It’s been rather stop-start for punters who want their regular fix of PGA Tour action.
Blank weeks and another break for the Ryder Cup mean we’ve drifted into October having seen just a single event on the Fall Series.
The good news is that we now get six in the next seven weeks, opening with the Sanderson Farms Championship in Mississippi.
Host venue, the Country Club of Jackson, is now in its 10th year so there’s a decade’s worth of course form to peruse.
The only Ryder Cup player on view (at the time of writing at least) is Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg, who won two points from his four matches at Marco Simone.
Aberg may look as if he’s fulfilling a sponsor commitment but the real story is the 23-year-old, like the vast majority of others in this field, is trying to improve his FedExCup status and guarantee more appearances in the elite events next year.
Others are here to make the top 125 and secure their playing privileges.
This is the Deep South of the United States so it’s no surprise to see temperatures in the 90s over the first two days.
The weekend is milder and winds could get up towards 12mph on Saturday but, once more, scoring is expected to be low.
Angles to consider
1/ Strokes Gained Approach
Iron play is certainly important this week and the last three winners at Jackson have ranked in the top six for SG: Approach. Last year the top three finishers were all in the top 10 for SGA.
2/ Par 5 Scoring
Play the four long holes well and rewards will come your way. Last year’s leader on the Par 5s, Garrick Higgo, played them in -12 and finished third. Three of those who finished in the top four last year ranked first, second and fourth for Par 5s. And so it goes on.
3/ Connections to the Southern States
Whether it’s being born there, raised there, having a residence there or going to college there, those with a connection to the Southern States of the US have a great record in this event. Go down the list of winners and you’ll find a regional link in virtually all of them.
Selections
The above angles have been used to create a shortlist from which the following players are selected.
Eric Cole
Cole resides in Florida and his closest brush with victory came in the Sunshine State’s Honda Classic earlier this year. He ranked 24th for Strokes Gained: Approach last season and 23rd for Par 5 Scoring while recent form shows a fourth last time out at the Fortinet Championship and two top 25s in his previous three starts before that.
Davis Thompson
Thompson is a monster on the Par 5s, ranking fifth last season, so should be able to flourish on his third start at Jackson (made two previous cuts) but first as a full PGA Tour member. He’s ranked in the top 15 for Greens In Regulation in his last two starts so the irons are looking good and he has the local angle too due to residing in Alabama which shares a border with Mississippi.
Ryan Gerard
This one is a little bit of a punt but Gerard has strong connections with North Carolina, another Southern State, and he showed up well in Par 5 Scoring (20th) and SG: Approach (46th) last season. The price is surprising for the course debutant considering he finished fifth at the Barracuda Championship just four starts ago.
Tips 0-3; -6.00pts
1.5pts e.w. Eric Cole at 22/1 (Paddy Power, Betfair, Hills 1/5 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9) 35th
