Steve Palmer's Sanderson Farms Championship predictions and free golf betting tips

When to bet 

By 12.45pm on Thursday

Where to watch the Sanderson Farms Championship

Live on Sky Sports Golf from 9pm on Thursday

Steve Palmer's Sanderson Farms Championship predictions

Stephan Jaeger
3pts each-way 20-1 Coral, Ladbrokes

Davis Riley
2pts each-way 45-1 Coral, Ladbrokes

Davis Thompson
1.5pts each-way 50-1 bet365

Sam Stevens
1pt each-way 55-1 bet365

Scott Stallings
0.5pt each-way 125-1 Hills

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Sam Burns won the Sanderson Farms Championship two years ago on his way to becoming one of the best players in America – and other youngsters will be hoping to follow in his footsteps at the Country Club of Jackson this week.

Ludvig Aberg is clear favourite, but how much energy will the Swedish sensation have left in the tank after his Ryder Cup debut? He looked understandably exhausted after his singles defeat to Brooks Koepka on Sunday and the trek from Rome to Jackson will have drained him further. 

Steve Palmer's top tip

Stephan Jaeger 20-1

Aberg could make a sluggish start in Mississippi after such an intense week in Italy, but Stephan Jaeger has had a short journey from home and will be licking his lips at the prospect of the Sanderson Farms Championship.

Jaeger has become a consistent PGA Tour performer, rising to 92nd in the world rankings. The 34-year-old German is a six-time winner on the Korn Ferry Tour, hunting a PGA Tour breakthrough, and the Country Club of Jackson provides a golden opportunity.

Jaeger went to college at the University of Tennessee and has lived there ever since. Tennessee borders Mississippi and one of Jaeger's Korn Ferry victories came in his adopted home state. He has been playing in the Sanderson Farms Championship since 2016 and knows this Jackson layout well.

Jaeger was 14th in the 2018 SFC, has posted a top-30 finish in the last two editions, and will be full of confidence as he tees it up this week. In his last 33 starts, the Munich man has missed only three cuts, making the weekend in his last 14 events. He is 13th on the PGA Tour for greens in regulation.

Next best bet

Davis Riley 45-1

The Sanderson Farms is considered a 'fifth Major' by Davis Riley, who was born in Mississippi and has been playing at the Country Club of Jackson since his high-school days. He went to college in neighbouring Alabama, lives in Mississippi and has been able to prepare for this tournament since his playoffs run ended at the FedEx St Jude Championship.

When Riley lifted a PGA Tour trophy in April – the Zurich Classic pairs event alongside Nick Hardy – that win came across the Mississippi border in Louisiana. The 26-year-old plays well close to home and should return to action strongly. He posted three top-fives on the PGA Tour last year.

Other selections

Davis Thompson 50-1
Sam Stevens 55-1
Scott Stallings 125-1

Davis Thompson is another youngster who is extremely comfortable in this part of America. He was born across the Mississippi border in Alabama, then went on to become world number one amateur. He turned professional in 2021, won on the Korn Ferry Tour last summer, then almost made a PGA Tour breakthrough at the start of this year, losing a tight American Express duel with Jon Rahm.

With three months of solid form behind him, Thompson can be expected to contend, while Sam Stevens will also feel he has high hopes of a maiden success. Stevens got promoted from the Korn Ferry Tour and quickly started appearing on PGA Tour leaderboards, finishing 13th at Torrey Pines, 15th in Puerto Rico, third in the Corales Puntacana, second in the Texas Open and tenth in the 3M Open.

Stevens, 43rd in the US Open, has established himself on the PGA Tour, while three-time PGA Tour champion Scott Stallings still has plenty to offer. Stallings lives in Tennessee, went to college in the state, and always hops over the border to Mississippi feeling he can contend in the Sanderson Farms.

When this event was called the True South Classic in 2012 and played at a different Mississippi course, Stallings triumphed, and has played well at Country Club of Jackson as well, finishing sixth in 2020 and 13th last year. The Knoxville man may bounce back to form on familiar terrain.

Country Club of Jackson course guide

Course The Country Club of Jackson, Jackson, Mississippi
Prize money $8.2m ($1.422m to the winner)
Length 7,461 yards
Par 72 – four par-fives, ten par-fours, four par-threes
Field 144 The cut Top 65 and ties qualify for round three
Highest-ranked players in field (world ranking in brackets) Emiliano Grillo (35), Tom Hoge (50), Lee Hodges (53), Lucas Herbert (57), Eric Cole (62)
Course records - 72 holes 266 Sam Burns (2021) 18 holes 62 Roberto Castro (2015)

Course winners taking part Peter Malnati, Cody Gribble, Ryan Armour, Cameron Champ, Mackenzie Hughes

When to bet By 12.45pm on Thursday

When to watch Live on Sky Sports Golf from 9pm on Thursday

Time difference Mississippi is six hours behind the UK and Ireland

Course type Parkland

Course overview Country Club of Jackson made its PGA Tour debut in 2014. The most prestigious events held previously were the Mississippi State Amateur and the Southern Junior. Country Club of Jackson, tree-lined and traditional, has one par-five which is comfortably reachable in two shots (the third), but the other three (the fifth, 11th and 14th) are long and relatively difficult. Slick greens are a strength of Jackson, with Champions UltraDwarf Bermuda grass making for immaculate putting surfaces, with tight lies around them. Scoring has been low, though, with the winning score between 16 and 22 under par every year

Story of last year Mackenzie Hughes defeated Sepp Straka on the second hole of a playoff

Weather forecast Sunny and calm for the vast majority of the event, with temperatures peaking at 31C on Thursday and winds peaking at 12 mph on Saturday

Type of player suited to the challenge Ryan Armour and Cameron Champ – back-to-back winners in 2017 and 2018 – have vastly contrasting golf profiles. There is clearly more than one way to skin this cat, but seven of the nine Sanderson Farms champions finished in the top ten for greens in regulation, so that seems the most important statistic

Key attribute Accuracy

Spotlight insight 

Six of the last nine Sanderson Farms champions were PGA Tour maidens

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