RADIO
With all of the Ryder Cup buzz now settling down, we get back to reality, as the PGA Tour's rank and file assemble for the Sanderson Farms Championship in Mississippi.
In this article, you will find my Sanderson Farms Championship Power Rankings, which gives golf fans a first look into the top 10 golfers who are primed to make a significant impact in this year's edition of the event. These players should be considered serious contenders at the Country Club of Jackson this week when the tournament gets underway on Thursday, October 5, 2023.
Hopefully, these rankings provide some insight into the current landscape of the PGA Tour and the upcoming tournament. Players have been evaluated on recent performances, statistical analysis, course history, and this week's projected course fit. The 2023 Sanderson Farms Championship promises to be a fun tournament for golf fans, as it annually provides PGA punters and DFS grinders a chance to partake in some golf action during football season.
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#10. Tom Hoge
Though it doesn't feel as if he's made much noise lately, Tom Hoge comes into this week trailing only Emiliano Grillo in the OWGR among Sanderson Farms entrants. It's a reminder that Hoge isn't too far removed from playing golf at a very high level.
After a breakthrough 2022 campaign that included a victory at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, the TCU alum failed to gain much traction in 2023 outside of a sterling T3 effort at The Players Championship in March. However, "Tommy Tables" has looked sharper in recent months including top-25 finishes in three of his last five starts, which included multiple outings in Europe.
Tom Hoge finishes T-14 this week at the BMW PGA Championship. From what I’ve heard this will conclude his trip to Europe. He still intends to play on the PGA Tour this fall, he’ll be off until some point in October.
— Tom Hoge Tracker (@HogeTracker) September 17, 2023
#9. Seonghyeon Kim
Kim enjoyed a solid if unspectacular, rookie season on the PGA Tour. The native of Changwon, South Korea quietly made 21 cuts in 33 starts last year. He opened the FedEx Cup Fall swing with a bang by posting a runner-up finish at the Fortinet Championship last month on the strength of gaining 11.2 strokes Tee To Green. Kim now brings that form to a Country Club of Jackson layout on which he scored a T13 in his Sanderson Farms debut last year.
#8. Alex Smalley
Smalley demonstrated some serious upside in his second full season on the PGA Tour. The 26-year-old Duke alum posted four top-10 finishes across his 29 starts in the 2022-23 campaign.
This week will mark Smalley's first start since the FedEx St. Jude playoff event, though we shouldn't forget about his impressive ball striking at the end of the summer. He has gained an eye-opening average of 4.2 strokes on Approach across his last five starts. He's historically excelled during the fall season and posted a pair of top-five finishes last November. Smalley's best finish at the Sanderson was a T31 two years ago.
Make that THREE aces on the island green this week, this time from Alex Smalley‼️ pic.twitter.com/KMxDT5Vkwp
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) March 12, 2023
#7. Adam Svensson
Coming off a month-plus layoff, Svensson will look to pick up where he left off last season. The Canadian closed 2022-23 in fine form, recording a T15 against an elite BMW Championship field and a T7 at the Wyndham Championship in the month of August.
Svensson has often thrived during this time of year. His lone PGA Tour win came last fall at the RSM Classic, as well as a late-August victory on the Korn Ferry Tour two years ago. He grades out fourth in this Sanderson field in SG: Total (L24) and Bermuda greens such as he'll see this week have always been his preferred surface.
#6. Beau Hossler
The former Texas Longhorn closed out the 2022-23 in encouraging fashion by logging finishes of T26 or better in three of his last four starts. Hossler kept that positive momentum going in his most recent outing at the Fortinet Championship, where he posted a solid T30 finish.
He experienced a bit of a career renaissance in 2023, logging his best finish in the FedEx Cup Points Standings (58th) since his rookie year. His iron play remains wobbly, but he did thrive both off the tee and on the greens in 2023, finishing the season ranked 51st on Tour in Total Driving and 19th in Overall Putting Average. That skill set will translate well this week.
#5. Keith Mitchell
"Cashmere Keith" possesses a skill set that feels a cut above the majority of this week's field, though his results of the last several months don't necessarily reflect that. After a red-hot start to 2023 that included top-five finishes at Pebble Beach and Riviera, Mitchell's output dramatically declined in the summer months, with a top-20 at the U.S. Open and an encouraging T5 at the 3M serving as the only signs of life from the bespoke Georgia Bulldog.
Classic style. Serious game.
Keith Mitchell will be back in Mississippi this week for the 2023 Sanderson Farms Championship! @K_m_Mitchell pic.twitter.com/NXOP8gtAVL
— Sanderson Farms Championship (@Sanderson_Champ) October 1, 2023
Mitchell's track record at the Sanderson (missed cuts in his last two starts) does leave a lot to be desired. However, the 31-year-old's proficiency with the driver (second in field SG: Off The Tee) and fondness for Bermuda greens such as he'll find this week at the Country Club of Jackson put him in serious consideration in this watered-down field.
#4. Stephan Jaeger
A talented player who for several years had been stuck in the golf purgatory of being too good for the Korn Ferry Tour, but not quite able to stick on the PGA Tour, Jaeger solidified his position at golf's highest level with his best overall season on the PGA Tour. Jaeger's play throughout 2023 led to a finish of 56th in the FedEx Cup Points Standings.
Describe Stephan Jaeger's swing in three words. pic.twitter.com/cYzJCikXZn
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) August 3, 2023
Jaeger will try to improve his standing over the next few months and earn entry into next year's Signature Events. He opened the fall with a ho-hum T45 at the Fortinet Championship, but stands a chance of a stronger finish this week on a CC of Jackson layout on which he's found success in the past. Jaeger has made the cut in three of his last four Sanderson starts with a T14 standing as the highlight. He grades out first in this week's field in SG: T2G over the last 50 measured rounds.
#3. Emiliano Grillo
Often considered one of the PGA Tour's most volatile players, Grillo found a nice level of consistency during the 2022-23 season. It led to a win at the Charles Schwab Challenge - his first on the PGA Tour in nearly eight years - and four top-five finishes across the season.
In addition to the form he flashed throughout last season, the Argentine has been very comfortable in past trips to Mississippi. Grillo has reeled off four consecutive made cuts at the Sanderson, including a career-best T5 finish in last year's edition. He last teed it up at the Tour Championship, so there might be some rust present, though we can consider time off to be an issue with many in this week's field.
Emiliano Grillo wins the 2023 @CSchallengeFW in a playoff for his first @PGATOUR victory since 2015! 🇦🇷🏆 pic.twitter.com/XdmMV8ae18
— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) May 28, 2023
#2. Eric Cole
The 35-year-old journeyman has spent the better part of the last 12 months proving that he belongs on the PGA Tour. After suffering several health and injury-related setbacks during his career, Cole burst on to the scene with a runner-up finish at the Honda Classic in February. He parlayed that victory in a run that ultimately landed him at 43rd in the season-ending FedEx Cup Points Standings.
Cole kicked off the FedEx Cup Fall season with a strong fourth-place finish at the Fortinet Championship. He gained an impressive 12.4 strokes T2G at Silverado Resort. He missed the cut in last year's Sanderson, though it's safe to say that he's a much different player now. He was one of the most consistent performers on the PGA Tour last season and we can expect another rock-solid outing from Cole this week.
Clutch birdie for Eric Cole 💪
He’s in solo 3rd after the birdie on 17 @FortinetChamp. pic.twitter.com/n7MOtuYLAP
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) September 18, 2023
#1. Ludvig Aberg
The 23-year-old will be making the journey from Rome to Mississippi fresh off Team Europe's Ryder Cup victory at Marco Simone. Aberg handled himself well in his Ryder Cup debut, going 2-2 across four sessions.
It was just the latest in what's been a whirlwind year for the rising star. After a dominant amateur career at Texas Tech, Aberg became the first player to earn full PGA Tour status via the PGA Tour University initiative. He wasted little time displaying his skills, racking four top-25 finishes across seven Tour starts, before nabbing his first professional win at the Omega European Masters in Switzerland.
From @PGATOURU to the @RyderCup, it has been quite a year for Ludvig Aberg.
And he’s just getting started. pic.twitter.com/IBMH8jLqnR
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) September 28, 2023
Despite his youth and inexperience, Aberg remains the class of this field in what will be his Sanderson Farms debut. The driver is his most potent weapon and we've seen the likes of Sam Burns and Cameron Champ ride that club to victory on this Country Club of Jackson layout. The only real concern is the "hangover" factor that Aberg might be dealing with after a huge week in Rome.
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