Playing alongside the WGC-HSBC Champions in China, the Sanderson Farms Championship doesn’t get a lot of exposure. And with the top-50 golfers in the world qualified to play in Asia, the highest ranked player on the Country Club of Jackson course is No. 73 Dylan Frittelli. That ranking guarantees nothing for Frittelli, in fact it doesn’t even get him among the top-5 on the odds board at BookMaker.eu.
It’s an interesting field at this event with plenty of golfers capable of winning. And the opening odds suggest as much. Korean Sungjae Im opened as the slight favorite at +2035 and seven players top the odds chart at +2960 or better. Defending champion Ryan Armour is the third-favorite at +2315 and 2015 titleist Peter Malnati is down the list at +4325. There is some star power among the field with recently named World Golf Hall of Famer Retief Goosen and Lucas Glover, two former U.S. Open winners, scheduled to compete. Also, former FedEx champion Bill Haas is among the favorites at +2960.
Odds To Win 2018 Sanderson Farms Championship
Sungjae Im +2035
Patrick Rodgers +2130
Ryan Armour +2315
Aaron Baddeley +2462
Lucas Glover +2563
Kevin Streelman +2960
Bill Haas +2960
Harold Varner III +3060
Dylan Frittelli +3363
Denny McCarthy +3463
Cameron Davis +3466
Chris Kirk +3569
Hunter Mahan +4050
Michael Thompson +4050
Peter Malnati +4325
Martin Laird +4525
Nicholas Lindheim +4850
Adam Schenk +5075
Johnson Wagner +5550
Rory Sabbatini +5550
Kramer Hickok +5550
Nick Taylor +5550
Grayson Murray +5555
Matt Jones +5555
Tom Hoge +5750
Anders Albertson +6000
Chase Wright +6002
Vaughn Taylor +6050
Jhonattan Vegas +6250
Alex Prugh +6250
Cameron Champ +6500
Brandon Hagy +6500
Doug Ghim +6500
Seamus Power +6650
Ryan Blaum +7000
Curtis Luck +7000
Jim Knous +7000
Shawn Stefani +7000
Brian Stuard +7000
Alex Cejka +7555
Ben Silverman +8500
Sam Burns +8500
Hudson Swafford +8500
Harris English +8550
Richy Werenski +9000
Sam Saunders +9000
Nate Lashley +9000
Andres Romero +9000
Ben Crane +9500
Roberto Castro +9500
Odds Analysis
Ryan Armour +2315
There really is no clear-cut favorite, but Armour dissected the CC of Jackson course en route to his first Tour victory last season and comes in as the third favorite despite some inconsistent play in his first two starts of the season. A final-round 73 at the CJ Cup at Nine Bridges last week dissolved any hope of a podium finish and the trek across the country to compete in the states has to be grueling. The odds aren’t good enough to back the defending champ.
Chris Kirk +3569
He’s one player who has had success at this event, so despite his recent form that would be considered mediocre at best, Kirk should at least be on the list of contenders. He won this event known as the Viking Classic in 2011, however, that took place at Annandale. He was runner-up here in 2016 finishing two shots off the pace, but he missed the cut at the Safeway Open a few weeks back and has just one top-20 in his last nine starts.
Sungjae Im +2035
Since this stop has been a haven for first time winners, is Im next in line? He opened the season with a solid T4 finish at the Safeway Open, scoring below 70 in each of the first three rounds and he opened as the slight betting favorite. In a smaller, more competitive field at the CJ Cup at Nine Bridges, Im took a share of 41st. Playing on home soil may have impacted his early rounds with an opening 73 dropping him down the leaderboard. He finished that event with a 69. He’s one of three players in the field to make the trip from Jeju Island and that’s a long trek.
Aaron Baddeley +2462
With just one top-10 in 27 starts last season, Badds has already equaled that at the Safeway Open a few weeks ago. He played the first two rounds here last year at 7-under and was in contention after 36 holes, only to have the wheels come off over the final two days when he scored 3-over. He finished strong in Napa with a 67 and a pair of 69s to climb into a five-way tie for fourth, one stroke off the tri-leaders.
Bill Haas +2960
Looking to return to form after a fatal car accident right before the Genesis Open cost him a chunk of time in the spring, Haas has two starts remaining to earn enough FedEx Cup points to renew his Tour privileges for the 2018-19 season. He ended last season missing the cut in five of seven starts, including the last three. He grabbed a share of 10th at the Safeway Open, but a final-round 73 cost him a better showing.
Course: Country Club of Jackson - 7,421-yards, Par-72.
Winning scores at this event have ranged from -16 to -20 over the past five years. In what is considered a weak-field event, that’s a clear indication that the layout is easy enough to navigate. And there is no formula to a winning score, which leaves the field wide open. How wide open? Five of the past seven champions made the Sanderson Farms Championship their first PGA Tour victory and overall 11 players won for the first time in Mississippi. The wide fairways play to distance off the tee and accuracy isn’t an absolute necessity. The smaller sized greens put an emphasis on greens in regulation, and of course putting is what will eventually seal the deal for the winner.
TV Coverage: Golf Channel
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