While the stars of the golfing world are competing in China this week there is a chance for the lesser lights to shine when the PGA Tour stages the Sanderson Farms Championship in Missouri. While this is a secondary event it carries the same benefits that a normal event would carry.
Ryan Armour received those last year when he won the title and he will attempt to defend the title this week. It is very much a second string set of players opposing him but someone will take the trophy and the FedEx Cup points.
Recent Winners
2017 – Ryan Armour
2016 – Cody Gribble
2015 – Peter Malnati
2014 – Nick Taylor
2013 – Woody Austin
2012 – Scott Stallings
2011 – Chris Kirk
2010 – Bill Haas
2008 – Will MacKenzie
2007 – Chad Campbell
The Course
The Country Club of Jackson is once again the venue for this tournament. It hosts the competition for the fourth time and is starting to become a regular and known course on the tour. The track has been lengthened slightly and now measures 7,440 yards and plays to a par of 72.
Birdies are the order of the day this week and getting on a run and not surrendering in particular. With that in mind we are looking at players who are not necessarily wayward off the tee box and who are aggressive with their irons and can get it rolling on the greens. Have an eye on the birdie average statistic.
The Field
This is not the best field we are going to see on the PGA Tour. In fact it is probably one of the worst in fairness. Former US Open champion Lucas Glover is probably the headline of it although former champions of the event in Bill Haas, Chris Kirk, Scott Stallings and Peter Malnati are here.
Seasoned campaigners such as Aaron Baddeley and Hunter Mahan tee it up this week while Patrick Rodgers was once considered to be the next big thing. The likes of Cameron Champ, Sungjae Im and Dylan Frittelli also tee it up this week while defending champion Ryam Armour is also in the field.
Market Leaders
We have a trio of 25/1 co-favourites for the tournament this week in the shape of Patrick Rodgers, Sungjae Im and Aaron Baddeley. Im was a prolific winner on the Web.com Tour last season and has begun this season well with a top five at the Safeway but he’s been globetrotting in recent weeks which is a negative for me. Rodgers should be capable of leading these a merry dance but rarely produces the goods but Baddeley won a similar event to this in the Barbasol Championship a few years ago and is in good form.
Lucas Glover is a 30/1 shot to win the tournament. He ended the Web.com Tour season in good nick and will be looking to carry that over into a win at the PGA Tour level. You have to wonder whether he is going to go in on what will be a shootout even in this field. I have my doubts which is why I’ll leave him alone.
There are a whole host of players on 33/1 for the tournament. They include Dylan Frittelli and Bill Haas. Frittelli is actually the highest ranked player in the world rankings who is teeing it up this week so he should be respected on that while Haas is a good level above events like this when he is at his best. We’ve not seen his best golf for a while though it has to be said. Defending champion Ryan Armour and Harold Varner III are also in the group on this price.
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Main Bets
Aaron Baddeley is my idea of the winner this week. He opened up the campaign with a top four finish at the Safeway which is good form for this event and he has decent numbers in these smaller events in weaker fields including that win in the Barbasol a few years ago. You’ll go a distance to find a better putter on any tour than Baddeley so if he can hit it as well as he did in Napa a few weeks ago there is no reason why he won’t be right there this week.
I’m back on the Hunter Mahan train again this week. As I mentioned a number of times last season I’m convinced he is coming into the form which will see him win again and this could be like a penalty kick if he has his focus and hits the ball well here. He is another who can putt the life out of any field on any course let alone this one and at 50/1 he is just too big a price for me to ignore this week.
Outsiders
I highlighted the claims of Anders Albertson in the Safeway Open at the beginning of the season and while he didn’t really get going there I feel I need to ride his back once again here in case this is his week. This field is very much like a Web.com Tour one so he should be more at home here. He led the entire Web.com Tour in birdie average last season and won a tournament along the way. Forgive him his Safeway no show and we’ll go again at 80/1.
Sam Burns was fourth in the money list on the Web.com Tour last year despite mixing his schedule on that tour and the main one. He had a couple of top 12 finishes last season and was even as high as a tie for sixth at the Barbasol a couple of years ago. That all shows he has a bright future and he should be looking upon this week as one in which he can really propel himself into the spotlight. I’ll pay to see what he’s got at 100/1.
Wesley Bryan is a winner of a tournament as prestigious as The Heritage just 18 months ago and while it has all gone wrong for him since then you never lose your class and he should be more than capable of competing around here against this field. On his day Bryan is as good with the irons and the putter as any in this field and were it not for a complete slide we wouldn’t be getting anything like 200/1 on him. A number of players have launched or relaunched their careers in this event. I’ll pay to see if Bryan is the latest of them.
Tips
Back A.Baddeley to win Sanderson Farms Championship (e/w) for a 1/10 stake at 26.00 with Coral (1/5 1-7)
Back W.Bryan to win Sanderson Farms Championship (e/w) for a 0.5/10 stake at 201.00 with Coral (1/5 1-7)
Back them here:
Back H.Mahan to win Sanderson Farms Championship (e/w) for a 1/10 stake at 51.00 with Betfred (1/5 1-6)
Back S.Burns to win Sanderson Farms Championship (e/w) for a 0.5/10 stake at 101.00 with Betfred (1/5 1-6)
Back them here:
PLACED – Back A.Albertson to win Sanderson Farms Championship (e/w) for a 0.5/10 stake at 81.00 with Skybet (1/5 1-6)
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