The Presidents Cup was a lot of fun last week, but we now turn our attention to another stroke play event — the Sanderson Farms Championship.
The event is held at the Country Club of Jackson, a Par 72 that measures 7,461 yards.
Despite the daunting length on the scorecard, this plays as one of the easiest courses on the PGA Tour. The winning score has been at least -18 in each of the past five editions of this event.
While we've seen a variety of winners at this event over the years, this is a course that sets up well for the bombers.
There are four Par 5s on the course, and there's very little penalty for missing the fairway. Driving distance isn't a prerequisite for success here, but it's certainly more valuable than driving accuracy.
The greens at this course are average in size (6,200 square feet) and feature bermudagrass. They're fairly easy to hit on average.
Like most events that turn into birdie fests, course history hasn't been very predictive here on a yearly basis. In other words, don't be afraid to bet on golfers who don't have the best course history here.
Rather than focusing on a specific skill set this week, I'm looking for golfers who are in good form and can make birdies in bunches.
Sanderson Farms Championship Outright Bets
Mackenzie Hughes +2500 (bet365)
For whatever reason, many golfers that play in Presidents Cups or Ryder Cups tend to go on a run right after those prestigious team events.
Perhaps they're more confident than ever in their game or perhaps these stroke play events don't have nearly the same pressure.
Even though the International Team couldn't pull off the upset last week, Mackenzie Hughes played well and hit some excellent shots under pressure.
Prior to that, he gained 6.9 strokes ball striking at the Procore Championship and finished T4.
We know he has one of the best short games on the PGA Tour, so seeing him pop with the ball striking is notable.
I know I said course history doesn't matter much here, but Hughes should certainly have good vibes coming back to an event he won last year.
J.J. Spaun +3300 (FanDuel)
It's been a wild ride for J.J. Spaun this year. He didn't record a single top 25 in his first 14 starts of the season.
Something has clicked in his game recently, as he's made seven straight cuts with three top-10 finishes during that stretch.
In those seven events, he's gained over 22 strokes on approach and has been positive in all four of the strokes gained categories. He has an excellent track record on bermudagrass greens and in events that have weak fields.
I love the way his game is trending and the +3300 number that's available.
Henrik Norlander +6600 (BetMGM)
Henrik Norlander is my favorite long-shot bet of the week. He has plenty of missed cuts on his resume this year, but his game seems to be trending in the right direction.
He's gained strokes off the tee in five of his past six starts and has gained over 12 strokes on approach in his past five events combined.
He's one of those golfers who tends to play the same events well each year, and this seems to be one of his favorites.
In his past two starts at the Country Club of Jackson, he's finished T24 and T4.
This event is fairly wide open, so don't be surprised if a long shot like Norlander wins this week.
