The Cheat Sheet provides DraftKings fantasy golf players with course info, player history and the most noteworthy trends of the week to help them with their roster selections.
Set your DraftKings fantasy golf lineups here: PGA TOUR $300K Sand Trap [$100K to 1st]
The Field
After an American blowout win at the Presidents Cup, the PGA TOUR marches onward this week to its second official event of the year. The Sanderson Farms Championship has been a mainstay on the Fall schedule for some time now and has been a great jumping-off point for many young or up-and-coming players. Sebastian Munoz won his first PGA TOUR event here in 2020, while Cameron Champ did the same the year before in 2019. Last season, American Luke List picked up his second career PGA win in a thrilling 5-man playoff.
It’s the week after the Presidents Cup, so, as you would expect, the field does not have a lot of big names. At 34th in the OWGR, Nick Dunlop isn’t just the highest-ranked golfer in the field, he’s also the only player inside the top 50 of the OWGR playing this event. The only player teeing it up at the Sanderson, who also played in the Presidents Cup last week, is Canadian Mackenzie Hughes, and he has ties to this event having won it in 2022. Other names to watch near the top of the odds include Ben Griffin, JJ Spaun, and Eric Cole.
This week is also a return to regular, full-field event rules and will feature the regular PGA cutline, which sees the top 65 players (and ties) go on to play the weekend.
The Course
Country Club of Jackson — Jackson, Mississippi
Par 72, 7,460 yards
The Country Club of Jackson has hosted this event since 2014. The venue isn’t overly difficult as it has seen winners reach between 17 and 22-under-par over the last five seasons. The course features some of the purest greens on the PGA and has multiple scoring holes where birdie or better will be expected. In a lot of ways, it sets up very similarly to the first Fall venue we saw in Silverado, where players with strong driving metrics would be expected to have an advantage with four par 5s in play; but the venue is still easy enough overall to allow elite putters to have a chance.
Jackson is a typical flat, parkland venue with older trees lining many of the fairways. Playing from out of the rough here can be somewhat problematic in terms of sight lines to the pin on your second shot, and in that way, the routing also mimics that of venues like Colonial and Hilton Head — where placement can sometimes be more important than power. Not every hole is claustrophobic off the tee, however, and players can still opt for driver on plenty of tee boxes.
The pros at Jackson only average about 54% in the Driving Accuracy department — which is six to eight percent lower than the PGA TOUR average — but you only have to look at the list of recent winners to realize that you don’t have to be arrow straight to win at Jackson (Champ, Burns, Munoz). The greens are a decent size and relatively easy to hit, with GIR percentages at Jackson tending to be 2-4% higher than the seasonal average for the pros. It’s also worth noting that the last five winners all ranked outside the top 30 in driving accuracy for the week of their win — but four of the last six winners have also gained +3.5 strokes or more off-the-tee for the week (Burns gained over +6.0 strokes OTT in 2021, while List gained 2.2 strokes off the tee in 2023).
The Bermuda greens at CC of Jackson almost always run pure this time of year, and that’s been reflected in the stats. Past winners have tended to putt the proverbial lights out, with five of the last nine winners here ranking fifth or better in SG: Putting for the week of their win. Sam Burns certainly bucked this trend two years ago when he shockingly got to 22-under par despite losing strokes putting, but Burns more than made up for it by gaining an ungodly 14.1 strokes ball-striking. Last year, Luke List gained 6.0 strokes putting (7th best for the week) which more than made up for his average iron play (+0.1 strokes).
While Burns’ week could certainly be repeated by another elite ball-striker, in general, players will need to roll it well on the greens to have any shot at going low enough to win.
Finally, as a parting note, it’s worth remembering that the course carries four very scorable par 5s, three of which play between 550-600 yards. The 2018 winner, Cameron Champ, played those holes at 12-under-par the week when he won, so efficiency on these holes will be a huge benefit.
2024 Weather Outlook: This honestly might be the nicest forecast we have seen all season. Highs are set to be in the 80-85F range all week, with partly cloudy skies expected on all four days. There is almost no chance of rain (although small sprinkles could still occur) and the winds aren’t expected to be penal. Thursday has winds topping out at 5-6mph, while Friday afternoon could be SLIGHTLY worse at 8mph. If you’re being picky, the Thursday PM/Friday AM wave probably has it slightly better this week but there is almost no point in worrying about the weather forecast. It’s almost benign conditions for all four days.
Last 5 winners
(2023)—Luke List -18 (playoff over 4 players)
(2022)—Mackenzie Hughes -17 (playoff over Sepp Straka)
(2021)—Sam Burns -22 (over Cameron Young -21)
(2020)—Sergio Garcia -19 (over Peter Malnati -18)
(2019)—Sebastian Munoz -18 (over Sungjae Im playoff)
Winning Trends
– Six of the last 10 winners have all been first-time winners on the PGA TOUR.
– Four of the last 10 winners were not full-time PGA TOUR members in the previous season.
– Four of the last five winners of the Sanderson Farms played in the first fall series event in Napa (Burns ’21 the exception)
Winners Stats and Course Overview
Luke List (2023 at -18)
SG: OTT—+2.2
SG: APP—+0.1
SG: TTG—+5.7
SG: ATG—+3.5
SG: PUTT—+6.0
· The Country Club of Jackson has hosted this event since 2014; before Garcia and Burns won in 2021 and 2020, each of the past five winners from 2016 to 2020 had gained +6.2 strokes or more putting for the week of their win.
· Driving distance for this event has about matched the PGA TOUR average over time, but hitting fairways at this venue has been tough, with players averaging around 54% Driving Accuracy.
· Strong off-the-tee play has been beneficial, as four of the last six winners here have all gained +3.8 strokes or more off-the-tee; List gained 2.2 strokes OTT last season in his win
· The course blends a lot of longer approaches with short ones, as 125-150 yards and less than 200 yards are the two most popular approach distances here from past events.
· Burns torched the course in 2022 with elite ball-striking that saw him gain over 14.0 strokes OTT and on APP combined. Most winners at this venue will have to be positive with the flat stick as Luke List was last year, who relied more on his around-the-green play and putting than ball-striking (a rarity for him).
Finding Values (DraftKings Sportsbook)
Odds to win are one factor to think about when picking players (but not the only thing, so be careful putting too much weight on them). This section is going to detail a few of the players who have the best fantasy value comparative to their DraftKings Sportsbook odds of winning this week.
Harris English +4000 and $8,300
Comparables:
- Matt Kuchar +4000 and $8,500
- Sam Stevens +4500 and $8,400
- Stephan Jaeger +4000 and $9,000
CT Pan +5500 and $7,500
Comparables:
- Ryan Fox +5500 and $7,600
- Emiliano Grillo +5500 and $7,700
- Rickie Fowler +6000 and $7,700
All odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.
HORSES FOR COURSES
1. Henrik Norlander ($7,500; best finishes: T4-2021; T2 2023): Whenever a guy finishes top five at the same event two years in a row, he deserves a shout-out. Norlander is far from a consistent player but has proven himself to be a good target at Jackson on multiple occasions. He’s putted extremely well on these greens and makes for a good GPP target on his course history alone.
2. CT Pan ($7,500; best finishes: T9-2023; T11 2021): Pan’s not super long off the tee but that hasn’t stopped him from having a lot of success at Jackson. The former RBC Heritage winner has finished top 12 in three of his previous four visits to this venue and sits second in strokes gained total stats for this event over the last five seasons.
3. Kevin Streelman ($6,400; best finishes: T4-2020, T10-2018): Streelman is worth a look this week as the field is mostly devoid of top-end talent. He’s grabbed top-10 finishes at Jackson in two of his last six starts and at just $6,400, he probably carries solid upside. He played in the first fall event (Fortinet) but struggled on the weekend.
4. Emiliano Grillo ($7,700; best finishes T5-2023): Grillo has been a constant at this event, having made the trek out to Jackson in each of the past five seasons. Grillo’s made the cut at Jackson in 4/5 of those starts and showed off with a T5 at this event in 2022, gaining 3.4 strokes putting for the week.
5. Cameron Champ ($7,400; best finishes: win-2019; T9-2023): Champ will be starting at Jackson for the second year in a row time. The American grabbed the first win of his career at this event in 2019 and also finished T9 at this venue last year. He missed the cut in Napa last week but has gained over 3.0 strokes OTT in each of his last three starts.
Recent Form
1. JJ Spaun ($9,900; T26/T9/T3): Spaun continued his nice play at the Procore in early September. He’s gaining OTT and on approach every week and has finished top 10 in three of his last six starts.
2. Matt Kuchar ($8,500; T13/T12/T3): Kuchar leads the field in strokes gained total stats over the last six events. He’s hitting his irons extremely well and gained over 5.0 strokes on approach in two of his last three starts.
3. Patrick Fishburn ($9,400; T3/MC/T6): Fishburn has continued his solid play into the fall. He finished 3rd at the Procore and gained strokes in all the major categories. His DFS price is getting expensive at 9.4k but he looks like a player on the verge of a breakthrough.
4. Mackenzie Hughes ($7,100; T19/T58/T2): Hughes may be weary after playing in the Presidents Cup last week but his form is solid. He finished T4 in Napa at the start of the month and has made seven cuts in a row (including a T16 at the Open in July).
5. Chan Kim ($7,600 – T14/T51/T5): Kim has showcased very good ball-striking numbers of late, gaining over 2.5 strokes on approach in four of his last five starts. He’s never played this event or course but is a player on the rise as we head into the fall.
DRAFTKINGS DFS STRATEGY
Cash Games: Payup for JJ Spaun
There aren’t a ton of elite names in this field, which makes the ball-striking numbers on JJ Spaun ($9,900) all the more attractive for people making cash game lineups this week. Spaun did tail off a bit at the Procore (T26) but he’s also made seven cuts in a row and is only the fourth most expensive golfer this week, making him the name to trust for me as a pay-up option. Underneath Spaun, I also have no issue trusting Matt Kuchar ($8,500) as a play at 8.5k, who brings good putting upside, along with improved iron play. Emiliano Grillo ($7,700) and Charley Hoffman ($7,600) look like decent options further down, with Grillo looking extremely cheap given the weakness of this field.
Tournaments: Rested Fowler could deliver
It’s hard to know what to expect from Rickie Fowler ($7,700) this week who hasn’t played since finishing T71 at the Open Championship in July. Fowler has never played Jackson before but he needs FedEx Cup points and would like to build some momentum heading into 2025. Just given his overall talent level compared to the field, playing him at $7,700 makes for a nice risk-reward option. Ryan Fox ($7,600) is another name who looks entirely too cheap given the field in play as does Gary Woodland ($7,000) who was making cuts before missing the cut at the Procore Championship in September. Woodland’s irons were starting to come back in the late summer and if he finds his groove on the greens, could certainly make some noise this week on an easier track. Other names to consider this week for GPPs include Brandon Wu ($6,500), Nick Hardy ($7,100), and Garrick Higgo (see below).
MY PICK: Patrick Rodgers ($9,100)
Rodgers is starting to show more consistency with his game of late and profiles as the sort of player who could get to 18-20 under par on this sort of setup; which typically rewards strong off-the-tee players and elite putters. The American has finished top 40 in six straight starts and encouragingly has gained over a stroke on approach in each of his last two starts. That’s big for Rodgers who typically gains most of his strokes with the driver or putter.
He’ll be playing the Country Club of Jackson for the seventh time in his career and while he’s never posted a top-10 finish at this venue, he does have two top-20 finishes to his credit here and shot 68-69 in rounds two and three last season. A solid par 5 scorer who ranks 11th in par 5 efficiency from 550-600 yards, Rodgers has shown upside at other classical tracks this season (5th Hilton Head; 9th Torrey Pines) and if his putter shows up, he’ll likely have a shot at paying off with a top-five finish or better in DFS.
For betting, I’m also more than fine taking a shot with him at +3000 in the outright market. He’s trending well, put in a solid effort in Napa, and has come extremely close to winning (multiple times) over the last couple of seasons in these weaker types of fields.
MY SLEEPER: Garrick Higgo ($6,800)
Higgo is a volatile player who comes in showing a little form after opening his fall swing with a T26 at the Procore Championship, where he gained 1.8 strokes on approach and 4.4 strokes on the greens. The South African needs all the points he can get right now after finishing 144th in the FedEx Cup race in the regular season and should be delighted to see this event on the schedule, given how well he has played at Jackson Country Club in the past.
Higgo finished T3 here in 2022, shooting 66-68-68 that year over his last three rounds, and also managed a T16 at this venue last season, gaining 7.1 strokes putting for the week. A talented player whose only PGA win came in nearby South Carolina at Congaree Country Club in 2020, Higgo looks like the type of lower-owned option who could outperform in GPPs and gain you some nice leverage on the field over more popular names.
His upside also looks worth targeting in the betting markets, given his good start to the fall, and his oversized placement odds of +400 for a top 20 and +900 for a top 10 on the DraftKings Sportsbook.
Set your DraftKings fantasy golf lineups here: PGA TOUR $300K Sand Trap [$100K to 1st]
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All odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook, lines and odds subject to change.
I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is wavegoodbye) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.
