putting: 2nd.
2023, Luke List (-18). SG Off the Tee: 19th, SG Approach: 48th, SG Around the Green: 6th, SG Tee to Green: 14th, SG Putting: 7th.
2022, Mackenzie Hughes (-17). SG Off the Tee: 57th, SG Approach: 6th, SG Around the Green: 4th, SG Tee to Green: 1st, SG Putting: 14th.
2021, Sam Burns (-22). SG Off the Tee: 1st, SG Approach: 2nd, SG Around the Green: 34th, SG Tee to Green: 1st, SG Putting: 57th.
2020, Sergio Garcia (-19). SG Off the Tee: 1st, SG Approach: 3rd, SG Around the Green: 46th, SG Tee to Green: 1st, SG Putting: 28th.
2019, Sebastian Munoz (-18). SG Off the Tee: 4th, SG Approach: 20th, SG Around the Green: 40th, SG Tee to Green: 13th, SG Putting: 5th.
2018, Cameron Champ (-21). SG Off the Tee: 2nd, SG Approach: 21st, SG Around the Green: 42nd, SG Tee to Green: 9th, SG Putting: 2nd.
2017, Ryan Armour (-19). SG Off the Tee: 39th, SG Approach: 3rd, SG Around the Green: 13th, SG Tee to Green: 2nd, SG Putting: 2nd.
2016, Cody Gribble (-20). SG Off the Tee: 9th, SG Approach: 18th, SG Around the Green: 28th, SG Tee to Green: 9th, SG Putting: 1st.
Strokes Gained Tournament Skill Averages:
SG Off the Tee: 17th, SG Approach: 16th, SG Around the Green: 29th, SG Tee to Green: 6th, SG Putting: 13th.
Across the 2021 to 2024 Sanderson Farms Championship renewals, statistically from a Strokes Gained perspective the winners gained on average 2.10 strokes per round from Tee to Green (79%) and 1.02 Putting (21%). That’s an exceptionally low Putting number, the likes of which compare to Waialae (Sony Open), PGA National (Cognizant Classic), TPC Sawgrass (The Players), Muirfield Village (The Memorial) and Detroit Golf Club (Rocket Classic).
Tournament Trends & Key Factors: Analysing the final stats of the winners here since 2014 gives us a little more insight into the requirements for this test:
2024, Kevin Yu (-23). 307 yards (35th), 51.8% fairways (40th), 77.8% greens in regulation (9th), 75.0% scrambling (27th), 1.54 putts per GIR (2nd).
2023, Luke List (-18). 313 yards (10th), 48.2% fairways (53rd), 77.8% greens in regulation (7th), 75.0 % scrambling (19th), 1.64 putts per GIR (10th).
2022, Mackenzie Hughes (-17). 305 yards (25th), 48.2% fairways (50th), 66.7% greens in regulation (37th), 91.7 % scrambling (1st), 1.63 putts per GIR (8th).
2021, Sam Burns (-22). 315 yards (17th), 67.9% fairways (8th), 87.5% greens in regulation (1st), 55.6 % scrambling (58th), 1.62 putts per GIR (11th).
2020, Sergio Garcia (-19). 306 yards (9th), 60.7% fairways (14th), 83.3% greens in regulation (1st), 66.7% scrambling (29th), 1.67 putts per GIR (10th).
2019, Sebastian Munoz (-18). 315 yards (4th), 51.8% fairways (36th), 79.2% greens in regulation (9th), 80.7 % scrambling (7th), 1.65 putts per GIR (11th).
2018, Cameron Champ (-21). 334 yards (1st), 46.4% fairways (65th), 76.4% greens in regulation (9th), 58.8 % scrambling (55th), 1.58 putts per GIR (1st).
2017, Ryan Armour (-19). 269 yards (69th), 71.4% fairways (3rd), 79.2% greens in regulation (3rd), 53.3 % scrambling (60th), 1.58 putts per GIR (2nd).
2016, Cody Gribble (-20). 312 yards (11th), 51.8% fairways (38th), 72.2% greens in regulation (29th), 80.0 % scrambling (1st), 1.56 putts per GIR (1st).
2015, Peter Malnati (-18). 266 yards (66th), 58.9% fairways (35th), 83.3% greens in regulation (4th), 58.3 % scrambling (62nd), 1.62 putts per GIR (2nd).
2014, Nick Taylor (-16). 295 yards (11th), 53.6% fairways (40th), 80.6% greens in regulation (3rd), 71.4 % scrambling (17th), 1.67 putts per GIR (6th).
Tournament Skill Averages:
Driving Distance: 23rd, Driving Accuracy: 38th, Greens in Regulation: 10th, Scrambling: 31st, Putting Average 6th.
For a summary of the Strokes Gained Performances from this week’s field here at Jackson click here.
Let’s take a view from players as to how Country Club of Jackson has set-up in the past and what specific skills it requires:
Kevin Yu (2024): “Just I know I’m hitting good, and just tomorrow if I can translate, I know I can putt it well, too, so keeping that mindset in my mind and hopefully I can do it better for tomorrow, yeah.
I feel like this course, you know, if I can hit it in certain distance you can cover some troubles. So I feel like this week I’ve been doing pretty good and I’m hitting good distance with like good control with it. I know I can be aggressive off the tee and putting has been great, so I know if I keep hitting good I can have a lot of opportunities to play good, which I did the last three days.”
Luke List (2023): “Yeah, Napa I was kind of just squeaking by and not really hitting it great but made some really good putts there, some inside six feet, which has been my nemesis my whole career. Then to come out and feel like on perfect greens if you roll it well, they’re going to go in. Just gave myself a fair amount of opportunities and kept plugging along and took advantage of the easy holes on the back nine.
Yeah, it’s in fantastic shape every year. The greens are perfect. You know coming in if you can kind of plot along, keep it out of the rough, take advantage of the par-5s and hole some putts, you’re going to be right there on Sunday.
Obviously the greens stand out. They’re probably the most pure Bermuda greens we play, so this time of year, pretty consistent. They usually have a little bit of rough that makes a premium on hitting the fairways, and then the weather is nice, too.”
Mackenzie Hughes (2022): “Yeah, it was a lot of fun today, and the greens are fantastic. They are some of the best surfaces that we play all year. They’re really fast. You come down grain, downhill, they’re some of the fastest greens you play all year. It’s really fun to get on a roll with the putter when the greens are this good because you feel like you get it on line, it’s going to go in.
Yeah, that putt, you just don’t practice putts that long. It was super fast. I just kept telling myself that I was going to two-putt that putt. I was going to get down there and I was going to make it. My mental demeanour, my outlook has been so much better. I’ve been trying to be really positive. I’ve been trying to tell myself that I’m really good, and I think it’s easy in this game to go the other way and to beat yourself up sometimes. I was pretty relentless in my ability to tell myself that you’re really good and to go trust it.”
Sam Burns (2021): “Yeah, this is one of my favorites all year. I think these are probably some of the best greens we play all year. I like the golf course, I like the Bermuda grass, similar to kind of what I grew up on home, kind of tree-lined fairways and so yeah I’m really excited. I don’t know what the weather looks like, I think it’s going to be okay, so I think the golf course will firm up, get firmer and faster and it will be a good test.”
Sergio Garcia (2020): “Yes, but you have to be, even playing as well as I played today, you’re still going to miss a couple of greens here and there because it’s a little tricky with the way the greens are, as fast as they are. You’re hitting to small spots because you know that if you miss your spot it’s going to run and you’re going to have a longish putt that is not easy to two-putt. Your short game still has to be good, which it has been for me, and your putter has to be good. I’ve been able to put pretty much everything together this week, and I have to do more of the same tomorrow.
I obviously knew that Peter – he finished at 18, so I knew that I needed to birdie one of the last two or three to get ahead. I actually thought I birdied 17. I hit a great putt. I thought I made it. Unfortunately I didn’t. But then I stood up on 18 and I did what I’ve been doing all week. I trusted myself. I aimed down the right side of the fairway and just hit a hard draw, really, really nice drive, actually went quite long because it was playing a little bit into the wind, and it gave me the ability to have an 8-iron into the green instead of having a 6 or something like that, and then just hit, funny enough, my last win, Augusta, well, my last win on the PGA Tour at Augusta, the 8-iron on 15, this time it was the 8-iron on 18, and to almost hit the pin again and to hit it that close, obviously it was a dream come true.”
Sebastian Munoz (2019): “Yeah, so on 6 I hit my driver left and it was unlucky enough that it hit one of the first trees and came back. So by my calculations we had like 235 front with not a lot of options in front of me. Like had to keep it low, and fairway runs on an angle. So it was really easy to hit it from the rough to the rough and have like 90 or 130 out. So I saw, it’s probably like 260 to the pin. That’s what I had the my 3-wood. If I just slice it, which is the shot I feel more comfortable with, fade instead of draw, I could give myself a chance. I saw a bounce there and just reminded me of Phil. What would Phil do? I’m like, Fortune favors the bold, so took it, believed in myself, pulled the shot, and got the up and down. Make it all worth it.
And then back on the playoff hole, all back to the beginning. Still like my heartbeat was still up. All right, calm down. We still got work to do. Still hit a good drive, and from there on. Once I notice Sungjae was over the green, all I wanted to do was kind of keep it short of the pin. I knew that’s a tough up and down. So hit the 9-iron, but it didn’t came as hot as I thought it was going to be from the rough. Left it short, and that’s not an easy chip. These Bermuda greens, they kind of check pretty fast on you. Got to be pretty bold. It’s just different way to play it.”
Cameron Champ (2018): “Obviously driver is the key out here, I think. If I hit driver well out here, like I said, it’s a very scoreable course. So I just kept hitting it as much as I could. Even if the fairways were tighter, I felt like if I was further up, even in the rough versus hitting a 3-wood being 40 yards back, I would rather be up there. I guess that’s the game plan.”
Ryan Armour (2017): “You just try. I mean, you’re not always going to be able to, but my strength is – obviously have figured this out finally – is driving it in the fairway, hitting it on the green, and trying to make putts. You get some wedges in your hand on 14 and 15, so you’re looking to make up some ground there. 13 is a good little par-3. Just have had good numbers there the last two days. Then 16, chip-in yesterday, 60-footer today. I don’t overpower a golf course. I don’t go for very many par-5s. I had a chance to go for No. 11 and I laid up. It’s just one of those making percentage choices for me.”
Cody Gribble (2016): “Well, first, being in the South, growing up on Bermuda fairways, Bermuda greens, it’s something difficult, I think. There were some places in there, I think even on 15 – I think it was 15, yeah, there’s some grain running into you. It’s not a comfortable feeling when you’re having to hit a chip that all that grain is tight going into you. That’s something I’ve been able to learn from a young age, and Randy has done a really good job helping me do that through the years. It goes down to just knowing where the pin is at on every green, and do you have a miss, knowing your misses, knowing where to miss the ball, knowing where you can’t miss the ball. I think in the last 54 holes, I’ve made one bogey, and that was on 12, and the pin was front right, and you cannot miss that ball right. I looked at Bob, and I was like – I watched Andres Romero hit a shot almost in the water left, and he was in a better position than I was 20 feet right of the hole.”
Peter Malnati (2015): “I mean, the course suits my strengths really well. Several of the par-4s I’m able to hit a short iron into. Because of the wetness, the softness of the conditions, I think that sort of neutralized the par-5s. Some of the longer hitters were probably able to get up there in two on the par-5s, but I’d say the majority of the field probably couldn’t, so the par-5s became a bit of a wedge contest, which plays right into my hands. Like I said, several of the par-4s give you a short iron; plays right into my hands. And then the two holes that you would kind of pinpoint as being longer holes, 16 and 18, I really played well all week. I hit it in the water on 16 in the first round I remember, but outside of that, I think I made nothing but pars, maybe a birdie or two even on 16 and 18. If I have a week where I’m going to take those long par-4s and play them well, I really feel like that’s the week when I’m going to be up there and be in contention, and sure enough, it was this week.”
Nick Taylor (2014): “Yeah, the finishing holes 16, 17, 18, it was a good finish. But there were some tougher holes, I think. Some scoring holes on the back nine, both par 5s you can get to the front of the green or around them. 15, I did, and I hit it 20 yards from the green. So I’m not sure if it opened the tee up, but a lot of guys hit driver into that. There were some scoring holes, but you have to hit the fairways on all the par 4s to have a chance to go at the pins because if you have the wet Bermuda, it’s tough to judge coming out of there, and the greens are so quick. So fairways are key for sure, but they’re definitely scoring.”
First Round Leader Analysis: First round leader(s), their wave and winning score since 2014. Full First Round Leader stats are here.
2024 – Skinns – AM -12/60 – 100/1.
2023 – Hadley – PM -8/64 – 90/1.
2022 – Gordon/Riley – Both PM -6/66 – 80/1 45/1.
2021 – Theegala – AM Wave -8/64 – 85/1.
2020 – Chappell/Hoffman/Munoz/Walker 2AM/2PM Split -8/64 – 125/1, 70/1, 50/1, 150/1.
2019 – Hoge/Poston AM/PM Split -8/64 – 80/1, 55/1.
2018 – Champ – AM Wave -7/65 – 55/1.
2017 – Armour/Clark/Landry/Shindler/Spaun 3AM/2PM -6/66 – 100/1, 150/1, 45/1, 100/1, 175/1.
2016 – Streelman – PM Wave -9/63 – 50/1.
2015 – Castro – PM Wave -10/62.
2014 – Cappelen – (10th tee) -7/65.
For the record, here’s the breakdown of Bermudagrass PGA Tour victors in the field since 2008:
4 – Zach Johnson, Ryan Palmer, Camilo Villegas.
3 – Matt Kuchar, Brandt Snedeker.
2 – Mackenzie Hughes, Peter Malnati, Davis Riley.
1 – Ryan Armour, Akshay Bhatia, Rafael Campos, Cameron Champ, Nick Dunlap, Lanto Griffin, Adam Hadwin, Garrick Higgo, Max Homa, Stephan Jaeger, Tom Kim, Patton Kizzire, Andrew Landry, Min Woo Lee, Luke List, Keith Mitchell, Francesco Molinari, Taylor Moore, J.T. Poston, Seamus Power, Kevin Streelman, Adam Svensson, Aaron Wise, Kevin Yu.
It’s clear that up until this point the Sanderson Farms Championship has been volatile in terms of its winners since it moved to its autumn spot in the season. Tour rookie Nick Taylor was a 400/1 shot in 2014, and although Peter Malnati had a season’s PGA Tour experience behind him, his best main Tour finish before arriving in Mississippi had been 14th in Puerto Rico 18 months earlier. Malnati scored in Mississippi at 250/1 with a few punters stumbling on him mainly because he lived down the road in Knoxville, had won on Bermudagrass greens in Brazil on the Korn Ferry Tour earlier in the season, and was known for his birdie-making style in softer conditions.
Cody Gribble in 2016 was a well-backed form horse who had finished 5th in his last Korn Ferry Tour outing and a comfortable 9th on his PGA Tour debut 2 weeks prior in Napa, California. Plenty of punters scored on the Texan rookie at a rather tasty 125/1. 2017 saw Ryan Armour score his maiden PGA Tour victory at the Sanderson Farms – his build-up had included 4th at the Sedgefield-hosted Wyndham on the PGA Tour and 2nd at Ohio State GC in the Korn Ferry Playoffs. His win was again at 125/1.
2018 saw Cameron Champ deliver at 66/1. Rated by a couple of commentators as one of the best players to have been promoted from the Korn Ferry Tour, Champ had finished 25th at the season-opening Safeway Open, where he closed with a -4/68 – the joint third best Sunday round. His Korn Ferry Playoffs campaign had seen him finish a best of 16th at the DAP Championship, but Champ was undoubtedly talented, winning the Utah Championship and backing that up with 4 top-8 finishes. He also ranked 2nd for Scoring Average, 3rd for Total Driving, 2nd for Ball Striking, 5th for All-Round across his Korn Ferry promotion season.
2019 saw Sebastian Munoz become the sixth consecutive PGA Tour maiden to win the Sanderson Farms Championship and again at a 66/1 price-point. 2019 had seen Munoz land 4 PGA Tour top-10 finishes, jumping 119 Official World Golf Ranking spots into the bargain. The week previous he had finished like a train at the Greenbrier Classic, shooting consecutive Saturday and Saturday 66s to back-door 7th place. Tellingly he ranked 3rd for SG on Approach at the Greenbrier in tandem with ranking in the top 7 across my 8-week rolling Strokes Gained Putting tracker.
With a slightly deeper field at the 2020 Sanderson Farms Championship, the tournament was remarkable for a 70/1 victory for Sergio Garcia. The price tells the story with Sergio winning off immediate form of MC/MC/66/MC. Clearly with a ceiling far better than his price, Garcia was the sort you could throw in at a price, based upon nothing at all positive in the immediate build-up. Correlating course-wise, his win in the 2012 Wyndham at Sedgefield Country Club though was really concrete with the positive Champion Bermudagrass green link.
Onto 2021 where Sam Burns won his 2nd PGA Tour title, 5 months after his first which had been the Valspar Championship at Copperhead. Burns at 16/1 had been joint favourite with Will Zalatoris, and arrived with form which read 17th at the Tour Championship – 8th at the BMW Championship – 21st at the Northern Trust and 2nd at the WGC St Jude Invitational held on the Champion Bermudagrass greens of TPC Southwind.
That takes us onto 2022 which is quite painful as I was on Sepp Straka. Straka, fresh from 7th (72-hole score) at the Tour Championship was a 40/1 chance and he eventually was defeated in a play-off by Mackenzie Hughes who won at 110/1 in a renewal which proved slightly tougher due to 15-20 mph winds on Thursday and Friday.
2023 saw Luke List land at 50/1 in a crazy Sanderson Farms renewal. List (of all players) sank a 45-foot putt for birdie on the 18th hole – the first hole of a sudden-death 5-man play-off – which included Ludvig Aberg – to claim his second win on the PGA Tour. List was making just his second start since the Genesis Scottish Open in July after being sidelined by a thumb injury.
Finally 2024 where Kevin Yu, who had inbound form of MC/52nd/73rd/MC/MC, won this at 110/1. The fanciful numbers here were that Yu ranked 36th for Tee to Green heading into the tournament but 159th for Strokes Gained Putting. That equated to Yu being the 11th worst putter on tournament. He won this gaining 8.68 strokes with the putter – ranking 2nd on the week – which was double what he gained from Tee to Green!
