Golf betting tips: Preview and tips for the 2021 Sanderson Farms Championship

The Sanderson Farms Championship is played annually in Mississippi. The tournament has been part of the PGA Tour schedule since 1968.

Originally played at the Hattiesburg Country Club in Hattiesburg, the event moved to Annandale Golf Club, Madison in 1994. In 2014 the tournament moved to the Country Club of Jackson in Jackson, Mississippi.

From 1999 to 2006, the tournament was known as the Southern Farm Bureau Classic, from 2007 to 2011 as the Viking Classic and in 2012 as the True South Classic. The current tournament sponsor, Sanderson Farms, took over sponsorship in 2013 and is one of the United States’ leading food corporations based in Mississippi.

Historically, the tournament was played opposite one of the Majors or a WGC event and was deemed an “alternate event” on the PGA Tour. However, last year the tournament was elevated to a full-field, stand-alone event on the Tour. The winner receives the full benefits of a regular PGA Tour event, with 500 FedEx Cup points and an invitation to The Masters.

Course Overview

The Country Club of Jackson opened in 1914. It is a private club with 27 holes comprising three sets of nine holes, Dogwood, Azalea and Cypress. Dogwood and Azalea combine for the championship course with Dogwood serving as the opening nine holes. The championship layout measures 7,421 yards from the back sticks.

Originally designed by Dick Wilson, John Fought redesigned the championship course in 2008/09. The remodeled layout can be best described as a parkland style routing with smallish, tricky greens. The green complexes vary in size 5,000 to 8,500 square feet and are often sitting-up with testing run-off areas.

2020 Sanderson Farms Championship | Sergio Garcia

Winning Score -19 (269)

Last year, Sergio Garcia captured the Sanderson Farms Championship for his 11^th PGA Tour victory. The Spaniard closed with a birdie on the final hole for a total -19 (269) to edge out Peter Malnati by one stroke. It was his first victory on Tour since the 2017 Masters.

Sergio Garcia SG Category	Strokes Gained	Finishing Position (SG Category)
SGOTT	5.492	2
SGAPR	7.011	3
SGARG	-0.458	85
SGP	2.830	35
SGT2G	12.044	1

No surprise that it was ball-striking that laid the foundation for Garcia’s victory. Sergio topped the pile for the week in Strokes Gained Tee-To-Green. This equated to a gain of 12.044 strokes or just over 80% of his overall gain for the week. He drove the ball long and well and his approach play was razor sharp. He finished inside the Top 3 for both Strokes Gained Off-The-Tee and Strokes Gained Approach-The-Green. Other stats for the week include T31 for Driving Accuracy, 11th for Driving Distance, T1 for GIR and T12 for Putts per GIR.

2019 Sanderson Farms Championship | Sebastian Munoz

Winning Score -18 (270)

In 2019, Sebastian Munoz captured his maiden title in the Sanderson’s Farm Championship. He closed with a -2 (70), which included a 15 foot birdie on the 18^th to force a playoff with Sungjae Im. Munoz won with a par on the first extra hole for the win.

Munoz shot a bogey free third round 63 which was the lowest round for the week. With his victory, Munoz joined twelve players who made the Sanderson Farms Championship their first PGA Tour win. Some of the first-time winners include Cameron Champ (2018), Ryan Armour (2017), Cody Gribble (2016), Peter Malnati (2015), Nick Taylor (2014), Chris Kirk (2011), D.J. Trahan (2006) and Luke Donald (2002).

Sebastian Munoz SG Category	Strokes Gained	Finishing Position (SG Category)
SGOTT	3.755	4
SGAPR	3.200	20
SGARG	-0.056	40
SGP	6.250	5
SGT2G	6.898	13

It was solid ball-striking which laid the foundation for Munoz’s victory. The Colombian drove the ball long and well, finishing 4^th in Strokes Gained Off-The-Tee. However, like most weeks, its a hot putter that ultimately gets the job done. He finished 5^th in Strokes Gained Putting which translated to a gain of 6.25 strokes or just over 50% of his overall gain. Other stats for the week include T36 for Driving Accuracy, 3^rd for Driving Distance, T9 for GIR and 11^th for Putts per GIR.

2018 Sanderson Farms Championship | Cameron Champ

Winning Score -21 (267)

In 2018, a 23 year old Cameron Champ won the Sandersons Farm Championship in only his ninth start on Tour. The big-hitter from California birdied five of the last six holes to win by four strokes from Corey Connors.

Champ signed for a final round -4 (68) to finish on a total of -21 (267) for a wire-to-wire victory. A red-hot putter laid the foundation for his victory. While not particularly accurate from the tee box, his distance off the tee averaged out at 334 yards, finishing the week 1st for Driving Distance.

Cameron Champ SG Category	Strokes Gained	Finishing Position (SG Category)
SGOTT	5.680	2
SGAPR	2.642	21
SGARG	-0.198	42
SGP	9.088	2
SGT2G	8.125	9

Almost one third of Champ’s overall strokes gained for the week came in the Strokes Gained Off-The-Tee category topping the pile for Driving Distance. However, it was a red-hot flat stick that sealed the deal for the big-hitter from California. Over half his overall shots gained came greenside, finishing second in the Strokes Gained Putting Category. This yielded a gain of just over 9 strokes for the week. Other performance indicators for the week include T65 for Driving Accuracy, T9 for GIR and 1^st for Putts per GIR.

2017 Sanderson Farms Championship | Ryan Armour

Winning Score -19 (269)

Ryan Armour SG Category	Strokes Gained	Finishing Position (SG Category)
SGOTT	0.156	39
SGAPR	8.047	3
SGARG	2.764	13
SGP	7.681	2
SGT2G	10.968	2

Armour finished 2^nd in the Strokes Gained Tee-To-Green category which translated to almost 60% of his overall strokes gained for the week. In particular, his approach play was dialled-in. He finished 3^rd in Strokes Gained Approach-The-Green, a gain of just over 8 strokes for the week. His putting also played a significant part in the victory. He finished 2^nd in Strokes Gained Putting, a gain of 7.681 strokes for the tournament. Other statistics for the week include T69 for Driving Distance, 3^rd for Driving Accuracy, 3^th for GIR and 2^th for Putts per GIR.

Sanderson Farms Championship Winning Formula

The following table details the Average Strokes Gained in each of the key strokes gained categories for the past four champions of the Sandersons Farm Championship.

Last 4 Champions Strokes Gained Category	Average Strokes Gained	Average Finishing Position SG Category
SGOTT	3.771	12
SGAPR	5.225	12
SGARG	0.513	45
SGP	6.462	11
SGT2G	9.509	6

Graphing the above Average Strokes Gained gives a visual check on the likely key areas required for success at this week’s Sanderson Farms Championship.

Sanderson Farms Championship Tips

Sungjae Im 18/1 (E/W) – finished runner-up in the 2019 edition of the Sanderson Farms Championship and followed with a T28 last year. Closed last season strongly with a run of Top 25 finishes, highlighted by a solo 3^rd in the BMW Championship. Places inside the Top 10 in this week’s Stats Analysis (based on last season’s statistics). He closed-out last season 30^th for both Scoring Average and Birdie Average. If his form carries over from the Playoffs to this week’s season debut, then he will surely be in the mix.

Mito Pereira 28/1 (E/W) – the 26-year-old Chilean earned immediate promotion to the PGA Tour with 3 Korn Ferry Tour victories last season. This promotion means he has already had a taste of golf at the top tier in 2021. A T5 in the Barbasol Championship and T6 in the 3M Open were the standout results. Opened up his account this season with a very impressive 3^rd place finish in the Fortinet Championship. Around Silverado’s North Course he was T6 for Accuracy, 20^th for Distance, T3 for GIR and 1^st in Strokes Gained Tee-To-Green. Perfect week and fit to open up his account on the PGA Tour.