Sanderson Farm Championship 2022 Overview
After the whitewash that took place at the Presidents Cup last week, we move on to a full-field PGA Tour event in the heart of Jackson, Mississippi. This event provided our first winner of the season in Sam Burns so let’s hope for a repeat.
The Country Club of Jackson is hosting the Sanderson Farm Championship. The course first opened in 1914 and has had several renovations since then. John Fought, who redesigned the course in 2008, is responsible for the present layout. He was influenced by Donald Ross, so we’ll have a course that isn’t the most aesthetically challenging, but requires accuracy from close range, particularly around the greens. Approach play has been a key factor at all Ross courses and this week will be no different with the new design taking his style into consideration. This event has been held on the PGA Tour since 2013, however, it has previously hosted other events dating back to the 1990s.
The course will be a Par 72 with a total length of 7,461 yards. Expect to see plenty of birdies, attacking golf is a must here, with a winning score expected of 20 under par or better. Last year’s winner Sam Burns shot 22 under par, 3 of the last six winners have had to reach 20 under par to get the job done. This is something to bare in mind when building your portfolio, steady and solid golf isn’t the recipe for success here. Driving distance was the key to a high finish last year and will be of key importance again this year along with putting on Bermuda greens, so keep that in mind while selecting your choices. Let’s break down those key skill sets required in more detail before revealing those all-important outright betting picks.
Key Skill Sets Required
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- Driving Distance – We have seen long hitters and short hitters win at this event in the past however the course doesn’t punish those slightly wayward off the tee, and therefore I favour players with strong driving distance stats behind them.
- Birdies or Better % – Traditionally not the strongest of fields going to post here and then what is a low-scoring event I want players who have a proven track record of making plenty of birdies who relish these low-scoring shootouts. Previous champions like Champ, Munoz and Burns all are renowned for their birdie-making ability and aggressive style of golf.
- Par 4 Scoring 400-450 yards – Six holes fall in this range and therefore it pays dividends to consider players who can take advantage of the short to medium par 4’s.
- GIR – Given the importance of putting this week it makes sense to consider players who are hitting plenty of greens in regulation and therefore giving themselves plenty of outside birdie looks and the chance to roll in plenty of putts
- Putting – When looking at the data it is very clear that putting at The Sanderson’s Farm events is of significant importance. This week I will be looking for players that show a tendency to put well on the Bermudagrass greens, and when making my final picks I will pay close attention to putting performance. In addition to Bermudagrass green performance, it’s also noted that the green speed here is always on the fast side.
