Matt Kuchar surges behind Garrick Higgo in Sanderson Farms Championship

• Garrick Higgo maintained his lead after the third round of the Sanderson Farms Championship.
• Danny Walker birdied his final five holes to move into a tie for second place.
• Max Homa shot the best round of the day despite a bogey on the 18th hole.
• Players noted that hitting the fairways is crucial for scoring well at the Country Club of Jackson.

JACKSON ― A few players were close, but no one could unseat leader Garrick Higgo in the third round of the Sanderson Farms Championship on Oct. 4

Higgo shot a 5-under-par 67 to stay atop the leaderboard at 18 under. He made just one bogey. It was on the third-easiest hole when a drive sailed wide right on No. 5. Higgo is seeking his second win of the season after winning the Corales Puntacana Championship in April.

Steven Fisk (16 under) carded a 7-under-par 65 to finish the day tied for second place with Danny Walker. Taylor Montgomery (15 under) dropped to fourth place.

Matt Kuchar (14 under) also fired a 7-under-par 65. He climbed into a tie for fifth.

Here’s what to know before the final round on Oct. 5 as players compete for the first-place prize of $1.08 million at the Country Club of Jackson

Max Homa has stellar day, might’ve broken driver

Max Homa had a 9-under, bogey-free scorecard headed to the 18th hole. It didn’t last.

He hit his drive left off the tee. His second shot was on the other side of the cart path. After the round, Homa said it felt like his driver broke, and he was headed to the driving range to investigate.

“That could be me making excuses, I’m not sure,” Homa said. “I’m going to go whack a few in a minute.”

Homa said his drive on the 18th hole felt flushed. His 8-under round was still the best of the day. He is tied for eighth at 13 under.

“I’ve got to go figure that one out,” Home said. “Kind of a lame way to end a good day, but that’s kind of just golf, I guess.”

Danny Walker catches fire, closes with five birdies

Walker is on the verge of earning his PGA Tour card. A huge finish to his third round will help.

Walker made a birdie on his final five holes. He was even before that stretch, so the run helped salvage his day and keep him near the top of the leaderboard.

Walker said he is seeing the greens well. His short game also flashed from off the green. He chipped in for birdie on No. 15 from 46 feet.

“I don’t think I’ve ever made this many feet of putts before, like probably in four days, and I’ve already done it in three,” Walker said.

The Country Club of Jackson is rewarding Steven Fisk, players who hit fairways

Finding the fairways enabled Fisk to stay on offense on Oct 4.

An accurate driver was the key to his 7-under-par 65 score that propelled him to a 16-under total. He hit nine of 14 fairways. Fisk is tied for second going into the final round.

“When you get in the rough out here, it just makes it — it’s just tricky enough that you can’t really get the ball close and you’re playing defense from there,” he said. “So you’re just trying to get it in as many fairways as possible so you can be aggressive.”

Matt Kuchar also warned against playing from the Bermuda rough. He hit 10 of 14 fairways.

“I feel good standing over the driver, which is important out here,” Kuchar said. “It’s a very gettable course, but you’d better put it in the fairway to try to get it.”

Winning score might have to surpass Kevin Yu’s 23 under in 2024

Before Kevin Yu shot 23 under to win the 2024 Sanderson Farms Championship, only one winner over the past five tournaments had broken 20 under at the Country Club of Jackson.

With Higgo already at 18 under, the 2025 winner will likely need to post a score similar to Yu’s to win on Oct. 5.

Yu returned to defend his title. He made the cut but, at 10 under, but would need a special day to factor into the top of the leaderboard on the final day.

Sam Hutchens covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at Shutchens@gannett.com or reach him on X at @Sam_Hutchens_