The First Look: Sanderson Farms Championship

Newly elected World Golf Hall of Famer Retief Goosen tees it up for the first time since getting the call, while Ryan Armour defends a title for the first time as the PGA TOUR comes to Mississippi for the 33rd consecutive year. Lucas Glover, fresh from retaining his card via the Web.com Tour Finals, joins Goosen to give the Sanderson Farms Championship two former U.S. Open winners. The roster also includes former FedExCup champion Bill Haas, trying to lock down full TOUR status as he plays out a medical extension. FIELD NOTES: Sungjae Im, fourth at the Safeway Open after winning the Web.com Tour earnings title, tees it up in a short turnaround after playing THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES in his native South Korea. Im, Armour and J.J. Spaun are the only entrants to take on the trans-Pacific turnaround. … Jhonattan Vegas, unable to compete on the Asia Swing while dealing with passport issues in his native Venezuela, resumes his season in Mississippi. He tied for 53rd at the Safeway Open. … With the top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking qualified for the WGC-HSBC Champions in China, Dylan Frittelli (No. 73) is the highest ranked player in the field. … Im and Glover are among 49 graduates in the field from the Web.com Tour Regular Season or Finals. The only absentee: Finals money leader Denny McCarthy. … Dicky Pride is set to make his 20th start in Mississippi, extending his own longevity mark. FEDEXCUP: Winner receives 300 points. STORYLINES: Mississippi has become a haven for first-time winners, with five of the past seven champions making it their first. Armour’s victory followed Cody Gribble (2016), Peter Malnati (2015), Nick Taylor (‘14) and Chris Kirk (‘11). … In all, 11 players have made the Sanderson Farms Championship their first PGA TOUR triumph. … Haas, who missed a chunk of the spring after injuries in a fatal auto accident near the Genesis Open, has two starts left to earn 68 FedExCup points that would lock up full TOUR privileges for 2018-19. A top-10 finish in Napa earned him an extra start. … Goosen tees it up for the first time since a missed cut at the Wyndham Championship in August. He’s seeking his first top-10 finish since the FedEx St. Jude Classic last June. … U.S. entrants have won 21 of the past 23 editions in Mississippi, including 13 of the past 14. Canada’s Nick Taylor won in 2014, snapping a run of 10 straight U.S. winners, and England’s Luke Donald captured the 2002 edition. COURSE: Country Club of Jackson, 7,421 yards, par 72. Utilizing the Dogwood and Azalea nines from a 27-hole complex built by Dick Wilson in 1962, CCJ now enjoys its fifth year as Sanderson Farms host. Six Mississippi State Amateurs have been contested at CCJ, most recently in 2015, and the Southern Junior Amateur made an appearance in 2014. The club, which dates back to 2014, also played a key role in Mississippi history as a 1962 raid on the Carnival Ball turned up gallons of illegal liquor and prompted legislators to end the state’s prohibition. 72-HOLE RECORD: 263, Dan Halldorson (1986 at Hattiesburg GC). CC of Jackson record: 268, Cody Gribble (2016). 18-HOLE RECORD: 61, Keith Clearwater (2nd round, 1996 at Annandale GC). CC of Jackson record: 62, Roberto Castro (1st round, 2015). LAST YEAR: Armour finally captured that elusive first PGA TOUR victory, pulling away with a 4-under-par 68 for a five-shot triumph. The 41-year-old Ohio native was the only man to break 70 all four days, opening with a 66 and carding nothing worse than a 68 for the entire week. A third-round 67 opened a five-shot gap heading into the final day, and six birdies kept any challengers at bay. Victory came in Armour’s 105th career TOUR start, dating back to 2007, and he had just four top-10 finishes during that decade. It also came just a month after regaining his card via the Web.com Tour Finals, where a runner-up showing at the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship secured his status. Chesson Hadley led the chase pack, his second top-three finish of the new season after earning his card back via the Web.com Tour Finals. Jonathan Randolph, from nearby Brandon, Mississippi, was third after a closing 67. HOW TO FOLLOW TELEVISION: Thursday-Sunday, 2:30-5:30 p.m. ET (Golf Channel). PGA TOUR LIVE: None. RADIO: Thursday-Friday, noon-5:30 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday, 1-5:30 p.m. (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.com).

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