After a wild, raucous and captivating Ryder Cup at Bethpage, PGA Tour stroke play returns this week with the Sanderson Farms Championship at the Country Club of Jackson. This event has been hosted at the Country Club of Jackson since 2014, and this golf course generally provides a similar test to what we actually saw last week at Bethpage. Distance is a huge advantage here, as the missed fairway is incredibly low, and with such a high greens in regulation percentage, putting still remains the name of the game.
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Akshay Bhatia headlines the field this week in Jackson, and there are a number of young players, such as Michael Thorbjornsen and Luke Clanton, who will be looking to collect their first PGA Tour victory. Former winners such as Kevin Yu, Luke List and Cameron Champ will all be in the field as well, as former Ryder Cuppers such as Max Homa and both Hojgaard brothers will be hoping to gain momentum.
Here are my favorite plays on the DraftKings slate for the 2025 Sanderson Farms Championship.
9,000 and above: Play: Michael Thorbjornsen, $9,500:
Michael Thorbjornsen is my official pick to win this week, and I am expecting a breakout performance out of the 24-year-old former amateur standout. Thorbjornsen is coming off a 13th-place finish at the Procore Championship where he gained significantly in both ball-striking categories, and he also finished eighth at the Country Club of Jackson last year.
Fade: J.T. Poston, $9,400: 
Andy Lyons
While J.T. Poston often plays his best golf in easy scoring conditions, I have concerns about the fact that he has not played pro golf in over a month. For Poston to succeed on this course, his putter is going to need to catch some serious fire, which has been far from a certainty throughout the 2025 season.
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$8,000 range Play: Alex Smalley, $8,900: 
David Berding
Alex Smalley has played both some great golf at the Country Club of Jackson, as well as on other wide-open, driver-heavy golf courses with a low missed fairway penalty. Smalley finished fifth at this event last year, and he has nine top-25 finishes at my favorite comparative courses for the week, including Memorial Park, Vidanta Vallarta and PGA West.
Fade: Luke Clanton, $8,600:
I still have extremely high hopes for Luke Clanton, but his recent play has simply not been deserving of this price tag. Putting is incredibly important at the Country Club of Jackson, and Clanton has lost strokes putting in six consecutive starts.
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$7,000 range Play: Vincent Whaley, $7,800: 
Icon Sportswire
Vincent Whaley has quietly been playing some consistent golf, and in six appearances at the Country Club of Jackson, he has made every single cut. Whaley’s power off the tee and upside on the greens makes him an extremely intriguing fit this week.
Fade: Thorbjorn Olesen, $7,900:
I never really understand Thorbjorn Olesen’s DraftKings price, and I rarely ever get burned. Olesen was only able to muster three top-20 finishes on the PGA Tour this season, despite playing a full schedule. He still plays his best golf in Europe, and this is a clear over-price.
Flier: Seamus Power, $7,200: 
Mike Mulholland
Seamus Power has always played some of his best golf at this time of year, and despite some poor recent form, there were certainly reasons for optimism at the Procore Championship where he had his best driving week in months. Power also has three top-25 finishes at the Country Club of Jackson, including an 11th-place finish last year.
$6,000 range Play: Ben Kohles, $6,800: 
Gregory Shamus
When we are diving into the $6,000 range in a field like this, high upside in one specific stat category is generally my goal. Kohles has been hitting his irons exceptionally well over the last couple of months, and he is coming off a 26th-place finish at the Procore Championship where he gained over three strokes on approach. Kohles also has a 16th in one of two appearances at the Country Club of Jackson.
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Andy Lack is a PGA Tour writer and podcaster from New York City who now resides in Los Angeles. Andy is the founder and CEO of Inside Sports Network, a website devoted to the predictive quality of advanced analytics and golf course architecture. He came to Golf Digest’s betting panel after previously writing for Run Pure Sports, RickRunGood.com, the Score and GolfWRX. In his free time, Andy can likely be found on a golf course. Follow him on Twitter: @adplacksports
This article was originally published on golfdigest.com
