Tag: 2021 Sanderson Farms Championship

Will Zalatoris takes Sanderson Farms Championship lead with 11-under 61, Wake Forest teammate Cameron Young right behind

Zalatoris highlights a group of four players 25-years-old or younger at the top of the Sanderson Farms leaderboard.

JACKSON, Miss. — Will Zalatoris was one of the most engaging storylines of the PGA Tour’s 2020 super season, and the 25-year-old is keeping his name at the top of headlines and leaderboards once again to start the new Tour season.

After earning Rookie of the Year honors last season as a non-member of the Tour – the first to do so since Charles Howell III in 2001 – Zalatoris finished T-11 two weeks ago at the season-opening Fortinet Championship and fired a bogey-free 11-under 61 during Friday’s second round of the Sanderson Farms Championship to take the lead after the morning wave of play at 13 under.

Zalatoris began the round at Country Club of Jackson on the back nine with a pair of birdies on Nos. 10 and 11 and followed suit on 13, 16 and 18 to make the turn at 5 under. As if that wasn’t impressive enough, his second nine was even better. On the front, he made four consecutive birdies on Nos. 2 through 5 and closed his stellar round with two more on 8 and 9. Six of his eleven birdies were from 12 feet or further, the longest being a 26-footer on the par-3 13th.

Sanderson Farms: Scores | Yardage book | Photos

“I think it’s funny that I get given a hard time about my putting and if you add in Augusta last year which didn’t have ShotLink I would have been a positive strokes-gained putter,” said Zalatoris after his round. “Is it the prettiest? No. But am I productive? Yes.”

Zalatoris added that he was a little fired up watching highlights of the Ryder Cup last week, especially seeing players he grew up playing with representing Team USA in its historic 19-9 win over the Europeans at Whistling Straits.

“I’ve got asked a lot what are your goals for this year and besides winning a golf tournament I really don’t have any,” he explained.

The Wake Forest grad is in position to do just that entering the weekend, and he’s got a friendly face right behind him. His Demon Deacon teammate for three years, Cameron Young, sits T-2 at 12 under with local Mississippi talent Hayden Buckley after both shot rounds of 7-under 65. As the afternoon wave began, Aaron Wise and Stephan Jaeger sat T-4 at 10 under.

“Yeah, he’s incredibly stoic. That’s the thing with him is that you’ll never see him be a fireball or anything like that, he’s an incredibly steady player, he hits it a mile and when he drives it straight I mean it’s tough to beat him because he’s got great hands around the greens, too,” Zalatoris said of Young, who made his first PGA Tour cut this week. “We roomed a bunch together at tournaments, so it will be a lot of fun because technically we’ve never played in a tournament together so hopefully this will be our first time.”

“I mean I wanted to beat him as bad as anybody did because he was the best of all of us, especially his first year at college,” Young, 24, said of Zalatoris, “and my first qualifier I think he beat me by 40. I don’t think I’ll forget that one, but hopefully I will keep it a little closer this time.”

Now a Florida resident after growing up near Tupelo, Mississippi, the 25-year-old Buckley had the crowd on his side on Friday and he took full advantage.

“You want to entertain, I know at the end of the day we are entertainers and there’s so many people that came out to watch so it’s nice to give them something to cheer for,” said Buckley. “You can probably hear it from all over the course, I know I had a couple guys that they were yelling a little too loud, but it’s just so nice to see so many people supporting me and see what I’ve been doing for the last few years.

“I moved away,” continued Buckley. “I went off to college in Missouri and didn’t see a lot of friends, I kind of lost connection with a lot of friends and some family and it’s nice to see all my hard work paying off and for them to see it pay off as well.”

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Chasing his first PGA Tour win (with a baby on the way), Harold Varner III is cool as ever at Sanderson Farms Championship

The East Carolina grad was the lone player to crack the top five on the leaderboard from the afternoon wave.

JACKSON, Miss. — It’s been a big few months for Harold Varner III.

On the course, the 31-year-old is rolling. Over the last three months on the PGA Tour, he’s earned five top-20 finishes over eight events, including a T-16 two weeks ago at the Fortinet Championship in California, the first event of the new season. After a 7-under 65 on Thursday in the first round of the Sanderson Farms Championship at Country Club of Jackson, Varner is back in contention once again.

“I putted well in Napa and I feel like I’m still doing the same thing. The place is pretty pure right now, if you hit a lot of good golf shots you’re going to get a lot of looks and you just got to be patient,” said Varner of his round. “And the way I’m putting it right now I just need to get it on the green.”

Sanderson Farms: Scores | Yardage book | Photos

Off the course, he and his wife, Amanda, are expecting their first child next week. Now you may think that would weigh heavy on a player’s mind or distract their focus on the course. But not for Varner.

“Yeah, I don’t really think about it at all out there because there’s nothing I can do to make that kid come out, that kid’s going to come whenever he has to come,” said Varner. “And the doctor though, she goes to school for a hundred years and still doesn’t know when these kids come. So it is what it is. So nothing we can do. I’ll be prepared.”

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The East Carolina grad was the lone player to crack the top five on the leaderboard from the afternoon wave after Thursday morning’s birdie and eagle fest. Sahith Theegala took the lead with a bogey-free 8-under 64 and holds a one-shot advantage over Varner and Nick Watney entering Friday’s second round. Trailing the trio are Roger Sloan, Kurt Kitayama and Si Woo Kim, who each sit T-4 at 6-under after first-round 66s. Defending champion Sergio Garcia, who compiled a 3-1-0 record last week at the Ryder Cup in a losing effort to the United States, is at 2 under.

Varner qualified for the FedEx Cup Playoffs for the sixth consecutive time last season and earned his best finish on Tour with a runner-up at the RBC Heritage. All that said, he’s still chasing that elusive first win on Tour, and he’ll need to continue to go low to make it happen. The average winning score at the Sanderson Farms the last five years is 19 under. The want to win paired with the need to go low has to add pressure for the North Carolina native, right?

“No, the media’s the only thing that adds pressure because I’m going to answer that question after every day. And it’s just, it is what it is,” explained Varner. “And I’m learning how to deal with it and I hate when people, not ask you, but I hate when people are just always like, ‘When you going to win?’ It’s not like I’m not trying. It’s not easy.

“So it’s a great opportunity, it’s always going to be a challenge I’m just excited for it and I’m not too worried about what anyone else is doing. I used to get caught up in that and I’m just super thankful to be over that step in my life.”

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It’s another par-busting party at Sanderson Farms Championship

Birdies and eagles rule the Sanderson Farms, so much so that the average winning score the past five editions was 19 under.

We all know the familiar adage whenever the U.S. Open is contested.

Par is your friend.

Well, that doesn’t ring true at the Country Club of Jackson, home to the Sanderson Farms Championship in Jackson, Mississippi.

Birdies and eagles rule in the Sanderson Farms, so much so that the average winning score in the past five editions was 19 under. Here, you go low or go home.

That scoring trend seems likely again this year as players lit up the leaderboards with red numbers in Thursday’s first round. There were 20 scores of 68 or better – and that was just out of the morning wave of players. Defending champion Sergio Garcia was eight shots back when he went to the first tee for his afternoon round.

Par busters were so frequent that Corey Conners, who shot 5-under-par 67, didn’t realize he made five consecutive birdies.

“I really didn’t even know I made five in a row until I was signing my scorecard and I was like, ‘Oh, that’s cool.’” he said. “I just tried to play with freedom, was able to roll in some putts and, yeah, able to string some birdies together.”

Sanderson Farms: Scores | Yardage book

Many others put plenty of circles on the scorecards on a day featuring light winds, overcast skies and warm temperatures. And with pure Bermuda greens, the players had a field day at the Country Club of Jackson.

“The greens are some of the best greens we play on all year,” Conners said. “I think it’s a very underrated golf course; it’s right in front of you, but you got to be really on, or you can have some trouble.”

Sahith Theegala had no trouble in a bogey-free 64 to grab the clubhouse lead. The 2020 winner of the Haskins, Jack Nicklaus and Ben Hogan awards honoring the best player in college is making his 15th start on the PGA Tour.

“Really stress free,” he said of his round. “Probably the best way I can describe it. Just drove it really well. I was really working it well. I got my slider back. I was hitting a pretty good cut, probably 25 to 30 yard cut out there and this course kind of allows it because the trees around the tee box aren’t that close to the tees, so I was just working my ball flight in there and just felt really comfortable all day.

“Being in the fairway helps so much.”

Having the right attitude, especially when facing the heightened expectations Theegala had to deal with when he turned pro, helps, too.

“I think the main thing is that everyone that’s gotten to this point, they know their game is good enough to at least be out here and I think knowing that in the back of our mind, it sounds cliche, but just really have a good time out there,” Theegala said. “I would like to think pretty much everyone loves the game and that’s why they’re playing it and they just happen to be really good at it, so that’s kind of the mindset I’m going to keep having, just go out and have a good time.

“If the golf is there, fantastic. If it’s not there, there’s more to life and live to play another day kind of thing.”

Nick Watney signed for a 65. Roger Sloan and Kurt Kitayama were each at 66.

A large group at 67 included Conners, Adam Hadwin and Sungjae Im. Sam Burns, the highest ranked player in the world at No. 25, shot 68.

Despite the scoring binges, players said they don’t feel any extra pressure to go low to keep up.

“I’ve never done well if I thought, ‘Oh, I have to shoot X-under. I think I do my best when I go out and try to play the shot in front of me,” Watney said. “I know that’s super cliche, but that’s truly how I play my best. That’s what I was even trying to do today. Just to execute my best on that shot.”

Added Kitayama: “I feel like most tournaments scores are low so you kind of know what you gotta do and if you can get to that 20-under number, you can have a good chance to win any week. And if it’s lower, it just happens.”

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Rising star Mito Pereira’s PGA Tour goals after three-win promotion? Keep his card, go to East Lake, ‘why not get a win’

Get to know a little more about the next under-30 rising star on the PGA Tour.

JACKSON, Miss. — If you’re looking for an up-and-coming player to root for on the PGA Tour, you may want to get familiar with Mito Pereira.

The 26-year-old from Chile is playing his first full season on Tour this year, and the early results are pointing to yet another under-30 star in the making. Pereira became the 12th player on the Korn Ferry Tour to earn a three-win automatic promotion to the PGA Tour back in June, and after some struggles out the gate has found some impressive form.

Pereira made four consecutive cuts between July and September, including a T-5 at the Barbasol Championship and T-6 at the 3M Open. The Texas Tech grad also nearly medaled at the Olympics in Japan, finishing T-4 alongside Collin Morikawa, Sebastian Munoz, Rory McIlroy, Paul Casey and Hideki Matsuyama. How’s that for company?

SANDERSON: Tee times, TV | Fantasy | Yardage book

“Oh, the Olympics was so much fun,” Pereira said two weeks ago during the Fortinet Championship, where he finished solo third in the Tour’s first event of the season. “You play for something bigger, my country. Not everybody knows what the PGA Tour is, but everybody in Chile at least knows what the Olympics are. I got so many texts and people who didn’t even play golf just saying like, ‘Hey, I’m going to support you, I’m from Chile,’ so it was such a good experience.”

His positive results over the summer have given Pereira a strong self confidence as he continues his journey through professional golf, but he’s not letting the big moments get to him. As for goals?

“I’m more of a guy to go like week-to-week, but, yeah, of course we got like keep your PGA Tour card or get to East Lake will be a really big deal for me for the end of the season. Why not get a win?” he said with a laugh.

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Sergio Garcia’s post-Ryder Cup record bodes well for his Sanderson Farms Championship title defense

Expect Garcia to be in contention this week, and not just because he won the Sanderson Farms last year.

JACKSON, Miss. — History has a way of repeating itself, and if it does again this week at the Country Club of Jackson, expect Sergio Garcia to be in contention.

And not just because he won last year.

The 41-year-old Spaniard is back to defend his title at the Sanderson Farms Championship, the second event of the new PGA Tour season, just days after a blowout 19-9 loss to the United States at the Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits. But don’t let that result fool you. Garcia went 3-1-0 in Wisconsin, with his lone loss of the week coming to Bryson DeChambeau in Sunday singles. He’s the only Ryder Cup participant teeing it up this week, which believe it or not, bodes well for his success.

When making his first post-Ryder Cup start since 2008, Garcia has finished runner-up (2008), T-9 (2012), T-2 (2014), T-17 (2016) and first (2018). The 10-time member of Team Europe said he feels good this week and last week’s result hasn’t quite hit him yet.

Sanderson Farms: Tee times | Power rankings | Odds

“The course is in great shape again, like it was last year. Probably even better than it was,” said Garcia on Wednesday after a nine-hole practice round. “So very nice to be back here, obviously defending my title after a fun week last week. A week that kind of takes a lot of energy, but at the same time it was amazing. So I’m excited about it and just wanted to get my season off to a good start and see where we are.”

Garcia’s decision to return to Jackson for a second time was “quite simple.” First, he loves to attempt to defend his wins, and will look to do so for the first time in his PGA Tour career this week. Second, he loves that southern hospitality – and the golf course.

The way everyone treated us here was just amazing. And the golf course is just a great golf course,” explained Garcia. “So it’s the kind of golf course that I enjoy coming back to playing and I wish we would play more courses like this on Tour. They’re the kind of courses that make you think a little bit and if you hit a good shot it’s right there, it’s not like tricked up or anything like that and if you don’t hit a good shot then you’re going to struggle to make your par. So it’s just a solid golf course and a great tournament and I’m excited to be back.”

The tournament is continuing to grow every year, and the 11-time Tour winner hopes that more players will take notice of the gem in Jackson.

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“I think as people come and play and they see the quality of the golf course and the quality of the tournament it just goes from mouth-to-mouth and then probably more of the top guys want to come and play,” he said. “Obviously it’s as simple as that. If the golf course is so-so, then it kind of pushes back some of the guys, but if you know the golf course is a great golf course and it’s a real nice tournament, then people make a little bit more of an effort to try and come and see it and compete in it.”

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Sergio Garcia on Ryder Cup loss to United States: ‘We just got out played, it’s as simple as that’

Sergio Garcia had a strong showing at Whistling Straits, but his teammates did not.

JACKSON, Miss. — Sergio Garcia didn’t get much sleep Sunday night.

Despite a 3-1-0 showing at Whistling Straits to improve his Ryder Cup record to 25-13-7, the European’s were routed by the Americans, 19-9, a result that hasn’t quite hit home yet for the 10-time member of Team Europe.

The 41-year-old is the lone Ryder Cup player to make the trek from Wisconsin to Country Club of Jackson this week for the Sanderson Farms Championship, where he’ll look to defend his title last season for the first time in his PGA Tour career.

“I mean I feel good. I’m not going to lie, obviously didn’t get much sleep on Sunday night. But Monday and Tuesday it’s been good, I was able to rest a little bit in Austin with the family, got here last night and I feel pretty good at the moment,” said Garcia on Wednesday after a nine-hole practice round. “I mean you obviously think about it a little bit, it’s very fresh, but at the same time I’m obviously 41 now and I played, I’ve been fortunate to play many Ryder Cups and win many and also loss some so, we just got out played, it’s as simple as that, they played better than us and we gave it everything we had. So we can’t really ask ourselves for more.”

SANDERSON: Tee times, TV | Fantasy | Yardage book

The only players to earn more than two points, Garcia and Jon Rahm were the bright spots for Padraig Harrington’s squad. The Spanish tandem took down Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth in Friday Foursomes, Brooks Koepka and Daniel Berger in Saturday Foursomes and Koepka and Jordan Spieth in Saturday Four-Ball. Their lone losses of the week came in singles, with Rahm falling to U.S. rookie Scottie Scheffler and Garcia to Bryson DeChambeau.

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“You don’t get to world No. 1 and do all the things he’s done just by luck or by chance. So it was nice to be a part of it, it was nice to be his partner and kind of combine nicely between the two of us,” said Garcia of his successful pairing with Rahm. “So I had a great time with him, he had a great time with me, we made a good team and hopefully we’ll be able to do it again sometime soon.”

Sometime soon would either be at the PGA Tour’s team event in April, the Zurich Classic of New Orleans at TPC Louisiana, or at the 2023 Ryder Cup at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club near Rome, Italy, when Garcia will be 43.

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Quiet Sam Burns remains unchanged despite becoming a loud presence on the PGA Tour

Sam Burns: “As competitors we’re always trying to find little areas where we can improve.”

Sam Burns is the quiet sort, a man who rarely gets overly excited or exceedingly despondent. As the cliché goes, he’d rather let his clubs do the talking.

Last year, they spoke very well. During his breakout season, Burns, a man of immense power and gentle touch on and around the greens, won his first PGA Tour title, rose to No. 25 in the world and became a loud presence most every time he put a peg in the ground.

For instance, he led the PGA Tour in 36-hole leads/co-leads with five and led the Tour along with Jordan Spieth in 54-hole leads/co-leads with four. In 26 starts, he had eight top-10s and 13 top-25s. In one stretch, he shot 64 four times in eight rounds.

Heady stuff.

Going into last season, one of his goals was to play his way to the season-ending Tour Championship. Goal accomplished. Yet, after emerging as one of the game’s best young stars, a man who has the look and game to continue ascending the ranks to the Tour’s upper echelons, the 25-year-old Burns remains the same guy he was at the start of last season.

Thus, heading into his first event of the season in the Sanderson Farms Championship at the Country Club of Jackson in Jackson, Mississippi, his goal for the new season hasn’t changed.

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“Same as last season,” Burns said Wednesday in a conference call with reporters.

No, his aspirations have not bumped skyward despite winning his first Tour title at the Valspar Championship, losing in a playoff at the World Golf Championships-FedEx St. Jude Classic, finishing runner-up in the AT&T Byron Nelson and finishing third in the Genesis Invitational.

But Burns, however, did offer up a few mini-goals.

“Really just trying to kind of build on last year, kind of the things I did well, what I need to improve on, trying to find those areas and just trying to fine tune my game,” he said. “So that’s kind of the goal coming into this week and this year, just to continue to try and get better and improve in those areas.

“And we’ll see what happens.”

More specifically, he said his wedge game from 125 to 150 yards needs to improve. He’d like to lag putt a bit better. Is working on a few things where it comes to chipping.

“As competitors we’re always trying to find little areas where we can improve, not necessarily drastic but just a little bit over a period of time makes a big difference out here,” he said. “For me really it just stems from preparing well for each week. I think that’s where I really try to focus in on, is today and yesterday and Monday and just learning the golf course, how it’s playing this week, what areas we need to kind of hone in on for this golf course.

“So every week’s a little bit different, so I think for me just really focusing on that. That’s the only thing that I can control.”

Well, he’s in a good place to kick off his season. His best finish in four trips to the Country Club of Jackson is a tie for third in 2019.

“This (course) is one of my favorites all year,” he said. “I think these are probably some of the best greens we play all year. I like the golf course, I like the Bermuda grass, similar to kind of what I grew up on home, kind of tree-lined fairways.

“I’m really excited. I don’t know what the weather looks like, I think it’s going to be OK, so I think the golf course will firm up, get firmer and faster and it will be a good test.”

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In-depth look at the Sanderson Farms Championship including key stats, Data Golf information, strokes gained data, players to watch

There’s a good chance the champion could be a first-time Tour winner

Well, I’m going to be honest with you, this week might be rough.

The Sanderson Farms Championship is the first tournament removed from the Ryder Cup, the second event of the young season and many of the best players in the world are not making the trip to Mississippi.

Sergio Garcia, who is defending his title at the Sanderson Farms Championship this week, is the only Ryder Cup player in the field. To go even further, there isn’t a player ranked inside the top 20 in the world teeing it up this week (Sam Burns, the highest ranked player, is No. 25).

On the other hand, a weak field doesn’t mean we can’t win any money. Let’s dive in and see if we can find some nice value plays on the board.

Golf course

Country Club of Jackson

Par 72

7,461 yards

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A 2008 redesign is reflected in the greens. Many were shaped to what legendary course architect Donald Ross liked to see in putting surfaces: run-off areas and angulation, among other things.

Tree-lined fairways make driving accuracy an advantage. Even though past winners hit just over 50% of fairways, finding the short grass will give better sight lines into greens.

Weather

Day Conditions Percent chance of rain Wind & Direction
Tuesday Scattered Thunderstorms 52% 7 MPH (S)
Wednesday Thunderstorms 69% 7 MPH (SSE)
Thursday Showers 57% 7 MPH (SE)
Friday Partly Cloudy 24% 8 MPH (SE)
Saturday Partly Cloudy 13% 9 MPH (SSE)
Sunday Scattered Thunderstorms 57% 7 MPH (S)

Key stats

Total driving: At this course, it’s about marrying driving distance and driving accuracy. Players will need to have an overall great performance off the tee to find their way into contention.

SG: Putting: Data Golf calculates what Strokes Gained category causes the most variation in scores at each event, or each golf course. At the Sanderson Farms in 2020, SG: Putting caused 40.6% of the scoring variation. For reference, the Tour average last season was 35.7%. So, to be in the mix come Sunday, players will have to roll the rock.

Data Golf information

Course Fit (compares golf courses based off the degree to which different golfer attributes — such as driving distance — predict who performs well at each course – DataGolf): 1. Atunyote GC, 2. Torrey Pines (North), 3. Accordia Golf Narashino

Trending (among the players in the field): 1. Sam Burns (last three starts: T-18, 8, T-21), Sungjae Im (T-20, 3 T-16), 3. Sergio Garcia (T-14, T-6, MC)

Percent chance to win (based on course history, fit, trending, etc.): Sam Burns (4.7%), 2. Sergio Garcia (4.3%), 3. Will Zalatoris (4.3%)

Betting odds

Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds a full list.

Sam Burns (+1500) Will Zalatoris (+2000)
Sergio Garcia (+2000) Corey Connors (+2000)
Sungjae Im (+2000) Charley Hoffman (+3000)
Cameron Tringale (+3000) Mito Pereira (+3000)
Seamus Power (+4000) Kevin Streelman (+4000)

Players to watch

Will Zalatoris – One of these weeks, I’m going to be right about this. Will Zalatoris needs to win at some point, and I think this is a great opportunity for him to do so. Six of the last eight winners at the Sanderson Farms were first-time Tour winners.

He’s coming off a solid T-11 performance in Napa. He was 5th in the field in SG: Tee to Green, but his putter was a bit frigid. His putting stroke makes me borderline uncomfortable, but he will have to get it going if he wants any chance to win.

He was inside the top 25 in driving distance last season on Tour, only hitting 56% of fairways, but remember that’s right around the number the winner has hit at this golf course over the last several years.

+2000 to win.

Will Zalatoris hits his tee shot on the first hole during round two of the Fortinet Championship at Silverado Resort and Spa on September 17, 2021 in Napa, California. (Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)

Corey Connors – I made a lot of money on this guy during the Florida stretch (and on up the coast) last year as he finished third at Arnold Palmer Invitational, seventh at the Players, eighth at Augusta, and fourth at the RGC Heritage. He cooled off a bit after that, but had a solid finish to his season, with five top-25 finishes in his last six starts (that includes the Tour Championship and Olympics). 

He only averaged 295 off the box last year, but was eighth in SG: Off the Tee. On top of that, he was ninth in SG: Approach last year – his tee-to-green performance was one of the best on Tour.

His tournament history is great, with a top 20 last season and a solo runner-up in 2018.

+2000 to win

Mito Pereira – Another young player looking for his first win on Tour. Last season, he had three straight top 10s in weaker field events. There’s also a lot to like about his performance a few weeks ago in Napa: third-place finish, led the field in SG: Tee to Green, sixth in driving accuracy and averaged 318 off the tee.

+3000 to win

Harold Varner III – I’m not saying Varner is going to win, but he’s a great target for a top-20 or top-30 play.

He’s finished inside the top 20 in five of his last seven starts, including T-16 or better in his last three (T-16 in Napa a few weeks ago). He struggled hitting fairways in California, but he rolled it, gaining nearly five strokes on the field over the week.

He joined the Tour at the start of the 2015-16 season, and is still looking for his first win. He’s only played in this event twice, with his best finish coming back in 2015 (T-39).

+4000 to win.

Northern Trust
Harold Varner III at the 2021 Northern Trust at Liberty National Golf Course in Jersey City, New Jersey. Photo by John Minchillo)/Associated Press

And finally, a quick note on the defending champion…

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Why the Sanderson Farms Championship is more than just another PGA Tour event for past champ Peter Malnati

Malnati’s life changed when he arrived for the 2015 Sanderson Farms, both on and off the golf course.

JACKSON, Miss. — Peter Malnati was born in Indiana, grew up in east Tennessee, attended the University Missouri and now lives in Knoxville when he’s not living his dream on the PGA Tour.

So why does Mississippi’s capital city hold such a special place in his heart?

The 34-year-old’s life changed when he arrived for the 2015 Sanderson Farms Championship at Country Club of Jackson, both on and off the golf course. He earned his first win on Tour – a one-shot victory over William McGirt and David Toms in a Monday finish – made life-long new friends and tapped into his charitable side.

“I stayed with a family on the course and they have become my family, too, to my wife and I, now our little boy,” Malnati said on Tuesday ahead of the 2021 Sanderson Farms. “So it’s just feels like we’re among family when we are here.”

Sanderson Farms: Tee times | Power rankings | Odds

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His golf isn’t bad here, either. In addition to his 2015 win, Malnati finished runner-up – also by just one shot – to Sergio Garcia after a 9-under 63 in the final round. Comfort goes a long way on Tour, and the Bermuda fairways and rough have Malnati feeling right at home on, what he calls, some of the best greens not just on Tour, but in the world.

“I would say we are lucky on Tour, we play some of the best golf courses in the most pristine condition all the time, but the greens here are the best greens in the whole world, they’re just impeccable,” said Malnati. “They are flawless and they roll, they’re really fast and I think that’s something that has always benefited me.

“I’m a really good putter, I feel like, and if I get some putts going in early on these greens I just feel really confident and it’s just a really comfortable feeling to be on these greens.”

Malnati returns to Mississippi in good form following a T-25 last week at the Fortinet Championship, the first event of the new season, and he knows the importance of getting off to a hot start and how it can alleviate the pressure to perform to remain on Tour.

“But the other thing it does which is exciting is it opens up the events to which you have access,” explained Malnati. “So last year I got to play in the PGA Championship, which was really cool. I got to play in the invitational events that are hosted by the late Mr. Palmer and Mr. Nicklaus.

“That’s something that as a Tour player I dreamed of, just being on the PGA Tour, but you also dream of getting to play in those kind of events where, you think of the legacy of Mr. Palmer, and then obviously still getting to shake Mr. Nicklaus’s hand at the Memorial every year. So something like that is really cool.”

Even cooler is his work off the course, where Malnati was recently named an ambassador for Play Yellow and works with the Children’s of Mississippi and Children’s Miracle Networks Hospital.

It started in 2013 at the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship in Columbus, Ohio. Malnati was asked to do a junior clinic the week of the event with patients from Nationwide Children’s

“I was able to connect with the parents of one of the young girls who was there at that clinic and got to know them and their story and hear how the Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, had really honestly saved their daughter’s life. And just the incredible impact that that had on their family,”  Malnati said.

“To know that the golf tournament was supporting that hospital was really cool for me, it was like an eye-opening moment like, ‘Gosh, we really are, we’re doing some good.’ And not just playing golf for entertainment, like we’re actually doing some good.”

After his win in 2015, Malnati came back early in 2016 to do some media for the event and visited the children’s hospital.

“But since then we went to the hospital, I think for a couple years in a row we went and visited some of the patients and just saw how thankful they are for this tournament, how much this tournament really does give back to this community. And so, gosh, to be a part of something that is really making a meaningful impact through this game of golf that I love, gosh, it just means so much and it gives such depth to what we do out here every week.”

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Check the yardage book: Country Club of Jackson for Sanderson Farms Championship

Puttview provides an insider view with hole-by-hole maps of the Mississippi layout that hosts the PGA Tour this week.

The Country Club of Jackson, site of this week’s Sanderson Farms Championship on the PGA Tour, originally was designed by Dick Wilson and opened in 1964. John Fought updated the layout in 2008.

The club has three nine-hole layouts in all, with the Dogwood (front) and Azalea (back) nines making up the championship course for the Tour players. The combined layout ranks No. 3 in Mississippi on Golfweek’s Best list of private courses. The course will play to 7,461 yards with a par of 72 for the Sanderson Farms Championship.

Thanks to yardage books provided by Puttview – the maker of detailed yardage books for more than 30,000 courses around the world – we can see exactly the challenges that players face this week. Check out each hole below.