Weekly Preview: Sanderson Farms Championship

Sanderson Farms Championship

Country Club of Jackson
Jackson, MS 

The PGA Tour is going to Jackson -- Mississippi -- as the 2020-2021 season starts to build some momentum. Starting this week, the current season will go on unimpeded until the Masters interrupts its flow come November. For now, it's time to get used to a somewhat normal fall season with the big names going into hibernation for a bit. It will be interesting to see if the top-tier guys play even less than usual this fall because of the pandemic, or if perhaps they play a bit more to prepare for the year's final major. There's no way to tell this early, but one thing is for certain: the hungry youngsters will be out en masse over the next couple months trying to secure their Tour cards. 

As for this week, we've got a nice mix of recent history and course history, as the Country Club of Jackson has been the home of this event since 2015. If you're looking for big names this isn't your week, but there are still some exciting players on hand.                  

LAST YEAR

Sebastian Munoz shot a final-round 70 on his way to a playoff victory over Sungjae Im.

FAVORITES

Scottie Scheffler (12-1)

He might not be the biggest name in the field, but he is playing better than anyone else who is entered. Scheffler finished this past season ranked fifth in the FedExCup Standings thanks to a very strong finish to the season. Scheffler posted top-25s in each of his final six starts, a stretch that included three top-5s. His most recent start resulted in a top-5 at the TOUR Championship.

Sungjae Im (16-1)

If not for Scheffler's torrid finish to this past season, Im would likely be the favorite this week. As it stands he's a close second, and he's definitely a threat to win. Im picked up a win this past March, but he hit a rough patch soon after. He managed to pull out of it before the season ended, though, and looks to be rounding back into form.

THE NEXT TIER

Will Zalatoris (22-1)

Oh, how the mighty have fallen. Just a week ago Zalatoris was the odds-on favorite to win the Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship, and now he's not even in the top three. Seriously though, to pull off a top-10 even with the added pressure is a pretty good sign for the future. It's hard to say how good he will be, but if he's special, it might be hard to get these kinds of odds in a fall event again.

Sebastian Munoz (28-1)

The defending champ, who played his way into the TOUR Championship just a few weeks ago, at almost 30-1? Where do I sign up? Sure, Munoz struggled on the weekend at the U.S. Open, but he played well over the last month and is coming back to the place where he had his biggest career highlight.

Adam Long (35-1)

Long was the 54-hole leader in the Dominican Republic, and even though he was unable to convert, he didn't completely implode, which is a good sign, I guess. Long was a bit of a roller coaster this past season, but he appears to be heading in the right direction. He played well for 54 holes this past week and he posted a T13 a week before at the U.S. Open.

LONG SHOTS

Carlos Ortiz (50-1)

Ortiz is not entering with his best form, but long shots are rarely "on fire" entering a given event. He hasn't been terrible lately, as he did post a top-25 just two starts ago. The reason he's listed here is his track record at this event: In two starts here, Ortiz finished T3 and T4.

Nick Taylor (65-1)  

Taylor had the best earning season of his career this past season thanks to a win at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, but that wasn't his first career win. His first career win came at this event in 2015. His current form doesn't appear great, but we haven't seen him since the end of August. Perhaps he's figured some things out over the past few weeks.

ONE-AND-DONE LEAGUES

Highly-owned Pick: Sungjae Im - He's not the favorite, but considering his form is pretty good and he was the runner-up here last year, he'll probably be the most popular pick. There will be plenty of chances to use Im this year, but he likely won't be among the top three favorites in more than a couple of those spots.

Moderately-owned Pick: Adam Long - Long had a solid rookie season in 2019 and built upon that in his sophomore season. He's already off to a good start in his third season, and there's no reason to think he slows down this week.

Lightly-owned Pick: Nick Taylor - I certainly don't like his current form, but Taylor is a better golfer now than he was when he won in 2015. He's pretty much a forgotten man this week, which should work in his favor.

Buyer Beware: Zach Johnson - Johnson turned back the hands of time at the U.S Open a couple weeks ago when he posted a top-10, but his overall numbers are trending in the wrong direction. Johnson finished this past season outside the top 100 in the FedExCup Standings for the second consecutive year, and at 44 years old, he's not about to improve much.

Last Week: Brendan Steele - (T29) - $41,391 

Season Total: $41,391  

This Week: Sungjae Im - It almost feels too early to use Im, but as I mentioned earlier, these are some of the best odds we'll see on him this season, and it's best to strike when the odds are low. Im missed the cut here two years ago, but he clearly figured things out last year.

FANDUEL PICKS  

Upper Range: Sungjae Im ($11,700)
Middle Range: Adam Long ($10,700)
Lower Range: Cameron Percy ($8,600)

SURVIVOR LEAGUES

Last Week: Brendan Steele (T29) - Streak - 1

This Week: Sebastian Munoz - I have a feeling that Im might come in handy down the road in this format, so I'll keep him in reserve for now. Munoz isn't exactly the most trustworthy guy out there, but he made the cut all three times he teed it up here and is the defending champion.