Sleeper Picks: Sanderson Farms Championship

NOTE: Sleeper Picks did not appear in Rob’s Power Rankings, but each presents value for the bet specified.

Outright

Jhonattan Vegas (+3300) … There are upslopes and then there is this seriously gentle incline into value in this market. It’s almost as if the board reflects what personal preference looks like. When picking your horse, consider a recent winner who’s just inside the top 10 shortest odds because the kickback still packs a punch. The Venezuelan punctuated his current 6-for-6 cuts made with a victory at the 3M Open at the end of July. He continues to be one of the most proficient from tee-to-green all the while ranking inside the top 10 in both Par-3 and Par-5 Scoring. And while it’s been nine years since he finished T4 at The Country Club of Jackson, he was in the mix here before.

Top 5

Mac Meissner (+800) … With Patrick Fishburn and Rico Hoey, Meissner was in the subset of fresh faces who enjoyed a hot rookie summer. In fact, Fishburn, who is in the Power Rankings for the Sanderson Farms Championship, was in this slot (at +1100) for the Procore Championship and answered with a solo third. He was the fifth tout to fulfill this bet this season. Meissner’s arc of six top 20s across 10 starts included a T5 at the Charles Schwab Challenge and a solo fourth at the Barracuda Championship, so it’s not even recent unchartered territory. As for his missed cut at Silverado, that course and the timing of the tournament have indiscriminate and humbling components to them, so it’s worth the waiver when assessing individual performance in the long term.

Top 10

Chandler Phillips (+500) … This is a rare full-circle kind of moment for a PGA TOUR rookie, for it was at Country Club of Jackson where he made his debut way back in 2019. Now 27 years of age, he not only can he reminisce on impactful experience, but also reflect on how far he’s come. Slotted 94th in the FedExCup and a virtual lock to finish inside the top 125 at the conclusion of the FedExCup Fall, it’s a time to celebrate his progression. Because he can play freely during this anniversary, it’s also an opportunity for us to join the party. He’s fresh off and rested from a T13 at the Procore Championship where he ranked fourth in Strokes Gained: Putting, which has been a strength for him all along. Even better, for the season that includes a pair of top 10s, he’s T4 in Proximity to Hole.

Top 20

Charley Hoffman (+225) … Since it might be a minute before he’s plus value again for a Top 40 – as he was at +120 among the Tap-ins for the Procore Championship where he delivered a T26 – we’ll climb into this target to pile on, but he also has two top 20s in his last four starts. The 47-year-old has parlayed burning a Career Earnings Exemption this season to sit 81st in the FedExCup. Because of his consistently strong form post-40, he was on the short list of talents who could summon something special in the twilight. Done and done.

Top 40

Brandon Wu (+125) … While you’re unlikely to include him when citing the members of the impressive class of 2019, he’s a part of it. Perhaps when he breaks through for his first PGA TOUR title, his standout career at Stanford University will regain the attention that elevated his expectations from the jump. As he navigates the tail end of his third season on TOUR, he’s going to need to get to work to improve on his position of 139th in the FedExCup. No doubt that contributes to his plus value for this finish. However, the pedigree is still with him – it always will be – so now he’s on the short list of considerations in whom it makes more sense to invest. It also doesn’t hurt that he was among the 13 players at T13 in his last start at the Procore Championship. He also placed T39 at The Country Club of Jackson in 2022.

Odds were sourced at BetMGM.

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