Sanderson Farms Championship
Country Club of Jackson
Jackson, MS
The PGA Tour heads to Jackson for another edition of the Sanderson Farms Championship.
As tough as it is to get up for the week after a major, it's even more difficult to get back in the swing after the Ryder Cup. For starters, the Ryder Cup is every two years, making it more anticipated than a major, well, perhaps they're equal, but the scarcity of the Ryder Cup means there's generally more anticipation. Beyond that, unlike the week after a major, when half the time it's a signature event, this week we get back into the fall swing with a very fall-like field.
Before we get to that though, some thoughts on the Ryder Cup. I'll start with the biggest disappointment and in my eyes, and that was Keegan Bradley. I was a guest on the Rotowire preview show this past week and the one thing I mentioned I wanted to talk about was the potential adjustments that the captains would make. Little did I know that Bradley had apparently no adjustments in mind.
I surmised that both of the captains had several game plans and would make adjustments after seeing how the play unfolded. Luke Donald may have had several alternative plans if things had gone poorly, but once again things went so well, he didn't have to change a thing. Bradley however was in position to make some big changes after Friday, and he insisted on "sticking to the plan". The plan that mind you, put the US in a big hole after day one.
It's easy to fault Bradley for trotting out the Harris English – Collin Morikawa pairing on Saturday when everyone that followed the matches Friday knew it was a bad idea, but I think Bradley lost the Ryder Cup when he decided to go conservative out of the gate on Friday. Cameron Young was an easy choice to play Friday morning, in front of his home state, but apparently it was too much pressure for a rookie? How is it any different playing Friday afternoon? It wasn't just the decisions made and not made, but it was the explanations for these decisions. Bradley still doesn't realize what he did wrong this week, which is amazing considering every viewer this weekend knows exactly what he did wrong.
I would be remiss if I didn't mention the players responsibility in all of this however. The US players looked overwhelmed on Friday and Saturday. They showed fight on Sunday, but only after the match seemed well over. Let's not kid ourselves either, there was definitely some let down by the Euro's that opened the door for that comeback. Put yourself in the shoes of the Euro players, you need 2.5 points from 11 matches heading into Sunday, there's a natural letdown knowing that you don't need to win necessarily, that someone else will pick you up if needed. That's no excuse for them however, they should have handled business and made this a blowout, but they didn't. The point is, if the US players had showed the moxie they showed on Sunday, during the first two days, there might have been a different result.
Okay, enough about the Ryder Cup, we'll revisit this topic a couple years from now. As for this week, it's a fall event, with a thin field, but it's golf, right? Let's take a look at what we've got in store.
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LAST YEAR
Kevin Yu shot a final round 67 on his way to a playoff victory over Beau Hossler.
FAVORITES
All odds via FanDuel Sportsbook as of 4:30 PM ET Tuesday.
Akshay Bhatia (20-1)
It's the fall season, so get used to seeing long odds on the favorites and some guys you wouldn't normally see at the top of the odds chart. Bhatia is someone who'll b shooting for the Ryder Cup team in 2027 and if he stays on his current trajectory, he's got a real chance of making the team. He'll have to start showing some more consistency but he's certainly capable. Bhatia was playing well when we last saw him, so it wouldn't be a surprise to see him contend and possibly win this week.
Davis Thompson (22-1)
Thompson was one golfer that many had pegged to make a big leap this year and that did not happen. Thompson was on an upward trajectory after two seasons on the PGA Tour, but he regressed in his third season. There's still time to add to his numbers for this season and make it look better by the end, but only a win in the fall will make this season a success. Thompson didn't play much in August as he missed the playoffs, but he did post a top-20 in the first fall event. He has the talent to win any given week, but it would be a surprise to see him contend this week.
Rasmus Hojgaard (25-1)
There are four players at 25-1 this week, but for obvious reasons, Hojgaard is the most interesting. That's because he's the only hold over from the Ryder Cup this past week and while you might think it's a bit too much to ask playing the week after the Ryder Cup, he only played two matches, so I don't think he'll be exhausted heading into this week. Whether he partied too much or not, that's a different questions, but I have a feeling he'll be ready to go this week and perhaps eager to prove something after failing to pick up a point this past week.
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THE NEXT TIER
Max Homa (40-1)
Homa will be using this fall season to get back on track from what was a disastrous regular season. Homa couldn't get going at all this season, but he did manage to show some better form later in the season as opposed to early in the season. This isn't a new phenomenon, golfers from time to time just lose their game, but the good ones always find their way back. Homa is too good to play like this forever, he'll get it figured out. He posted a top-20 in his most recent start, so perhaps he's on his way back.
Emiliano Grillo (40-1)
There aren't many players in the field this week with a long and successful history at this event, but Grillo is one that has managed to play pretty well here almost every time out. Grillo finished T11 this past year at this event and T5 the year prior. He's also coming off a top-5 in his most recent start at the Procore Championship. Grillo nearly won at the John Deere in July against a similarly weak field, so perhaps he makes run again this week.
Mackenzie Hughes (45-1)
Hughes might have more going for him this week than any other player in the field. Hughes won this event in 2023 and he finished inside the top-10 in 2024. His form also looks pretty solid as he posted a top-10 in his most recent start at the Procore Championship. Hughes is no stranger to winning on the PGA Tour and I'm expecting him to take advantage of the weak field. The odds are pretty good for such an accomplished player.
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LONG SHOTS
Henrik Norlander (150-1)
Norlander is coming off a terrible regular season, trust me I know, I had him on one of my teams, however, he's played well here on a couple occasions, posting 4th-place finishes in 2021 and 2022. It's a lot to ask of someone who hasn't shown much form for most of 2024, but form comes and goes from these guys all the time, and maybe getting back to this course will put him on the right track.
Tom Hoge (200-1)
Would you believe that Hoge's 2024 numbers were not that far off his numbers from 2022-2023? At least earnings-wise? It's true, it feels like Hoge had a major drop-off this season, but his earnings are right in line with his previous two seasons. In other words, he's still playing at a pretty high level, it just doesn't feel that way. Perhaps it's because he didn't play well during the second half of the regular season this year, but whatever the case, he's one of the more talented players in the field this week and he's getting huge odds.
ONE-AND-DONE LEAGUES
Highly-Chosen Pick: Akshay Bhatia – It's all about opportunity this week as Bhatia will likely never have a better path to a victory than this week. There are plenty of good players in the field this week, but there is no one that should scare Bhatia. Bhatia has played well over his past four starts on the PGA Tour, finishing no worse than T26 in any of those starts.
Moderately-Chosen Pick: Mackenzie Hughes – One of the things we always worry about this time of year is motivation. Yeah, everyone wants to win, but what happens when things don't go well out of the gate. Is that player going to throw in the towel or stick it out. One good indicator of fortitude during any given week is the track record of each golfer. In this case, Hughes has shown an affinity for this event, so even a poor start should result in Hughes working hard to get back into the mix.
Lightly-Chosen Pick: Tom Hoge – Hoge clearly hasn't had his best over the past few months, but his best is as good as anyone's in the field this week, so if he happens to find his game, he could be very dangerous. With no big names in the field this week, everyone will be taking a risk, no matter who they use, so why not use a guy who has had a ton of success over the past three years and comes in under the radar?
Buyer Beware: Min Woo Lee – This part is always tough in the fall because in order to be selected for this honor, you have to be someone who might be considered in a OAD format. In the fall, the field are generally pretty weak, which doesn't leave many that qualify, however, I think Lee works in this spot as he's a pretty big name. The problem with Lee this week is that we've only seen him once since the beginning of July and that start resulted in a T68. His form could be better after time off, but you're just flipping a coin at that point.
FANDUEL PICKS
Upper Range: Akshay Bhatia ($12,000)
Middle Range: Mackenzie Hughes ($10,600)
Lower Range: Tom Kim ($8,900)
