This article is part of our Yahoo PGA DFS Picks series.
Sanderson Farms Championship
Jackson, Mississippi
Country Club of Jackson - Par 72 - 7,460 yards
Field - 156 entrants
Purse - $6.6M
The Preview
The 2019-20 season opener not only produced a worthy first-time champion in 20-year-old Chilean Joaquin Niemann, but we also saw a quartet of PGA Tour puppies place inside of the top-25 as Scottie Scheffler outlasted Viktor Hovland atop the rookie leaderboard at the Greenbrier. The lousy field will be even more frail this week at the Sanderson Farms Championship, with just four of the Official World Golf Ranking's top-50 members in attendance. On the flip side, the Country Club of Jackson now hosts a full-field event after originally being forced to compete opposite the WGC-HSBC Champions. The champion will receive the typical seven-figure check for landing atop the podium, along with a Masters invite as well. Despite these developments, the lack of prestige sentiment may linger as a significant collection of talent gathers overseas at Wentworth Golf Club for the European Tour's BMW PGA Championship.
Recent Champions
2018 - Cameron Champ (CC of Jackson)
2017 - Ryan Armour (CC of Jackson)
2016 - Cody Gribble (CC of Jackson)
2015 - Peter Malnati (CC of Jackson)
2014 - Nick Taylor (CC of Jackson)
2013 - Woody Austin
2012 - Scott Stallings
2011 - Chris Kirk
2010 - Bill Haas
Key Stats to Victory
Birdie or better percentage
SG: Off-the-Tee
GIR percentage
SG: Putting
Yahoo Value Picks - based on $200 salary cap
Cream of the Crop
Lucas Glover - $46
Amassing just over $2.6M in earnings this past season, the 2018-19 campaign was financially Glover's best since 2009. He gained strokes off the tee in seven consecutive events to close it out, ultimately ranking 57th or best in each Strokes Gained subcategory as he showcased an all-around skillset. Glover has finished no worse than a T39 in four trips to the Country Club of Jackson and he notched top-15s during his last two appearances here, notably tying for fifth in 2016.
Scottie Scheffler - $40
The former Longhorn standout wasted no time vaulting into immediate relevance during the season opener as he played his first two rounds at the Greenbrier in a combined 13-under-par, including a bogey-free effort Friday. Scheffler would cool off throughout the weekend while falling into a tie for seventh, but he still led the entire field in SG: Tee-to-Green and GIR percentage. The rookie has already racked up multiple wins on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2019, but he's a legitimate contender to claim victory sooner rather than later at the next level as well.
Glue Guys
Vaughn Taylor - $38
Missing just one cut over his last 14 starts, Taylor is flirting with rejoining the top-100 in the OWGR for the first time since April of 2016. He's gained an average of 2.4 strokes from tee to green per tournament throughout his last 10 performances, while he also ranked ninth on Tour in SG: Putting this past season. Taylor posted top-20s in each of his first three showings at the Country Club of Jackson, and he wasn't far off last year either with a T26.
Brian Harman - $32
A T3 at the Greenbrier marked Harman's fourth top-10 in his last eight starts dating back to the Travelers Championship. Better known for his prowess with the putter, Harman has actually gained strokes from tee to green in 11 consecutive events. He compiled three scores of 66 or better at the Old White TPC last week, ultimately dropping just four total bogeys or worse in 72 holes.
Robby Shelton - $30
Much like the aforementioned Scheffler, Shelton came out of the gates firing on all cylinders at the Greenbrier as he notched opening rounds of 62-65 before playing his final 36 holes in just even-par to descend into a tie for seventh. Nonetheless, Shelton's 23 total birdies led the tournament as he also tied for first in SG: Off-the-Tee and ranked top-5 in putts per GIR. He was second in putting average and fourth in birdie average on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2019.
Bargain Bin
Nick Taylor - $28
A horse for the course at the CC of Jackson with a win here in 2014 to accompany three other finishes of T26 or better, Taylor's popularity this week will be boosted after he played his final 15 holes at the Greenbrier in a collective seven-under-par to join the top-25. The Canadian missed back-to-back cuts at the Wyndham Championship and Northern Trust to end the 2018-19 season on a sour note, but he's still gained strokes off the tee in six of his last seven starts.
Bronson Burgoon - $27
Including his impressive results during the Korn Ferry Tour Finals, Burgoon has now placed T19 or better in four of his last five starts since the Barracuda Championship after he notched another top-20 this past week at the Greenbrier. Burgoon broke par in all four rounds at the Old White TPC and ranked top-15 in both scrambling and putts per GIR. He's gained strokes on his approach shots in five straight starts, but there is still much room for improvement from a ball-striking standpoint. Burgoon tied for 20th at the 2015 Sanderson Farms Championship in his debut at the event.
Harris English - $20
Averaging just over five birdies per round at the Old White TPC last week, English led the field in driving accuracy and ranked third in GIR percentage en route to a T3, which is his best result since the 2016 Dean and DeLuca Invitational. English has gained strokes both off the tee and with the putter in eight consecutive tourneys, so the 30-year-old isn't exactly a punt play despite the minimum price tag.
