Cameron Davis could head a trio of Aussies on Mississippi leaderboard

Starts 12.45pm Thursday
Live on Sky Sports Golf from 7.30pm

Korean starlet Sungjae Im is favourite for the Sanderson Farms Championship this week, the 20-year-old looking to build on a solid start to life on the US Tour.

Im, the Web.com Tour player of the year, finished fourth in the Safeway Open on his debut as a US Tour member, then 41st of 78 runners in the CJ Cup in his homeland last week. The market leader, twice a winner on the Web this year, will bid to overcome jet-lag in Mississippi.

Palmer's top tip
Cameron Davis 45-1
Australian youngster Cameron Davis looks better value than the Sanderson Farms Championship market principals. The youngster is capable of making a serious impression on the golfing world over the next decade or so.

Aussie golf is in a great place, with a raft of young talent emerging, and Davis may be the best of the bunch. He won the Australian Amateur in 2015, the Eisenhower Trophy in 2016, the Australian Open in 2017 and the Nashville Open on the Web.com Tour in May. At every stage of his short career, he has produced the goods, and US Tour glory seems likely sooner rather than later.

His Web triumph came in Tennessee, which borders Mississippi, and Davis should find conditions to his liking at Jackson Country Club. Over the last two months, the 23-year-old has clicked back into top gear, finishing third in the Nationwide Children's Hospital Championship and third again in the Web.com Tour Championship.

A closing 68 for 17th place in the Safeway Open was a solid start to the US Tour campaign for Davis and he can get even more in the thick of things in a weaker gathering this week.

Next best
Bill Haas 33-1
The 2011 FedEx Cup champion has endured a difficult year, suffering fitness and form issues, and he has a couple more starts on a medical extension to try to regain full playing rights on the US Tour. Tenth place in the Safeway Open was a useful effort and the Sanderson Farms has become an important tournament for the six-time US Tour champion to stabilise his career.

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Haas won this event by three shots when it was known as the Viking Classic in 2010 – at a different Mississippi venue – and he is different class to most of this field if anywhere near his best.

Other selections
Aaron Baddeley 28-1
Curtis Luck 80-1
Nick Taylor 70-1

The Safeway Open signalled the potential for big things from Haas, while Aaron Baddeley also showed significant signs of life. Baddeley lost his US Tour card last season, but carded a 65 to top the Monday qualifier for the Safeway, then finished fourth in the event proper.

Baddeley is a four-time US Tour champion who has used events like this one to get his career back on track before – victory in the 2016 Barbasol Championship came when he was ranked 244th in the world – and the world number 249 is a class above much of this field when fully firing. He was fourth in the 2015 Sanderson Farms when world number 427.

With his game-face on, the often carefree Baddeley is worth following, and he has been hitting his ball well over the last few weeks, finding a groove on the Web.com Tour prior to his Safeway efforts. An Aussie one-two-three is not beyond the realms of possibility, with Curtis Luck capable of entering the equation alongside Davis and Baddeley.

Luck, like Davis, secured his US Tour card courtesy of Web.com Tour exploits, a circuit on which he stepped up a gear in August and September, finishing in the top eight in three of his final five events. A Safeway missed cut by a shot after a pair of 71s is nothing to fret about and this promising 22-year-old, a former world number one amateur, should make his mark soon enough.

Complete your attack with experienced Jackson CC campaigner, Nick Taylor, who won the first Sanderson Farms at this venue in 2014. He has finished 20th and 23rd in subsequent visits, despite arriving in terrible form, and his liking for the layout makes the Canadian left-hander of interest at juicy prices. Taylor retained his US Tour card with a brilliant final-round 63 for eighth place in the Wyndham Championship in August – an incredible last-gasp salvage job – so he has approached the new season in good heart.

Others to note
Patrick Rodgers
The former amateur star is one of the best players in this field and deserves to be prominent in the betting. One to consider in a wide-open heat.

Cameron Champ
Another Web.com Tour graduate who looks likely to make an impact in the higher grade before long. The powerhouse finished 25th in the Safeway Open.

Chris Kirk
The 2011 champion – at a different Mississippi course – was born in neighbouring Tennessee and is better than most of this field.

Maverick McNealy
The former world number one amateur has made a humdrum start to life as a pro, but he has just put a new driver and new ball in his bag and is delighted with the results.

Staking plan
C Davis
2pts each-way 45-1 Sky Bet
B Haas
2pts each-way 33-1 Betfred, Sky Bet
A Baddeley
2pts each-way 28-1 Betfred, Sky Bet
C Luck
1pt each-way 80-1 Betfred, Sky Bet
N Taylor
1pt each-way 70-1 Sky Bet

Sanderson Farms Championship lowdown

Course Country Club of Jackson, Jackson, Mississippi

Prize money $4.4m ($774,000 to the winner)

Length 7,421 yards Par 72 Field 132

Course records – 72 holes 268 Cody Gribble (2016) 18 holes 62 Roberto Castro (2015)

Course winners taking part Nick Taylor, Peter Malnati, Cody Gribble, Ryan Armour

When to bet By 12.45pm on Thursday

Where to watch Live on Sky Sports from 7.30pm on Thursday

Time difference Mississippi is six hours behind the UK and Ireland (five hours on Sunday)

Course overview Dick Wilson designed this course in 1962 and it was revamped by John Fought in 2008. It made its US Tour debut in 2014 and has staged this event since.

The most prestigious gatherings it had previously held were the Mississippi State Amateur and the Southern Junior Amateur.

Sanderson Farms took over as sponsor for this tournament in 2013, the event having been known as the Southern Farm Bureau Classic, the Viking Classic and the True South Classic, with Annandale Golf Club the mainstay venue.

The modern host course, tree-lined and traditional, has one par-five which is comfortably reachable in two shots (the third), but the other three (fifth, 11th and 14th) are typically played as three-shotters.

The 181-yard par-three fourth, the 482-yard par-four sixth, the 214-yard par-three seventh, the 479-yard par-four 16th and the 505-yard par-four 18th are the toughest assignments.

Jackson greenkeepers tighten the fairways and grow the rough in an attempt to restrict scoring for this event, but 16, 18, 20 and 19 under have won the four previous editions.

The large, slick greens are a strength of Jackson, with Champions UltraDwarf Bermuda grass making for immaculate putting surfaces, with tight lies around them.

The story of last year Ryan Armour led the field a merry dance, making his US Tour breakthrough with a five-shot success.

Weather forecast Clear but cool throughout, with light breezes.

Type of player suited to challenge Most of the targets off the tee are fairly tight at Jackson, there are plenty of water hazards, and three of the par-fives do not encourage those trying to set up eagle putts, but accurate operators with a strong short game always seem to find a way to get to 20 under par or close.

Key attribute Accuracy

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