Like many of you, we’re still coming down from that absolutely wild Ryder Cup Sunday. But the PGA Tour’s FedEx Fall rolls on this week at the Sanderson Farms Championship. That’s right, folks, it’s time to hand out maybe the only more famous trophy in golf than the Ryder Cup – the Rooster trophy.
The field is hardly a who’s who, but a number of breakthrough candidates will be on the grounds of C.C. of Jackson looking to pick off their first PGA Tour victory. Rico Hoey, Michael Thorbjornsen and the Højgaard twins are among that group, and they are all looking up at the favorite, Akshay Bhatia, who a number of our experts are high on this week.
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The Golf Digest betting panel is comprised of a tour coach reporting anonymously from the grounds of Silverado Resort, Pat Mayo of Underdog/Mayo Media Network, Brandon Gdula of numberFire/FanDuel, Andy Lack of the Inside Sports Network, your two authors and Keith Stewart, the CEO of Read The Line. Stewart, our newest member of the panel, is our new betting content partner as well.
Scroll down for our complete betting analysis of the 2025 Sanderson Farms Championship:
Sanderson Farms Championship picks 2025: Our Experts’ Outright Predictions
Anonymous Swing Coach of the Week: Akshay Bhatia (20-1, FanDuel) — I love this course for Akshay. He has all the room in the world to work the ball how he wants, and he can get scorching hot with the approach play and irons. This is the type of field where Bhatia can shine.
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Pat Mayo, Underdog/Fantasy National, Mayo Media Network analyst: Min Woo Lee (22-1, BetRivers) — It’s been a rough go for Min Woo stateside since his win in Houston, ending the season with a lone top-45 finish over his final 10 starts. So he took off to Europe to find his game. And he did. Two starts overseas resulted in a T-11/T-5 run, which is a disappointment for him considering he was in the final group in France on Sunday. Encouraging his game is trending back up, though. He’s never played Country Club of Jackson but on paper it seems pretty great for him, especially as a comp to where he’s experienced success. Mash it off the tee, don’t worry where it goes, and ride a hot short game and putter. While a frigid flat stick was one of the causes of his issues (losing on the greens in eight of those final 10 PGA Tour starts), that Euro trip had him gaining BIGLY back in the positives putting. Lee’s been a high ceiling, low floor putter for a long time now, something he has in common with many of the past Sanderson Farms winners.
Brandon Gdula, FanDuel/numberFire managing editor: Akshay Bhatia (20-1, FanDuel) — The Country Club of Jackson really rewards longer hitters, which Bhatia isn’t—he’s about average—but Akshay is a top-notch putter with the top mathematical ceiling of anyone in the field over everyone’s last 50 rounds.
Keith Stewart, PGA, Read The Line: Rico Hoey (35-1, FanDuel) — One of the best ball strikers in the field is Rico Hoey. One of the worst putters in the field is Rico Hoey. That second statement might not be true anymore. Hoey switched to a long putter at the Procore and saw immediate results (T-9). In 2025, Rico lost strokes with his driver just twice in 25 starts. Watch Hoey separate off the tee and make a couple of putts as he takes home his first PGA Tour win.
Stephen Hennessey, Golf Digest managing editor: Max Homa (45-1, BetRivers) — I might be chasing a bit with Max Homa, but his odds are still in bettable territory. You can get away with driver misses at the Country Club of Jackson, and Homa’s irons were on point at one of the last events of the year, when he threatened to win the John Deere. He’ll be motivated by his buddies at the Ryder Cup, and I wouldn’t be surprised if a victory comes in the fall.
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Christopher Powers, Golf Digest senior writer: Rico Hoey (35-1, FanDuel) — Rico Hoey lost 0.1 strokes with his putter at the Procore, which was by FAR his best putting performance over the last few months. As for the rest of his bag, he was his usual self, gaining 9.3 strokes tee-to-green and picking up a T-9, his second finish inside the top 15 in his last four starts. The way he’s hitting it paired with his new broomstick putter has me feeling like a breakthrough is coming.
Andy Lack, Inside Sports Network: Michael Thorbjornsen (22-1, FanDuel) — Michael Thorbjornsen is one of my favorite breakout candidates in 2025, and he has already shown his mettle before on this golf course with an eigth-place finish last year. Thorbjornsen has a ton of power off the tee and putting upside, an excellent formula for success at the Country Club of Jackson.
Past results: We now have 12 individual victories in 2025 after our tour coach’s fifth outright winner this season (Scottie Scheffler).
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Sanderson Farms Championship picks 2025: Sleepers/Dark Horses Who Could Win
Tour coach: Lanto Griffin (100-1, FanDuel) — Lanto played fantastic in Napa, and that’s a continuation of some really positive momentum in 2025. This guy can get red-hot with the putter, too. I think he’s got a great chance to win this week.
Mayo: Thriston Lawrence (150-1, BetRivers) — His past five starts? MC/MC/Win/MC/MC. He’s weirdly morphed into a South African version of the old Si Woo Kim. Which guy are we gonna get? Who the hell knows. But at triple-digit odds in a weaker field, it’s worth a gamble to find out.
Gdula: Sami Valimaki (65-1, FanDuel) — Valimaki has the irons and putting to have spike weeks, and he’s due for regression with the putter to a notable degree. The struggles around the green should be mitigated this week due to course setup.
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Stewart: Christiaan Bezuidenhout (75-1, FanDuel) — Look no further than Christiaan Bezuidenhout for excellent Bermudagrass putting. Since going to PGA Coach Jason Baile (Glover, Cauley), Bezuidenhout’s ball-striking has been improving. One start at the Country Club of Jackson and Christiaan finished sixth. Eleventh in the field in approach and 15th in putting, this longshot has the skill set the Sanderson warrants.
Hennessey, Golf Digest: Pierceson Coody (80-1, BetMGM) — The University of Texas product played such good golf on the Korn Ferry Tour last year, and his length off the tee should be a real asset this week. I’m happy to roll the dice at this number.
Powers, Golf Digest: Isaiah Salinda (90-1, BetRivers) — If Cameron Champ can win at this course, so can Isaiah Salinda by bombing and gouging it to death. He’s also coming off a confidence-boosting top 15 at the Procore where he gained in every area except putting.
Lack: Garrick Higgo (45-1, FanDuel) — Garrick Higgo is coming off an excellent contending performance at the Procore Championship, and he now returns to a golf course where he has a third and a 16th in two of his three appearances. I expect Higgo’s driver/putter combination to continue to shine at the Country Club of Jackson.
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Sanderson Farms Championship picks 2025: Players We’re Fading
Tour coach: Max Homa (40-1, FanDuel) — It’s nothing personal against Max. But until he proves me wrong, he’s just a name people know. He’s been doing some good work. His new swing under John Scott Rattan looks so much better than the old, but we have to do it in tournaments, which he hasn’t done much.
Mayo: J.T. Poston (28-1, BetMGM) — Unless he sun runs his putter, he hasn’t been anywhere near good enough ball-striking to contend.
Gdula: Kevin Yu (25-1, FanDuel) — Yu is getting a defending champion bump in the odds that pushes him out of the consideration set for me this week.
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Stewart: Rasmus Højgaard (20-1, Caesars Sportsbook) — The hangover alone would be a reason not to take Rasmus Højgaard this week. Compound that with a 0-2-0 record at the Ryder Cup. Rasmus lost six strokes total to a field of 24 players. That’s hard to do. I know he needs the FedEx Cup points, but an accuracy-heavy venue and a lack of confidence in his ball striking are a telltale sign of a Friday exit.
Hennessey, Golf Digest: Rasmus Hojgaard (20-1, Caesars Sportsbook) — Rasmus did not impress at the Ryder Cup, and I think it’ll be tough to come off that emotional week and beat a full field of quality players.
Powers, Golf Digest: Rasmus Højgaard (20-1, Caesars Sportsbook) — This is such an easy fade that it feels too easy and he’ll end up contending.
Lack: Kevin Yu (25-1, FanDuel) — While Kevin Yu is the defending champion of this event, I still believe he is far over-valued in this field. We are a far cry from when Yu won this event at 150-1 last year, as he has not had many opportunities as one of the tournament favorites. For a player that remains so volatile on the greens, this is a very tough price to swallow.
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Sanderson Farms Championship picks 2025: Matchups
Tour coach: Luke Clanton (+100) over Beau Hossler (DraftKings) — I realize Clanton struggled a bit through the summer on tour, but he has had a ton of time off, and I think that will really benefit him. This is a tailor-made course for the young bomber who can get a hot putter. He has such a distance advantage over Hossler. Plus, Clanton is way more familiar with the Southeast than the California kid Hossler is.
Mayo: Sami Valimaki (-110) over Vince Whaley (Coolbet) — The off-the-tee struggles may end up crushing him in the long run, but he’s had a lot of success at spray and pray courses in 2025, while the wedges and putter remain operating at an elite level for this field. Valimaki picked up a pair of top 10s during the Euro swing (T-2/T-8) and sits inside the top 20 in this field in approach putting and par 4 birdies or better in 2025.
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Gdula: Emiliano Grillo (-110) over Alex Smalley (FanDuel) — Grillo’s a lights-out iron player from 200+ yards and from 50 to 150 – both key ranges this week. He’s also really raised the floor with the putter. He’s got a noticeable advantage in irons and putting in this one.
Stewart: Alex Smalley (-110) over Nicolai Højgaard (Bet365) — Alex Smalley has two straight top-16 finishes at the Sanderson. As a straight flusher and an above-average Bermudagrass putter, he checks two very important boxes. Nicolai Højgaard just spent a week away from the range and followed it up with an epic party. Both Højgaards are potential targets for a Friday exit, which is exactly when we will get paid for this H2H matchup.
Hennessey, Golf Digest: Michael Thorbjornsen (-120) over Rasmus Hojgaard (FanDuel) — Thorbjornsen has been playing some stellar golf of late, and like I said above, I like the idea of fading Rasmus this week. Thorbjornsen has a top 20 on this golf course.
Powers, Golf Digest: Mark Hubbard (-110) over Patrick Fishburn (DraftKings) — Hubbard is just a blind bet this time of year. This is when this guy eats.
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Lack: Rico Hoey (+100) over J.T. Poston (BetOnline) — I am always going to roll with the much better ball-striker in better form any time I can get plus money. We have not seen J.T. Poston since the BMW Championship, and Hoey is coming off an impressive top-10 finish at the Procore Championship, where even his putting looked improved.
Matchup Results from the Procore Championship: Hennessey: 1 for 1 (Cantlay (-105) over Thomas); Powers: 1 for 1 (Hubbard (-110) over McCarty); Mayo: 1 for 1 (Mitchell (-105) over Olesen); Stewart: 1 for 1 (Burns (-120) over Morikawa); Tour coach: PUSH (Thompson (-110) over Homa); Gdula: PUSH (Thompson (-110) over Homa); Lack: 0 for 1
Matchup Results from this season (Wins-Losses-Pushes): Tour coach: 15-14-3 (up 1.21 units); Lack: 17-15-1 (up 0.66 units); Hennessey: 18-16-1 (up 0.19 units); Powers: 17-17-1 (down 0.71 units); Mayo: 15-17-2 (down 1.42 units); Stewart: 15-19-1 (down 4.72 units); Gdula: 12-20-3 (down 9.48 units)
Sanderson Farms Championship picks 2025: Top 10s
Tour coach: J.T. Poston (+360, FanDuel) — J.T. grew up in the south on Bermuda greens, and the greens at Country Club of Jackson are some of the purest Bermuda greens on tour. He can absolutely putt his way to a top 10 this week.
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Mayo: Matt Wallace (+450, BetRivers) — No player is gaining more strokes on average over the past six months than Matt Wallace. It’s only resulted in two spike performances (T-3 at 3M, T-2 Omega Masters), but it seems like he’s constantly hovering around the leaderboard enough a few breaks going his way on a week can propel him to the top.
Gdula: J.T. Poston (+360, FanDuel) — Poston isn’t long off the tee but is a top-40 guy by all four strokes-gained stats over everyone’s last 50 rounds, per datagolf. He’s the only one who can say that. Poston also has been a high-floor player by round-by-round scoring, as well.
Stewart: Max Homa (+450, BetRivers) — The Country Club of Jackson is a great fit for Max Homa. Homa had a break after Wyndham and came back much better at the Procore, finishing in the top 20. His first top 20 since the John Deere in July. Three more weeks of practice, and Max comes to a place that rewards excellent ball-striking. Homa has gained with his iron game and driver in four straight starts. Max is too talented not to come back, and this restart seems like the perfect fit to make a nice run.
Hennessey, Golf Digest: Stephan Jaeger (+550, FanDuel) — Jaeger, spending so much of his time in nearby Tennessee, will be comfortable on this kind of turf. I love Jaeger’s distance here, and he can pop up and get hot irons and a hot putter to find his way to the top of the leader board.
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Powers, Golf Digest: Emiliano Grillo (+360, FanDuel) — Grillo has gained with his irons in nine of his last 11 starts, collecting five top 20s along the way, bookended by a top five at Procore. With an 11th and a fifth to his name at this tournament, he’s certainly a candidate to win.
Lack: Alex Smalley (+360, FanDuel) — Alex Smalley always seems to play his best golf on wide open, driver-heavy golf courses with a low missed fairway penalty. Not only did he finish fifth at this event last year, but he also has an excellent history on many of my favorite comp courses this week, such as Memorial Park and Vidanta Vallarta.
Top-10 results from the Procore Championship: Powers: 1 for 1 (Rico Hoey +650); Tour coach: 1 for 1 (Jackson Koivun +450); Stewart: 1 for 1 (Jackson Koivun +450); Mayo: 1 for 1 (Jackson Koivun +450); Gdula: 0 for 1; Lack: 0 for 1; Hennessey: 0 for 1
Top-10 results from this season: Gdula: 11 for 35 (up 18.3 units); Tour coach: 9 for 32 (up 17.8 units); Mayo: 9 for 35 (up 15.17 units); Stewart: 13 for 35 (up 14.65 units); Lack: 10 for 34 (up 12.1 units); Hennessey: 7 for 34 (up 5.5 units); Powers: 1 for 35 (down 27.5 units)
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About our experts
Pat Mayo is an award-winning video host and producer of long and short-form content, and the host of The Pat Mayo Experience daily talk show. Mayo helped create the golf stats and research website Fantasy National along with the Race for the Mayo Cup One and Done contest. Mayo won the 2022 Fantasy Sports Writing Association Daily Fantasy Writer of the Year and is a finalist for three FSWA Awards in 2023 (Best Podcast, Daily Fantasy Writer of the Year, Golf Writer of the Year). His 27 FSWA nominations lead all writers this decade and are second-most all-time. Follow him on Twitter: @ThePME.
Brandon Gdula, managing editor and analyst for numberFire, a FanDuel daily-fantasy analysis company, recently won the 2018 FSWA Golf Writer of the Year. Gdula also co-hosts the DFS Heat Check podcast. Follow him on Twitter: @gdula13.
Keith Stewart is a five-time award-winning PGA professional, a betting contributor for Golf Digest and founder of Read The Line, the premier on-site live golf betting insights service covering the LPGA and PGA TOUR. Subscribe to Read The Line’s weekly newsletter here and raise your golf betting acumen. Keith’s winning content can also be found on Sports Grid, Bleacher Report and The Sporting News. Follow him on Twitter @readtheline_.
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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.
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