Fantasy Golf Predictions
Fantasy Golf Picks, Odds, and Predictions – 2022 Sanderson Farms Championship
Fantasy Golf Picks, Odds, and Predictions for the 2022 Sanderson Farms Championship
Sanderson Farms Championship Fantasy Preview
It’s been a hectic start to the new PGA TOUR season, and arguably nobody has enjoyed it more than Max Homa.
He picked up his fifth PGA TOUR win at the curtain raiser, the Fortinet Championship, a couple of weeks ago. Homa benefitted from a madcap finish on the 72nd hole – he dumped his approach into a greenside bunker, and with playing partner Danny Willett safely on the green, Homa’s in-running odds hit 100/1.
But, as golf has a habit of doing, there would be an amazing twist to come with Homa holing out from the sand and Willett missing not one, not two but three putts to hand the most remarkable, and unexpected, victory to the affable Californian.
Homa was then a pivotal figure in Team USA’s successful defence of the Presidents Cup against the International outfit. He scored four points as the US coasted to a five-point victory, and that was a perfect record considering he only took part in four games.
What a fortnight then for Homa, who will take a well-deserved week off as the TOUR heads to Mississippi for the Sanderson Farms Championship.
Last Week’s Fantasy Results
Max Homa the Fortinet in incredible fashion, unfortunately, taking Cam Davis as our horse pick ended up biting us a bit.
So with the Sanderson in the books the new 2022-2023 season is off and running. Let’s see if we can regain our composure and pick some winners this week.
Sanderson Farms Championship Field
Sam Burns will defend his Sanderson Farms title after what was a mixed bag for him personally in the Presidents Cup. He got to celebrate the US’ victory, but only contributed two half-points to the cause – it will be interesting to see if that causes him a hangover this week, or he instead uses it as motivational fuel.
Former Sanderson Farms winner Sebastian Munoz and Christiaan Bezuidenhout are the other Presidents Cup participants in the field, while another name to watch out for is Davis Riley – he is Mississippi born and bred.
Other interesting names in what is a predictably weak field include last season’s Rookie of the Year contender Sahith Theegala, Harris English – fresh from a top-10 finish at the Fortinet, and Taylor Montgomery….he has served up an incredible five consecutive top-ten finishes on the PGA and Korn Ferry Tours.
This Week’s Course Preview
To describe the Country Club of Jackson in a nutshell is perhaps a task best completed by looking at the rollcall of recent winners here – Burns, Sergio Garcia, Munoz, Cameron Champ and Ryan Armour.
That’s a list that features one of the longest hitters on the PGA TOUR in Champ alongside one of the shortest in Armour, and so trying to predict who might thrive isn’t always the easiest.
Another interesting titbit is that three of Sanderson’s four Par 5 holes are long – between 584 and 612 yards. The point is that the absolutely vast majority of the field will need three shots to take advantage of the most scorable holes….negating the edge of the longer hitters somewhat.
It’s something of a long hitters paradise, in truth, with wide fairways and minimal rough to speak of, and there’s just 56 bunkers on the real estate and water in play on five holes.
So the real business at the Country Club of Jackson is taken care of at the back-end of holes, with average-sized Bermuda greens that tend to run pretty quickly providing the biggest obstacle.
We’d expect an average GIR count for the best in the field to be around 75% this week, and that explains why the Sanderson Farms Championship can become something of a putting shootout….
Weather Forecast for Jackson, MS
It’s pretty much as you would expect in Jackson this week, with plenty of sunshine and skin-tingling temperatures.
It will get warmer throughout the week, starting from 77˚F on Thursday and rising to 84˚F by Sunday, with minimal threat of rain (famous last words!).
The wind can be a factor in this corner of the United States, but aside from a 12 mph breeze expected on Thursday things take a turn for the more benign from thereon.
Last Year’s Results from the Sanderson Farms Championship
The 2021 edition of the Sanderson Farms was all about the bombs and birdies, and there are few exponents of that quite like Sam Burns on the PGA TOUR right now.
Mind you, another exponent of that particular art form – Cameron Young – pushed Burns all the way, and it was only small margins on the Sunday (Burns made three birdies in a row through 13-15, while Young bogeyed 14) that separated the pair.
A surprise name at the top of the leaderboard was Nick Watney, who was in contention after a fine Sunday showing in which he fired a bogey-free round of 65.
But the veteran round out of steam on the back nine, and a failure to break par on the last three holes meant that he – and Young – finished a shot adrift of Burns, who wrapped up what was at the time his second PGA TOUR win. More would follow at the Valspar Championship and Charles Schwab Challenge in 2022.
Where to Play Fantasy Golf for the Sanderson Farms Championship this Week
Like the Fortinet Championship, the Sanderson Farms Championship is an event where you can try and make the most of a tough deal – will you draft multiple lineups made up of unpredictable players, or use a single bullet approach against opponents who are also swimming against the tide in this weak field, putting shootout?
- PGA $15k Dogleg: Those taking the single entry route should take a look at this $33 contest, where the usual consolation prizes for a top 20% finish are supplemented by a winner’s check for $1,500.
- PGA $100k Drive the Green: For those taking a scattergun approach, you cand raft pretty much as many lineups as you want in this $5 entry game, but the upside – a top prize of $25,000 – is more than enough to whet the appetite.
This Week’s Fantasy Notes
This is one of those weeks where you can analyze every single angle and yet, in your heart, you know that it’s the guy that makes putts that wins the trophy.
It’s still hard to argue against length being a key differentiator – nine of the first ten on the leaderboard last year averaged 300+ yards, and six of them were at 310+ yards. Former winners like Garcia, Munoz and Champ are also capable of sending it too.
And then there’s that little voice that whispers ‘Ryan Armour’ in your ear just as you are beginning to work up a head of steam….
Still, distance off the tee has to be the play this week, as well as quality in the 100-125 yard range on approach – that’s where many in the field will find themselves trying to set up birdie opportunities from.
We want Bermuda specialists too, particularly on the greens, because these surfaces at the Country Club of Jackson run smooth and true, so there’s strokes to be gained with flat stick in hand.
For those who enjoy a correlating course or two, Detroit GC (home of the Rocket Mortgage Classic) and TPC San Antonio (Texas Open) are both bomber-fests that have similar approach distances, while the Charles Schwab Challenge could be an event to consider for crossover form – Burns (winner), Munoz (T3) and Champ (T14) have all won at Jackson and delivered solid turns at Colonial as well.
[membership level=”0″]
Our Top 5 (and Top 2 Sleeper) Fantasy Picks and Odds to Win the Sanderson Farms Championship
You must be a Premium Member to view our exclusive fantasy golf picks.
Already a member? Sign in Here.
[/membership]
[membership level=”1,2,3″]
Top 5 Picks/Odds to Win the Sanderson Farms Championship
Top Tier Pick #1
Scott Stallings (Odds: 28/1, FPPG: 60.1, GPFP: 69.75 Salary: $9,500)
We actually drafted Burns for $11,000 in our lineups 12 months ago, so certain were we that the Country Club of Jackson is set up perfectly for his game.
This time around, you wonder if the energy used up as part of his Presidents Cup debut will count against him in his title defense, and we’d also argue that Burns isn’t striking the ball as well now as he was this time last year.
There’s not a great deal to be said for those at the head of the market this week, but Scott Stallings ended the 2021-22 season like a train and has the all-round game of a potential winner.
Regularly smiting the ball 300+ yards off the tee, Stallings also has quality through the 250+ and 100-125 yard approach buckets, which has seen him thrive in Jackson (T6 in 2020) and at Detroit GC, Colonial and TPC San Antonio.
A reliable Bermuda putter, Stallings ended last term 2-MC-13-10-4-8 (notwithstanding the TOUR Championship), and that’s the kind of form line that we’d expect from a possible/probable PGA TOUR winner.
Key Stats:
- Approaches from 100-125 yards – 15th
- Birdie Average – 38th
- SG: Putting – 44th
Top Tier Pick #2
Taylor Moore (Odds: 55/1, FPPG: 58.3, GPFP: 46.64 Salary: $8,500)
Backers were given a decent run for their money from Taylor Moore at the Fortinet Championship before a poor weekend saw him tumble from the top-five to T36.
But there were plenty of positives for him to take from the week, and the switch to Bermuda – which has been Moore’s best surface in his early PGA TOUR to date – certainly helps.
His sole strokeplay finish in the top-five last season came on the Bermuda greens of Sedgefield, and as a 300+ yard merchant off the tee Moore certainly fits the bill for a Jackson sort.
T17 at this venue a year ago sets the scene nicely….
Key Stats:
- Birdie Average – 32nd
- Greens in Regulation – 39th
- SG: Off-the-Tee – 49th
Mid-Tier Pick #1
Seamus Power (Odds: 40/1, FPPG: 64.5, GPFP: 51.63 Salary: $8,400)
A putting contest on Bermuda greens might be just what the doctor ordered for Seamus Power.
Dating back to the start of last season, the Irishman went 4-15-3 through the Bermuda triangle of the RSM Classic, Tournament of Champions and Sony Open, and racked up T9 and T12 finishes in the PGA Championship and US Open to frank the idea that his is a burgeoning reputation in the game.
Two top-20 finishes in Jackson highlight his suitability for this test, as does a handful of strong showings at Detroit GC, and as long as there’s no rust – this will be Power’s first start since August – we can expect more of the same.
Key Stats:
- Birdie Average – 38th
- Approaches from 100-125 yards – 40th
- SG: Putting – 40th
Mid-Tier Pick #2
Trey Mullinax (Odds: 60/1, FPPG: 56.7, GPFP: 45.35 Salary: $8,300)
There was a considerable improvement in Trey Mullinax’s game in July, when out of nowhere he won the Barbasol Championship.
T5 at the FedEx St Jude, T12 at the BMW Championship and an excellent T21 at the Open Championship all duly followed, and we’re happy enough to ride the hot hand of a big hitter who has shown improvements both approaching and on the greens.
Mullinax is the kind of player that will surely relish the extra room off the tee at the Country Club of Jackson, and T4 here 12 months ago is proof positive of the fact. In better form now, he will surely flourish this week.
Key Stats:
- Driving Distance – 9th
- Birdie Average – 26th
- Approaches from 100-125 yards – 73rd
Low-Tier Pick
Stephan Jaeger (Odds: 90/1, FPPG: 53.1, GPFP: 42.49 Salary: $7,200)
When seeking out low-tier picks, you’re just looking for a spark of positivity in a player’s game that suggests they could finish in the top-40 or perhaps even higher.
With T5 at the Rocket Mortgage Classic and T13 in the Wyndham Championship at the end of last season, Stephan Jaeger has shown his upside and he will surely appreciate the less-demanding conditions off the tee in Jackson.
A form line at this track of 26-MC-14 is enough for a hint of encouragement, and the German’s improved approach play – and T5 finish at our correlating course – is enough for us to have a shot of Jaeger.
Key Stats:
- Approaches from 225-250 yards – 41st
- SG: Approach – 66th
- Birdie Average – 89th
Sleeper Pick for the Sanderson Farms Championship
Patrick Rodgers (Odds: 125/1, FPPG: 56.5, GPFP: 63.26 Salary: $7,100)
A player with a genuine propensity to frustrate his backers to their wits end, there is – you fancy – still a quality operator in Patrick Rodgers waiting to get out.
Long but wayward off the tee, Rodgers will have more real estate to try and find this week, and while approach play remains hit and miss, his putting is elite – he ranked 30th on TOUR for Strokes Gained: Putting last term.
Whether he ever truly breaks through remains to be seen, but Rodgers makes stacks of birdies on Par 5s in particular, and with few hazards to speak of at the Country Club of Jackson he can (hopefully) let his putting shine.
Key Stats:
- Driving Distance – 30th
- SG: Putting – 30th
- Greens in Regulation – 41st
Alternative Sleeper Pick for the Sanderson Farms Championship
Peter Malnati (Odds: 150/1, FPPG: 56.7, GPFP: 45.38 Salary: $6,900)
You sense that the conditions of the Sanderson Farms Championship – a weak-field event at an easy layout – are such that a flyer can come through the pack and deliver a huge performance.
Maybe that man could be Peter Malnati, because he’s already delivered twice at this venue – first when winning in 2015, and then again when runner-up to Sergio Garcia in 2020.
Since the start of July, Malnati has finished T11 at the 3M Open, posted rounds of 66, 67 and 68 at the John Deere Classic and opened with a 64 at the Wyndham Championship, and while those may only seem like small acorns, imagine what they have done to the confidence of a player heading to what must surely be his favorite layout in golf.
Key Stats:
- Approaches from 100-125 yards – 26th
- Birdie Average – 41st
- SG: Putting – 57th
This Week’s Sample Fantasy Lineup
Note: Sample lineups provided as examples only. Be sure to mix-and-match players to best fit individual contests.
[/membership]
Fantasy Golf Predictions Last Season (2021-2022)
Tourneys Played '21 -'22
Season Earnings YTD
Remember to visit our private Facebook group to discuss this week’s picks for the Sanderson Farms Championship with other Premium Members.
Cover Photo via Instagram
Blind Ranking The Most Iconic Masters Moments
FIRST LOOK: Titleist Unveils New Vokey WedgeWorks Grind Lineup
New Shot Scope LM1: The Best Budget Launch Monitor Under $200?
Did LIV Golf Finally Get its Big Breakthrough?
FIRST LOOK: Titleist’s New GTS Driver Lineup Spotted on Tour
FIRST LOOK: Titleist’s New GTS Driver Lineup Spotted on Tour
New Shot Scope LM1: The Best Budget Launch Monitor Under $200?
FIRST LOOK: Titleist Unveils New Vokey WedgeWorks Grind Lineup
Did LIV Golf Finally Get its Big Breakthrough?
Blind Ranking The Most Iconic Masters Moments
We Played This Old Golf Course Where Thomas Edison Was A Member
Are You MEASURING Your Golf Swing Correctly? (This Can Help)
Zach Johnson Explains Why He Didn’t Pick Bryson DeChambeau for the Ryder Cup
Justin Thomas FIRES Coach before Ryder Cup…Who’s Next?
