After the exciting diversion that was the Ryder Cup, the new PGA Tour season continues this week with the 2023 Sanderson Farms Championship, an event that has been on the schedule since 1968. It is still early days in the campaign, so the field remains mixed as the players descend on the Country Club of Jackson.
Most of the big names are sitting this one out, and, as expected, the vast majority of the 24 players who competed in the Ryder Cup will be absent. The situation could lead to a longer odds winner, so let us see who is in contention with this preview and its betting predictions with picks.
Ludvig Aberg is the only member of either Ryder Cup team to have crossed the Atlantic for this tournament. The Swede delivered two points for his European side and continued to show huge promise in a tough arena. Aberg is way out in front of this week’s outright betting and he can be found at best industry odds of 12/1. He is the obvious favorite, but he is making his debut this week, and Aberg will need a big response following the intensity of Rome.
Stephan Jaeger and Eric Cole lead the chasers, with both men available at best odds of 22/1. Cole leads the power rankings this week after making 11 straight cuts which has put him in pole position for the Rookie of the Year award. Jaeger has a good record at the Sanderson Farms Championship and ranks well in useful stats such as Adjusted Scoring and Par-5 Scoring.
Next is Emiliano Grillo at a top price of 25/1, followed by Keith Mitchell at a best of 30/1. Grillo tied for fifth in this event 12 months ago and made it all the way to the Tour Championship last season. Mitchell could be a threat in this field, but he is yet to make the cut here in four previous visits.
Moving through, Lucas Herbert is quoted at 35/1, followed by Adam Svensson, Kyoung-Hoon Lee, Beau Hossler and Kim Seong-hyeon who are all at 40/1 in places. Hossler has five Top 30 finishes in his last six starts and tied for tenth here last year. Svensson should be competitive; Canadians have a good record at the Sanderson Farms Championship and he was in good touch at the end of last season.
Other golfers to consider from this section might include Lee Hodges at 45/1 and the 50/1 shots Callum Tarren, Luke List, Davis Riley and Garrick Higgo.
The outside bunch is led this week by Tom Hoge who looks generous at his top price of 55/1. Cole switched to the DP World Tour and recorded a tie for 14th at the BMW PGA Championship three weeks ago and he could perform well in this weaker field.
Also in the list of underdogs is the defending champion. Canada’s Mackenzie Hughes won the Sanderson Farms Championship in 2002 in a playoff over Sepp Straka and he is listed at 66/1 this time.
Another former champion is even further down the list. Peter Malnati won here in 2015, and he added a runner-up slot in 2020. Malnati’s overall record on Tour is much less impressive, and that is why he is down at 110/1.
Before we move on to the course details, other golfers to consider in this section include Alex Noren at 66/1, Akshay Bhatia at 70/1, Brandon Wu at 80/1, Ryan Palmer at 100/1 and Webb Simpson at 110/1.
Our 2023 Sanderson Farms Course & Betting Trends with Picks & Predictions Verdict
The Sanderson Farms Championship is played out at the Jackson Country Club, Mississippi, which is a lengthy par 72 course at some 7,461 yards. Distance hitters will enjoy some benefits in places across the four days. The four par 5s are long and testing. Par 5 scoring will be a desirable stat, while Mackenzie Hughes ranked highly for Scrambling on his way to victory last year.
In terms of trends, there has not been a repeat winner since Fred Funk claimed his second title in 2004. The omens may be against Mackenzie Hughes and other former champions.
For 2023, one name that we keep coming back to is that of Eric Cole. He enjoyed a strong start to last season, while ranking well for valuable stats including Strokes Gained: Tee to Green. He will remain in contention for that Rookie of the Year title and, in this type of field, he has the quality to take the trophy.
Eric Cole for the win is this week’s tip, along with him and three more top 10 finish betting picks in a bid for some profits in Mississippi. So these are the tips and predictions for this golf preview:
- Eric Cole to win at +2000 (20/1) with Bovada, EveryGame or BetOnline.
- Top 10 Finish Picks (best odds in brackets are all from BetOnline, biggest on all of them): Eric Cole (+280), Tom Hoge (+550), Adam Svensson (+475) and Davis Riley (+500).
Matt Harris is a golf and soccer expert for USA Betting. His other area of specialist knowledge is cricket. He is well known in sports journalism and contributes articles to a plethora of big-name websites and media outlets. Titles that he writes or has written for include: Betfair, BetVictor, Unibet & Just Bookies.