Sanderson Farms Championship Key Fantasy Stats

Sanderson Farms Championship

October 3rd – 6th, 2024

C.C. of Jackson

Jackson, MS

Par: 72 / Yardage: 7,461

Purse: $7.6 million

with $1,368,000 to the winner

Defending Champion:
Luke List

by Sal Johnson

Founder, Chief Data Officer, GOLFstats

E-mail me at:
sal@golfstats.com

This is based on the most vital stats from Country Club of Jackson, data from last year’s Sanderson Farms, and data from all the players in the field with stats from 2023. Now, in 2023, because of the change in the schedule, the Sanderson Farms was played twice in September of 2202, which we call the 2023-1 event, and last year, which we call the 2023-2. The big problem is that the PGA Tour hasn’t listed the 2023-2 event stats, so we can’t compare them. But we have Luke List stats, who won it in 2023-2.
As we delve into the rich history of the Sanderson Farms tournament, we find that last year marked the tenth year that C.C. of Jackson has been its esteemed host. Reflecting on the stats from the winners of these events dating back to 2013, we observe a compelling trend. Each champion has excelled in Greens hit, with nine of the 11 champions ranking in the top ten in this stat. The 2021 & ’22 winners, Sergio Garcia and Sam Burns, even led the field in Greens Hit. Another stat that leaps out is the number of birdies made, a testament to the skill and determination required to emerge victorious.

The par 72 track at the Sanderson Farms tournament is a fascinating study in unpredictability. In 2023-2, it played to a 70.25 average, making it the 45th hardest course on Tour. The previous year (2023-1), it played a shot harder at 71.15 due to adverse weather conditions, ranking it the 30th hardest course on Tour. However, in 2022, the course played to a 69.87 average under perfect conditions, more than two shots under par per round. It ranked 45th out of 50 courses, and only two full-field events played over four days played easier. This unpredictability adds an extra layer of excitement to the tournament, especially when the weather is perfect, as it will be this week.

The other big question is, does the course favor long hitters? Is it a bombers’ paradise? It’s not a haven for long-hitters. Yes, long hitters won in 2019, ’20 & ’21. The champions have been long off the tee, but long hitters don’t have that significant advantage. Finesse around the greens is effortless; the course ranked 40th last year and, in 2022, 41st out of 50 courses in scrambling, so that stat is not vital in the scheme of things. Scrambling is a statistic that measures a player’s ability to recover from a missed green and still make par, and the winners of the Sanderson Farms have not necessarily excelled in this area. So, what is the prototype for winning the Sanderson Farms?

In our four categories, we have picked four that are needed to win. First, we will use Strokes Gained Tee-the-Green, which looks at the length of drive off the tee, accuracy, and ability to hit greens. Last year (2023-2), was won by Luke List, and he was 14th in this stat. The previous year (2023-1), the average drive was 293.5 yards for all drives and ranked 22nd, meaning that 16 other courses on the Tour saw longer driving averages. As for accuracy off the tee, the course was 8th with 51.06% of the drives in the fairway, meaning that you can’t be wild and win at C.C. of Jackson. In 2022, the average drive was 294.4 yards for measured drives and ranked 22nd, meaning only 14 other courses on the Tour saw longer driving averages. Looking at the 2023-1 winner, Mackenzie Hughes, he ranked T-26th in driving distance and T-50th in accuracy, so he ranked 1st in Strokes Gained Tee-to-Green. In 2022, Sam Burns ranked 17th in driving distance and T-8th in accuracy, so he ranked 1st in Strokes Gained Tee-to-Green. In 2021, winner Sergio Garcia ranked 9th in driving distance and T-14th in accuracy, so he ranked 1st in Strokes Gained Tee-to-Green. As for 2020 winner Sebastian Munoz, he ranked 3rd in Driving Distance and T-36th in Accuracy, so he ranked 13th in Strokes Gained Tee-to-Green. So we can see a trend for the last four champions: driving is vital at Sanderson Farms.

Our 2nd category is Greens in Regulation. This type of course is where greens are easy to hit in regulation, as Luke List hit 56 of the 72 greens and ranked T-7th. The previous year, 2023-1, the C.C. of Jackson was ranked 21st on Tour with 64.54% of the greens hit. The year before, 2022, the course was 37th on Tour, with 70.36% of the greens hit. So this shows that a lot of players hit the greens last year. The winner last year, Hughes hit 48 of 72 greens for a 66.67% ranking T-37th, which is poor. The previous year saw Sam Burns hit 63 of 72 greens for 87.50%, ranking 1st. In 2021, Garcia hit 60 of 72 for 83.33%, ranking T-1st. In 2020, winner Munoz hit 57 of 72 for 79.17%, which ranked T-9th.

Our 3rd category is Strokes Gained Putting, an integral part of the game. Last year’s winner, Luke List, was 7th in Strokes Gained Putting. The year before, 2023-1, the putting average at C.C. of Jackson was 1.738 as the course ranked T-37th, meaning that the overall course is easy to putts on. It averaged 28.44 putts per round, ranking it 39th, and in the important inside ten feet, it ranked T-36th. As for 2023-1 winner Hughes, he took 107 putts, ranked 1st, and in Strokes Gained Putting, was ranked 14th, showing that putting was more critical than ball striking. In 2022, the putting average at C.C. of Jackson was 1.712 as the course ranked 44th. It averaged 28.42 putts per round, ranking it 37th, and in the important inside ten feet, it ranked T-21st. As for 2022 winner Burns, he took 115 putts, which ranked T-52nd, and in Strokes Gained Putting, he was ranked 57th, showing that ball striking was more important than putting. 2021 Garcia took 115 putts, ranking T-42nd, and Strokes Gained Putting was 28th. In putts inside ten feet, he ranked T-36th, making 65 of 74 putts. In 2020, Munoz took 112 putts, ranked T-14th, and in Strokes Gained Putting, he was 5th. In the critical putts made inside 10 feet, Munoz made 63 of 70 and ranked T-16th.

The last category is Par Breakers. Last year, 1,739 birdies were made, and the winner, Luke List, made 23, which was tied for first. List ranked T-1st in Par Breakers. The year before, 2023-1, 1,678 birdies were made, with only 12 other courses making more birdies. It had a total of 32 eagles, which ranked T-33rd. 2023-1 winner Mackenzie Hughes made 21 birdies, ranked T-5th, and didn’t make an eagle. So Hughes was T-5th in Par Breaker. In 2022, 1,846 birdies were made at the Country Club of Jackson, with 12 other courses making more birdies. It had a total of 47 eagles, which ranked 40th. 2022 winner Sam Burns made 26 birdies, ranked 2nd, and didn’t make an eagle. So Burns was 2nd in Par Breaker. In 2021, Sergio Garcia made 22 birdies, ranked T-2nd, and made one eagle. So Garcia was T-2nd in Par Breaker. In 2020, Munoz made 21 birdies and no eagles, as he was T-6th in Par Breakers.
So we can see this week’s trend: hit fairways and greens and make a lot of birdies.

*Strokes Gained Tee-to-Green: Combination of distance off the tee, accuracy off the tee and hitting greens

*Greens in Regulation: Number of greens hit in regulation.

*Strokes Gained Putting: Gives the equivalent to putting based on strokes gained or lost

*Par Breakers: Who makes the most birdies and eagles per round.

Of the 132 players in the field, 100 have stats on the PGA Tour for 2024.

Click any column title in the table header to sort columns.