4 picks that our gambling expert likes

Welcome to our weekly PGA Tour gambling tips column, featuring picks from GOLF.com expert prognosticator Brady Kannon. A seasoned golf bettor and commentator, Kannon is a regular guest on SportsGrid, a syndicated audio network dedicated to sports and sports betting. You can follow him on Twitter at @LasVegasGolferand you can read his picks below for the Sanderson Farms Championship, which begins Thursday in Jackson, Miss. Along with Kannon’s recommended shows, you’ll also see data from Chirp Golf, a mobile app featuring Free-To-play and Daily Fantasy golf contests where you can win money and prizes with every round and tournament.

FedEx Cup Fall returns to action this week in Mississippi at Country Club of Jackson ABOUT Sanderson Farms Championship. Seven events remain in the PGA Tour Fall Seriesgoing basically every week from now until Thanksgiving.

The Sanderson Farms Championship has been around on the Tour since 1968 and has been held at this location since 2014. The Country Club of Jackson is a par 72 that is approximately 7,500 yards. The most recent remodeling of the course was done by John Fought, whose design work is heavy on the Donald Ross-type style.

In recent editions, the course has favored bombers over those who rely on precision heading. The greens are Bermudagrass and many feature Ross-style runoff areas around the edges. Luke List is your defending champion and he did it with a long goal and a hot shooter.

The golf course is one of the easiest tests on the Tour. The average winning score over the last 10 years is 19 under par. Fittingly, the Westgate SuperBook in Las Vegas has the winning score proposition posted at under/over 269.5 or 18.5 under par.

Statistically, it was pretty basic for me this week. I relied on Strokes Gained: Approach, Strokes Gained: Off the Tee, Par 5 Scoring, and Par 4 Scoring on those measuring between 400-450 yards. I looked at Strokes Gained: Putting (Bermudagrass) and also Birdies or Better Gained.

As for related courses, I wanted to focus on courses that take a little time. Vidanta Vallarta, TPC Craig Ranch, Corales Golf Club and the Stadium Course at PGA West all made my list. Torrey Pines is another one where we know the length is needed and the fairway width is very similar to what we have here in Jackson. Of course there are differences elsewhere between the two tracks, but interestingly Luke List is a former winner at both courses.

It was a solid performance here in the column last week if you followed along as three of our four games in top scorer markets turned into the Presidents Cup. Collin Morikawa finished in a tie for first on the United States side and both Si Woo Kim and Taylor Pendrith tied for top scorer on the international side. Back to a traditional, stroke-by-stroke tournament, let’s see what we can do for a race.

Patrick Fishburne (30-1)

After missing the cut in seven of his first eight starts this season, the Tour rookie has lost just one of his last five starts with two third-place finishes, a sixth and a 15th. He fits the mold well for this golf course as he hits it long and can putt after putt. Over the past 36 rounds, Fishburn ranks fourth in the field for SG: Off the Tee and for SG: Par 5s. He is 37th in SG::Putting (Bermudagrass). He ranks third on Tour in Greens in Regulation. While Fishburn may be relatively new to the scene, with only one player in the field ranked in the top 50 on the OWGR, why not play the hot hand?

Jonathan Vegas (35-1)

Speaking of the hot hand, there was long-time tour veteran Vegas, who just won two months ago in Minnesota. Putting has never been his strong suit – except when he’s winning golf tournaments – but he’s forever been one of the best on Tour off the tee. Vegas is 116th in the field for SG: Putting (Bermudagrass) over the last 36 rounds, but it also ranks in the top-11 for SG: Off the Tee, Approach, Par 5s, and Birdies or Better Gained . Stay hot, Johnny.

Ben Griffin (35-1)

Griffin was one of four players to come up short in a playoff loss to Luke List here last season and he’s coming off a strong performance again this year. He was second at the Canadian Open in June, fifth at the John Deere Classic in July and seventh at the Wyndham Championship (Donald Ross design) in August. He’s outstanding on the approach and on Par 4s measuring 400-450 yards – and he ranks second in the field for SG: Putting (Bermudagrass) over the past 36 rounds.

Kevin Yu (120-1)

We’ll end the card here with a triple-digit long bomb — and speaking of bombs, Yu can certainly pull it off, ranking 23rd on tour in Driving Distance and eighth in the field for SG: Off the Tee during the last 36 rounds. Like Vegas, he ranks very high in the batting categories, but very low with the pitcher. Earlier this year, Yu excelled at two of our interconnected courses, placing third at the American Express (Stadium Course) and sixth at the Farmers Insurance Open (Torrey Pines). If he can dial up that form and find a hot player this week, he’ll be in contention.

Who are Chirp Golf players picking this week?