2022 Sanderson Farms Championship Updated Odds & Sleeper Picks: 5 Longshots to Bet, Featuring C.T. Pan and Austin Eckroat

The players likely don’t love the quick turnaround and short offseason on the PGA TOUR. In fact, recent changes to the schedule in future years prove that.

Yet it’s hard for the betting world to complain. We’re just a few short weeks beyond the crowning of 2022 FedEx Cup champion Rory McIlroy and are already marching on the chase for the 2023 playoffs.

That leads us to the Sanderson Farms Championship, which showcases an intriguing field. Defending champ Sam Burns is the headliner, though there are plenty of rookies and players seeking their first victory on TOUR eager to tee it up in Mississippi this weekend.

Among that group, these five names jump out as sleepers with a chance to make some noise.

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Byeong Hun An +8000 (DraftKings)

When we’re fishing for sleepers, sometimes all it takes is a few data points to make a name pop off the board. For Byeong Hun An this week, that’s the case.

He’s coming off a top-five finish in his season debut at the Fortinet Championship, where he overcame negative Strokes Gained: Approach to finish T4. An also has a top five at this venue under his belt, earning a solo third-place finish at the Country Club of Jackson back at the 2020 Sanderson Farms Championship.

Momentum and an encouraging track record at the venue? Sign me up at this price.

Henrik Norlander +13000 (DraftKings)

Norlander had a dreadful showing on the PGA TOUR last season. Over 15 starts from January to July, he made just two cuts and never finished in the top 50. In the calendar year of 2022, he hasn’t finished higher than T30 on the PGA TOUR, which forced him to head back to the Korn Ferry Tour Finals to secure his card.

He snatched his card back by making all three cuts and peaking with a T6 at the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship in the Korn Ferry Tour Finals.

He now returns to a venue where he has seen his most recent PGA TOUR success. Norlander’s last top 10 on the PGA TOUR came at this event last season, when he tied for fourth. It was his second straight top-five finish at this event after finishing T4 in the fall of 2020 as well.

This week will either break his streak of success in Mississippi or confirm that Norlander is a horse for the course to be counted on year after year at this venue.

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C.T. Pan +15000 (Parx)

C.T. Pan also seems to fit the “horse for the course” mold, having finished in the top 12 at this event in each of the last two years. Pan’s last seven rounds at the Country Club of Jackson have been in the 60s, gaining more than 2.0 strokes on the field in six of those seven outings.

Pan hasn’t won on TOUR since April of 2019, yet he’s put himself into position to contend when he has played well, turning in five top-20 finishes in each of the last two seasons. After a career downturn in 2020, Pan has battled back to re-establish himself as a PGA TOUR regular, and he's fully capable of nabbing a win against the right field.

Austin Eckroat +15000 (DraftKings)

Expectations were high for Eckroat after his stellar career at collegiate golf powerhouse Oklahoma State. In four years as a Cowboy, Eckroat was a four-time All-American, helping Oklahoma State win the 2018 NCAA Championship.

He turned pro in 2021 and worked his way to the Korn Ferry Tour last season, where he held his own. In 16 starts, Eckroat posted 10 finishes of T25 or better, including a solo second at the Korn Ferry Tour Championship that earned him a ticket to the PGA TOUR.

At just 23-years-old, he is one of the younger rookies entering the fray this season, yet expectations should remain high for a player this talented. His first weekend climbing the leaderboard on the PGA TOUR is coming sooner, rather than later. He’s a name to watch throughout the fall series, especially if books are going to offer his outrights at odds this high.

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Brandon Matthews +40000 (DraftKings)

PGA TOUR rookies, especially those who have scratched and clawed their way up from lesser tours, rarely have a skill that makes them stand out among their new peers.

But Brandon Matthews is an exception.

From day one of his rookie season, Matthews will be among the longest hitting players on the PGA TOUR. Last season, playing on the Korn Ferry Tour, he earned headlines for driving a green more than 420 yards away.

That kind of length off the tee offers a leg up, yet it doesn’t always translate to getting the ball in the hole. In fact, Matthews often plays without driver in his bag, depending on the course. His ability to play at high club head speeds throughout his bag, however, makes him a factor, especially when eyeing outrights. At the right venues, Matthews has a chance to bomb and gouge his way, along with a hot putter, to the top of leaderboards.

The Country Club of Jackson could be a place where he excels. Last year, per numbers from DataGolf, over 33 percent of approach shots into greens at this venue came from 100 to 150 yards away, well above the average TOUR event.

Matthews has a leg up on the competition because of his increased chances to reach that distance in the fairway with less than driver or to have a shorter approach shot if he chooses the driver. Last year, Sam Burns led the field in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee and won the Sanderson. Matthews could follow that playbook, making him worth a lottery ticket.

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