Sanderson Farms Championship updates: 34 golfers are within 3 shots of lead after 18 holes

Nov 9, 2015; Jackson, MS, USA; Peter Malnati holds the trophy after winning the Sanderson Farms Championship at Country Club of Jackson. Mandatory Credit: Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports

After a wild week at the Ryder Cup, the PGA Tour returns to action with the second of seven Fall series events. Will it be the last Tour stop in Jackson, Mississippi, though?

There's a field of 132 golfers at Country Club of Jackson for this week's event but just before it started on Thursday, Scott Piercy got in the field after Peter Malnati WD'd.

Follow along right here all day Thursday for live updates from the 2025 Sanderson Farms Championship.

Sanderson Farms Championship 2025 leaderboard

Keep tabs on the Sanderson Farms Championship 2025 leaderboard all day Thursday. Here's what the top of the board looked like at the end of the first round:

Four-way tie for lead, eight-way tie for second

It's a crowded leaderboard after 18 holes at the Sanderson Farms Championship. Garrick Higgo and Danny Walker in the afternoon wave shot 65s to match the morning 65s of Eric Cole and Sam Ryder.

There's a huge cluster of guys two back at 5 under, including fan favorite Max Homa and defending champion Kevin Yu.

There's a massive 21-way tie for 13th at 4 under, including Ole Miss and amateur Michael La Sasso, the 2025 NCAA invidiual national champion.

There are 34 golfers within three shots of the lead and there's 87 golfers under par.

Matt Kuchar makes second ace of the day

About three and a half hours after Niklas Norgaard made an ace, Matt Kuchar joined the fun. And he did it on the same hole. Kuchar was playing the back nine first but when he got to the fourth hole, he hit his ball on the green and watched it roll out about 15 feet before dropping in the cup. It's the sixth ace in Kuchar's career.

Cameron Champ, Garrick Higgo having best rounds of afternoon

They're both still on the course but Cameron Champ (through 14 holes) and Garrick Higgo (through 11) are going low, the best performers in Thursday's afternoon wave. They're both at 5 under and threatening for more.

Co-leaders Cole, Ryder each seeking first PGA Tour

Sam Ryder and Eric Cole are each looking to win on the PGA Tour for the first time. And they're at a place where 14 golfers won their maiden Tour events, so maybe history will be on the side of one of these two.

Ryder and Cole each fired 65s on Thursday. Cole closed birdie-birdie-double bogey-birdie-birdie, while Ryder birdied Nos. 15, 17 and 18. Let's see if scoreable closing holes also become a trend that holds over the next three rounds.

Korn Ferry Tour golfer shoots 59

We interrupt these Sanderson Farms Championship live updates with some breaking news: Davis Chatfield is the 16th golfer on the Korn Ferry Tour to break 60, shooting a 12-under 59 on Thursday, a round that included a back-nine 28 and a birdie-albatross-birdie-par-birdie finish. Yes, he made a 2 on a par 5. Amazing.

Will 2025 produce the first repeat champ at the Sanderson?

A hole-in-one at the Sanderson Farms Championship

Niklas Norgaard hit one in the jar Thursday.

Former champ Malnati WDs from tournament

One of Peter Malnati's two PGA Tour victories came at the Country Club of Jackson during the 2015 Sanderson Farms Championship, when he shot a 5-under-par 67 on the final day to top William McGirt and David Toms for the title. He earned himself a PGA Tour exemption through 2018 as a result.

But Malnati will not have a chance to catch lightning in a bottle again in the small Southern city, as he withdrew from the tournament on Thursday, prior to his opening round of play.

Sam Burns off to hot start

Fresh off his Ryder Cup appearance, Sam Ryder opened the first round of the Sanderson with birdies on three of his first four holes. pushing into an early tie for the lead with Mac Meissner.

Davis Riley happy about recent football happenings

Davis Riley is from Mississippi but he attended Alabama. With Ole Miss scoring a big college football victory over LSU last weekend and his Alabama squad downing Georgia, Riley was eager to talk a little football at the pre-tournament pressers.

"First, I'll say Roll Tide. Yeah, that was super exciting. Playing on the road against Georgia, I knew that was going to be a tall task," he said. "It's been fun to be out here with some fellow Georgia guys and give them a Roll Tide every now and then. I watched at my house with high parents and we were super excited.

"Obviously, I've got a bunch of buddies that went to Ole Miss and they had a big weekend too. We all had all good banter back and forth. Yeah, it was a super exciting football weekend to say the least."

Where to watch, follow the Sanderson Farms Championship

Golf Channel, PGA Tour Live on ESPN+, the NBC Sports app and SiriusXM Radio are teaming up for the coverage. PGA Tour Live on ESPN+ will be available Thursday and Friday only this week.

Thursday, Oct. 2

• First round, 8 a.m. ET to 7 p.m. ET, PGA Tour Live on ESPN+
• First round, 1 p.m. ET to 7 p.m. ET, SiriusXM Radio
• First round, 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. ET, Golf Channel, NBC Sports app

Watch Golf Channel for free on Fubo

Watch PGA Tour Live on ESPN+

Who's in the field at the Sanderson Farms Championship?

There are some Ryder Cup ties to this year's event. Rasmus Hojgaard, a member of the winning European team, is set to tee it up, as is his twin brother Nicolai, who was on the 2023 Ryder Cup squad. Two vice captains are in the field as well, Brandt Snedeker from the U.S. and Francesco Molinari of Europe. The rest of the field in Jackson has quite a few notable names from the PGA Tour.

Betting favorites at the 2025 Sanderson Farms Championship

Akshay Bhatia (+1600), Davis Thompson (+2000) and Min Woo Lee (+2000) are the headliners in this field, along with defending champion Kevin Yu (+2800). With the top players taking the fall off until the 2026 season begins, there aren't as many stars teeing it up, but Max Homa (+4000) is in the field and trying to gain some momentum leading into next season. See more expert picks for the Sanderson Farms.

What's the weather look like for the Sanderson Farms?

Looks like a perfect day for the Sanderson Farms.

What is happening with the title sponsorship of the Sanderson Farms Championship?

As the 13th and final year of sponsorship for Wayne Sanderson Farms at Mississippi's only PGA Tour event is nearing an end, there is no better way to find a new sponsor than to show off at this year's tournament. However, if the tournament cannot find a new sponsor in the next couple of months, Mississippi's run of having a PGA Tour stop since 1968 could possibly come to an end. Wayne Sanderson Farms' run as a full partner with Jackson and its PGA tournament has been a historic one. It has been the title sponsor since 2013. ‒ Ross Reily, Mississippi Clarion Ledger

What's the prize money payouts at the Sanderson Farms Championship?

There is a $6 million total purse with a first-place prize of $1.08 million going to the winner. Full FedEx Cup points are on the line but there is no longer a Masters invitaition available for the winner. Augusta National altered its criteria and no longer awards a trip down Magnolia Lane to winners of the PGA Tour's Fall series events.

Who's the defending champion at the Sanderson Farms Championship?

Kevin Yu won his first PGA Tour event one year ago at this event. He is back to defend. Other recent winners include Luke List (2023), Mackenzie Hughes (2022), Sam Burns (2021) and Sergio Garcia (2020). The complete list of tournament winners dating back to 1968 also includes Cameron Champ, Nick Taylor, Chris Kirk and Luke Donald.

This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Sanderson Farms Championship updates: 34 golfers are within 3 shots of lead after 18 holes

Reporting by Todd Kelly and Tim Schmitt, Golfweek / Golfweek

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