Sanderson Farms Championship preview and betting card by Danny Speck

Can the Postman deliver this week?

Sanderson Farms Championship Golf Tips

J.T Poston 25/1 - 2pts 8 places

Scott Stallings 28/1 - 1.5pts 8 places

Davis Riley 45/1 - 1pt 8 places

Taking place a week after the USA were victorious in the Presidents Cup…the Sanderson Farms Championship gets underway on Thursday as the second regular event of the PGA Tour season. As it has been since 2014, it will be played at the Country Club of Jackson in Mississippi. A 7,461-yard par 72. Since the move to this course in 2014 we have seen low scores in each and every renewal, -16 is the worst score and -22 is the best score we have seen, we can expect around a -20 winning score this week in my opinion.

The previous four winners of this event are Sam Burns (-22), Sergio Garcia (-19), Sebastián Muñoz (-18) and Cameron Champ (-21). Burns won this last year without a putter, he ranked 1st T2G, 2nd on approach and 57th putting! Garcia ranked 1st T2G, 3rd on approach and 28th putting. Muñoz ranked 12th T2G, 20th on approach and rode a good putter when ranking 5th. Finally, Champ ranked 11th T2G, 27th on approach and 2nd putting. We have a bit of a mixed bag of stats there for what it requires to win this event, but since 2017 every winner has ranked inside the top 12 for SG: T2G which usually does prove to be a solid indicator. The field this week includes players such as defending champion and world number 12 Sam Burns, last season’s rookie of the year contender Sahith Theegala, Sebastian Muñoz who defeated Scottie Scheffler in the Presidents Cup singles on Sunday has just withdrawn at the time of writing, Davis Riley looking for his breakthrough win is in the field and many more.

J.T Poston 25/1

I must say I do like the front two this week, Burns to defend his title and Theegala to potentially get his breakthrough win but at bigger prices, I’ve gone for three others. First up is JT Poston and he was a standout selection for me this week, coming off the back of a solid season where he landed his second PGA Tour win at the John Deere Classic and also finished 15th in the season-ending TOUR Championship. Poston was ranked 174th in the world rankings at the end of 2021 and now he finds himself just outside the top 50 at 53rd, a great rise up the rankings in nine months. His stats - amongst this field - over the last 24 rounds are also seriously encouraging, 10th SG: T2G, 1st SG: Around the Green and 10th SG: Putting. I really like his chances this week at a decent price at 25/1.

Scott Stallings 28/1

I was going to back Muñoz before he withdrew but second in my portfolio for the second PGA Tour event of the season is world number 58 Scott Stallings, another player who has had a significant rise in the rankings this year as he ended 2021 at 193rd in the rankings. Similarly to Poston, he’s another player who has had a really solid season and closed last season out in impressive fashion. Four top 10s over his last seven starts including a 2nd at the BMW Championship. Stallings has some event form too, he won this event in 2012 albeit, at a different course, he also finished 6th at the Country Club of Jackson in 2020. His stats over the last 24 rounds are promising as well, 9th T2G, 25th SG: Ball Striking and 23rd Putting. At 28/1 with eight places I like the look of Stallings to land his fourth PGA Tour win this week at an event he can draw good memories from.

Davis Riley 45/1

Last up for me this week is one of the best maidens on the PGA Tour, 25-year-old Davis Riley. It must be said, he also has one of the best-looking swings on Tour and I think it’s only a matter of time before he breaks his duck and claims his first win. I’m banking a little bit on him having four solid rounds as he hasn’t been playing great of late but I couldn’t pass him up at the odds on offer this week at 45/1. Riley ranks inside the top 25 for T2G, ball striking and SG: Off The Tee, three important stats for this week’s test in Jackson. Five top 10s last season and a playoff defeat at the Valspar to Burns were highlights of good finishes for Riley as he settled into his first full season on the PGA Tour. He'll no doubt have been watching the United States team win the Presidents Cup on Sunday and he’ll surely be setting his sights on representing his country at some point over the next few years and he can start that by contending this week and having a great season on Tour.