Fantasy Golf Picks, Odds, and Predictions – Sanderson Farms Championship

Fantasy Golf Picks, Odds, and Predictions for the Sanderson Farms Championship

Sanderson Farms Championship Fantasy Preview

Finally!

Regular readers of our previews will know that we have been very sweet on Joaquin Niemann for quite some time now, and while that’s an unusual pressure to place upon a 20-year-old the Chilean undoubtedly has the game to go to the very top of world golf.

And, at last, he finally picked up his maiden PGA TOUR victory at A Military Tribute at the Greenbrier last week.

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Indeed, he rarely looked troubled, and wasn’t out of contention at any point after firing an opening round of 65. From there he kicked on, shooting -8 over the weekend and showing the maturity of a ten-win veteran.

It was vindication for him that all of his hard work off-the-course has finally come to fruition, and perhaps its vindication for us too that our model for selecting our weekly picks does have plenty of merit when staying loyal to those with clear potential.

Be under no illusions: this is the first victory of many for Niemann, who became just the third overseas player in history – after Seve Ballesteros and Rory McIlroy no less – to win on the Tour before turning 21.

He has already jumped aboard a charter plane to take him to Jackson, Mississippi in time for the second event of the new PGA TOUR season: the Sanderson Farms Championship.

Last Week’s Fantasy Results

It’s always nice to jump out of the gate with the FIRST WINNER of the season after the FIRST EVENT of the season!  Well now, let’s keep this train running. 

Here’s what we had to say about Niemann heading into last week’s event:

After a strong second-half to the season, Niemann finished just shy of qualifying for the TOUR Championship. But the Chilean can still be satisfied with his work, particularly given how well he played from June onwards.

Just one missed cut in his ten starts in that timeframe – at the Open Championship no less – confirms his consistency, with two top-5s, a further top-10 and a T13 finish all recorded. Niemann is a premium ball-striker who is noted for his preference for Bentgrass golf, and a top-five in this event last year highlights that The Old White suits his eye. If he finds something with the putter on these slow-ish greens, watch out!

Let’s try to catch some more fire this week!

The Sanderson Farms Championship Field

The Sanderson Farms Championship has perennially been an alternate field event, cast asunder as the great and good of golf have sought fortune elsewhere.

In 2019, the tournament has finally come out of the shadows with its own place in the schedule.

Sadly, it hasn’t been that well supported, with many of the OWGR leaders off on vacation or chasing riches over in the UK at the BMW PGA Championship at the iconic Wentworth course.

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And so it’s another thin field for gamers to sift through for their drafts, with Niemann, Brandt Snedeker, Sungjae Im and Lucas Glover arguably taking headline billing.

It might be the case that the Korn Ferry Tour graduates thrive once more. The likes of Scottie Scheffler – who was the favorite with the sportsbooks in-running during the Greenbrier, joined by Robby Shelton, Lanto Griffin, Mark Hubbard and Joseph Bramlett.

A number of PGA TOUR ‘veterans’ also prospered at The Old White, with Tom Hoge, Richy Werenski and Harris English all racking up rare top-five finishes – they will be looking to double-up in Mississippi.

This Week’s Course Preview

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One of the things that attracts a stronger field is an iconic golf course: whether it’ a design by a landmark architect or a layout famous for its unique test of skill.

Unfortunately, in this case, the Country Club of Jackson serves up neither of those things.

This is your traditional green, lush parklands course, with plenty of trees and a few water features. Generally, there’s nothing that sets it apart from any other provincial track in a town near you.

The fairways are generously proportioned and its only the most wayward of drives that will be gobbled up by what is quite fearsome rough.

Some of the Bermuda greens are protected by sharp run-off areas, but all-in-all this is a golf course where only one real skill is tested: putting.

There will be a high GIR count, and even the most out-of-form players will find little danger from tee-to-green. So in the end, there will be a premium in finding the bottom of the cup with the flat stick – but then, when isn’t there!

Weather Forecast for Jackson, MS

We’ve written about how there’s nothing out of the ordinary about the Country Club of Jackson, and there’s little in the weather forecast that suggests the players will be shaken out of their comfort zone.

The predictions for Thursday include ‘scattered thunderstorms’, but as ever such vagueness can lead to downpours of a monumental scale or a few drops of rain here and there.

Otherwise, it’s a nice hot and sunny week for the players to enjoy, with thermometers hitting 91°F and wind speeds never topping 10 mph.

Last Year’s Results from Sanderson Farms Championship

There was plenty of hype about Cameron Champ prior to joining the PGA TOUR, but was the big-hitter really worth the column inches? At last year’s Sanderson Farms Championship, he proved absolutely yes there was.

From the minute he opened up with a round of 65, it was clear that this was a guy with extraordinary talent – even if, as we would learn later in the season, it’s not always harnessed in the best way.

A Friday round of 70 opened the door for others, and the likes of Norman Xiong – another prodigiously talented youngster, Shawn Stefani and Jonathan Byrd looked to take advantage by closing to within one shot.

But Champ’s class shone through over the weekend, as rounds of 64 and 68 carried him to his maiden PGA TOUR title ahead of another talented young gun, Corey Conners, who matches Champ stride-for-stride on Saturday and Sunday but could not close the four-shot gap.

Highlights | Round 4 | Sanderson Farms 2018

SUBSCRIBE to PGA TOUR now: http://pgat.us/vBxcZSh In the third round of the 2018 Sanderson Farms Championship, Cameron Champ shoots a 4-under 68 to lead hang onto the lead and win by four. The Sanderson Farms Championship returns to Jackson, Mississippi.

Where to Play Fantasy Golf for Sanderson Farms Championship this Week

We’re starting to get into the PGA TOUR season now, but with bigger events around the corner now is as good a time as any to start building that bankroll ahead of the main bulk of the campaign.

• PGA $80k Club Twirl: With $20k up for grabs to the winner, here’s a great chance to go big or go home in a tournament which has plenty of mystery attached to it. Finish inside the top 20% of teams and you will take home a handy profit.
• PGA $250k Best Ball: This multi-entry contest allows you to spread your risk across a number of different teams while trying to land the $50k top prize. There’s plenty of consolation prizes too, and for $8 you can’t say fairer than that.

This Week’s Fantasy Notes for Sanderson Farms Championship

It’s at this juncture of the season once again where we make the old proclamation: the Sanderson Farms Championship is very much a putting contest.

Champ brought his best on the greens to Jackson last year, ranking second for SG: Putting, and that’s been a theme for previous winners here too.

There’s nothing to worry about off the tee, and most of the Bermuda greens are a fair old size too, so there’s not a lot in the way of statistical prior that we can use. Proximity to the hole is interesting of course, but instead its about making putts at the right times – most in the field will record fair GIR numbers.

Depending on whether the rain comes, the greens should also run pretty quickly on the stimp too, which reinforces the notion that flat stick warriors are the order of the day at CC of Jackson.

The routing of this course is also interesting. Two of the easiest holes come back-to-back at 14 and 15, with a straightforward Par 5 followed by a 330-yard Par 4. But these are immediately followed by a tricky run-in, with two of the remaining Par 4s averaging over par last year.

There is one correlating course link we can offer: Vitoria National, host of the Korn Ferry Tour Championship as of 2019, and the United Leasing Championship prior to that, has served up some interesting links. Cody Gribble, Jonathan Randolph, Seamus Power, Smylie Kaufman, Greg Owen and Ryan Armour – as eclectic a bunch of players as you could wish to see – have all thrived at both layouts, which suggest there is something to the proposed correlation.

And don’t forget we’re deep in the south, and that always lends itself to players either born and raised or who studied in this part of the country.

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Our Top 5 (and Top 2 Sleeper) Fantasy Picks and Odds to Win Sanderson Farms Championship

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Top 5 Picks/Odds to Win Sanderson Farms Championship

Top Tier Pick #1: 

Sungjae Im (Odds: 20/1, FPPG: 68.8, GPFP: 55.0 Salary: $10,500)

In drafting Joaquin Niemann last week, and numerous times before, we were banking on him fulfilling his potential at a time of the season when ‘new’ winners are arguably more likely.

And that’s the logic that has driven us towards Sungjae Im this week.

The Korean is one of the hardest-working players around, ad his consistency is extraordinary: he delivered seven top-10 finishes last season, including a catalog of top-fives.

A two-time champion on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2018, the 21-year-old fits the profile of a serial PGA TOUR winner because there really are few flaws in his game: from tee-to-green, and on the green, he fits the bill.

Im wasn’t quite at his best at the Greenbrier, but still banked a top-20 finish aided by ranking sixth for Strokes Gained: Putting.

If his tee-to-green game improves – as it’s likely too given what we know about this precocious talent – and the putter remains hot, we could be celebrating back-to-back winners early on in the campaign.

Key Stats (2018-19):

• Birdie Average – 26th
• SG: Tee-to-Green – 33rd
• SG: Putting – 39th

Top-Tier Pick #2:  

Brian Harman (Odds: 30/1, FPPG: 52.0, GPFP: 58.2 Salary: $9,700)

He’s a player that can latter to perceive and under-perform when you least expect him to, but Brian Harman’s game looked in excellent shape at the Greenbrier and he makes our draft as a result.

The leftie signed off his effort at The Old White with an eye-catching round of 65, and anybody that ranks 18th for SG: Tee-to-Green and 11th for SG: Putting for the week naturally comes to the fore when shortlisting.

The 32-year-old had actually ended last season in strong fashion, with top-10s at the Wyndham (T6), 3M Open (T7) and Travelers Championship (T8) bringing a sense of consistency to his game that has often been lacking.

Harman’s tee-to-green game is in good shape, his putting is as typically strong as ever, and his form outstrips the vast majority in this field. That makes him a major player in Mississippi.

Key Stats (2018-19):

• SG: Off-the-Tee – 39th
• Approaches from 125-150 yards – 60th
• SG: Putting – 76th

Mid-Tier Pick #1:  

Sebastian Munoz (Odds: 80/1, FPPG: 87.3, GPFP: 50.6 Salary: $7,900)

Schooling in Texas should ensure Sebastian Munoz enjoys his return to the South for this week’s Sanderson Farms.

He heads to Mississippi on the back of a strong showing at the Greenbrier: nobody shot a lower weekend than his combined -8.

All of the stats offer plenty of the Colombian this week too: he is something of a birdie-machine, finds plenty of greens and can get a hot hand with the flat stick.

Add into the mix a prior T11 at Victoria National, and this former Korn Ferry Tour winner makes for an interesting play this week.

Key Stats (2018-19):

• Birdie Average – 30th
• Greens in Regulation – 47th
• SG: Putting – 80th

Mid-Tier Pick #2: 

Robby Shelton (Odds: 125/1, FPPG: NA , GPFP: NA Salary: $7,200)

The Alabaman is back on the PGA TOUR and back on native soil, where he has a habit of performing admirably.

The 24-year-old won both the Nashville and Knoxville Opens on the Korn Ferry Tour last season, which is proof that he’s a Southern man who loves being home.

Shelton made a decent return to the big time at the Greenbrier, gaining strokes on the field in every department apart from around the green – that shouldn’t be such a problem here given the large surfaces the players can work with.

Particularly good with the putter at The Old White, if the player who shot 62-65 prior to the weekend shows up in Mississippi then there could be another winner from the South to add to the PGA TOUR’s long history.

Key Stats:

• Birdie Average – 1st
• SG: Off-the-Tee – 4th
• SG: Putting – 16th

Low-Tier Pick: 

Joseph Bramlett (Odds: 125/1, FPPG: 28.0, GPFP: 22.4 Salary: $7,100)

With the Korn Ferry Tour graduates, we’re still very much in learning mode.

But we like what we saw from Joseph Bramlett at the Greenbrier, and he also boasts the handy angle of form at our correlating course, Victoria National, too.

At 31, the California isn’t in the first flush of youth, and so there might be an element of making up for lost time – he certainly didn’t look overawed on his PGA TOUR debut, anyway.

His T14 finish would have been much better but for a closing round of 71, and it was actually on the greens where Bramlett stood out the most; dunking a number of putts to gain +1.25 strokes on the field.

Where he goes from here is anybody’s guess, but there’s enough narratives in play to suggest he can go well once again this week.

Key Stats:

• SG: Putting – 14th
• Greens in Regulation – 16th
• Total Driving – 48th

Sleeper Pick for Sanderson Farms Championship

Lanto Griffin (Odds: 125/1, FPPG: NA, GPFP: NA Salary: $7,300)

A stallion off the tee who showed flair on the greens last week, Lanto Griffin could be a Korn Ferry Tour graduate to stick a pin in this season.

He gained +1.27 strokes on the field on the green; not bad for a guy who drove the ball an average of 328 yards while finding 67.95% of fairways!

Griffin won on the highly competitive KFT last term, and also won on the same Tour in Nashville in 2018. To complete the set, he was T7 at Victoria National last season.

Key Stats:

• Total Driving – 7th
• SG: Putting – 12th
• Approaches from 150-175 yards – 22nd

Alternative Sleeper Pick for Sanderson Farms Championship

Ryan Blaum (Odds: 200/1, FPPG: 54, GPFP: 43.18 Salary: $6,600)

Some players just happen to appeal on certain surfaces, and while there’s little in Ryan Blaum’s recent formline to get excited about, the switch to Bermuda should suit.

The 35-year-old will be low owned this week too – perhaps with good reason – but we’re willing to take a punt on a guy who made 18/28 cuts last term with five top-25s into the bargain.

An excellent putter on his day, Blaum makes plenty of birdies and can outperform his rather paltry salary here.

Key Stats (2018-19):

• SG: Putting – 52nd
• Approaches from 125-150 yards – 65th
• Birdie Average – 82nd

This Week’s Sample DraftKings Lineup

Note: Sample lineups provided as examples only.  Be sure to mix-and-match players to best fit individual contests.

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Fantasy Golf Predictions This Season (2018-2019)

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