The PGA TOUR heads to the Country Club of Jackson (par 72, 7,461 yards, Bermuda greens) in Jackson, Missouri, for this week’s Sanderson Farms Championship. This event has been played at the CC of Jackson since 2015, and Luke List (-18) is the defending champion after winning in a five-man playoff last year. This week’s field consists of 132 golfers, and there will be a normal top-65 and ties cut following the first 36 holes.
The PGA DFS Breakdown offers data-driven analysis for each week’s slate, using the FantasyLabs Tools and metrics to highlight notable golfers.
I’ll be highlighting the best cash game/single-entry plays on the DraftKings main slate, but these players are often great options in any contest.
My analysis will frequently reference Strokes Gained, a set of proprietary metrics generated by the PGA TOUR using millions of data points to calculate how many shots, on average, it takes a player to get the ball in the hole from every distance and situation.
Strokes Gained is now available in the FantasyLabs PGA Models.
There are a variety of Strokes Gained-related metrics, but the six main categories you need to know include:
- Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee (SG: Off-the-Tee)
- Strokes Gained: Approach (SG: Approach)
- Strokes Gained: Around-the-Green (SG: Around-the-Green)
- Strokes Gained: Putting (SG: Putting)
- Strokes Gained: Ball-Striking (SG: Ball-Striking), which is SG: Off-the-Tee + SG: Approach
- Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green (SG: Tee-to-Green), which is SG: Ball-Striking + SG: Around-the-Green
Don’t forget to check out two key metrics in our models — Perfect% and SimLeverage. You can find an explainer on those metrics here.
The cliff notes version is that you can use SimLeverage to quickly find leverage plays in tournaments, while Perfect% is great for finding the best price-considered plays for cash games.
And don’t forget to utilize our various PGA DFS tools like our Lineup Optimizer, Lineup Builder, PGA Correlation Dashboard, and our Trends tool.
The following players listed are based on DraftKings scoring and pricing.
PGA DFS Cash Game Thoughts
Note: FantasyLabs has partnered with Betsperts Golf and the Rabbit Hole! Sign up for the biggest database of golf stats available on the internet and get 25% off a yearly sub with our link!
Unless otherwise noted, all Strokes Gained metrics referenced in this article come via the Rabbit Hole.
Tool Highlights
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- See expert models each week.
DraftKings $10,000+ Range
Mackenzie Hughes ($10,000) – Hughes won the Sanderson Farms Championship two years ago and travels back to CC of Jackson as the maker of seven straight cuts. The Canadian has carded three top-20 finishes during this stretch, most notably with a T4 at the Procore Championship in his most recent start. The veteran gained strokes across the board in that near win, including a season-high 6.2 strokes on approach. Hughes has a long history of flourishing in the fall and is a compelling spend for cash-game this week. When we compare this field’s last 50 rounds during the fall swing via the Rabbit Hole, Hughes ranks first in strokes gained per round by a comfortable margin.
Now available: our PGA DFS SimLabs Lineup Generator that creates advanced DFS lineups using the power of simulation.
DraftKings $9,000 Range
J.J. Spaun ($9,900) – Spaun is one of the best targets available this week despite having no previous history at the CC of Jackson. The veteran has been playing inspiring golf recently, making six cuts in a row, with three of these finishes being top-10 results. Gaining strokes in every major category at back-to-back events and ranking first in Total Strokes Gained when we compare this field’s last 24 rounds, Spaun simply doesn’t have a blemish in his game right now, and he is a strong investment for at least a top-10 finish in this weak field.
Patrick Fishburn ($9,400) – Fishburn is another Sanderson Farms Championship debutant who should excel in his first attempt at the CC of Jackson. Fishburn has been the mix for a win almost every week as of late, with a T6 finish and a pair of solo third-place finishes in his last four starts. Over the course of this four-event stretch, Fishburn has moved himself up a whopping 184 spots in the world golf rankings to a career-best No.110. While Fishburn has never competed at the CC of Jackson, he is a natural fit for the driver-heavy course. Three of the past five champions at this par 72 have finished the event top five in SG: Off-the-Tee, and Fishburn ranks seventh on the PGA TOUR in that major category this season.
DraftKings $8,000 Range
Jhonathan Vegas ($8,700) – Vegas finished T4th in his lone start at the CC of Jackson in 2015, and he now returns to the track 258 spots higher in the world golf rankings. Vegas is currently playing some of the best golf of his career, making seven consecutive cuts, with four top-30 finishes during this run, most notably with a win at the 3M Open in July. Vegas ranks top-eight in both SG: Approach and SG: Off-the-Tee when we analyze this field’s last 24 rounds, and getting the veteran at less than $9,000 in this soft field is highway robbery.
Adam Svensson ($8,700) – As always, Svensson is a smart choice for cash games. The Canadian has only failed to make the cut twice in his last 17 starts and Svensson has displayed strong upside as of late, finishing T7th at the Wyndham and T13th at the Procore Championship in his last two starts. Svensson gained strokes on approach and with his putter at both these events, and he ranks second in 400-450-yard par four efficiency over his past 24 rounds, which bodes well for his return to the CC of Jackson, where six of the 10 par fours land in this range. Svensson finished T16th at this track last year and has similar upside this week.
DraftKings $7,000 Range
Andrew Novak ($7,800) – Novak missed the cut in his Sanderson Farms Championship debut a year ago, but the 29-year-old is a far more polished player now. Novak sits 120 spots higher in the world golf rankings than when he teed it up at the CC of Jackson last season, thanks to him being one of the most reliable cut makers on the PGA TOUR. Novak has only missed two of his last 15 cuts and he has carded eight top-25 finishes during this span. Novak should have been priced higher in this field and can be rostered with confidence.
Henrik Norlander ($7,600) – Norlander was one of the four players to lose in the playoff to List last season and this was his second consecutive top-25 finish at the CC of Jackson. The Swede has never missed a cut at this par 72 in three starts, and he is a safe bet to keep his made-cut record at the CC of Jackson perfect this week. Including three top-25 finishes, Norlander has made three of his past four cuts, and he ranks 21st in SG: Approach when we compare this field’s last 24 rounds.
Cameron Champ ($7,400) – Champ has been outstanding at the CC of Jackson. At this par 72, the bomber won by four shots in his debut in 2018, finished T28th the following year, and then finished T9th last season. Champ owns a career average finish of 12.7th place at the CC of Jackson, and he ranks first in strokes gained per round when we compare this field’s histories at the course, via the Rabbit Hole. As for his current form, Champ has made three of his last five cuts – including a T12 at the 3M Open – and he has collectively gained strokes with his driver and putter at five tournaments in a row. Another excellent performance for Champ at the CC of Jackson feels inevitable this week, and he is a no-brainer at this low salary.
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DraftKings $6,000 and Below Range
Garrick Higgo ($6,800) – Higgo is on the heels of a T26 at the Procore Championship two weeks ago, in which he gained strokes on approach and with his putter. Higgo will now look to carry this momentum over to the CC of Jackson, where he has thrived, finishing third and T16th in the last two years. Higgo’s 9.6th career average finish at this venue is the best in this field of all the players who have competed at the CC of Jackson more than once, and he is far too cheap for his potential at this course he loves.
Austin Smotherman ($6,600) – Smotherman has a ton of merit at this near minimum salary. The veteran has made 1-of-2 cuts at the CC of Jackson and he has only missed one cut in 11 starts this season. Plus, he is coming off his best performance of the season, with a T7 at the Procore Championship two weeks ago, in which he led the field in SG: Off-the-Tee. Smotherman has gained strokes in this major category in four of his last six starts, and his ascending driver should help him, at the minimum, make the cut this week.
