Sanderson Farms Championship betting preview and tips from Ben Coley

Recommended bets

3pts e.w. Sungjae Im at 28/1 (1/5 1,2,3,4,5,6)

1pt e.w. Roberto Castro at 125/1 (1/4 1,2,3,4,5)

1pt e.w. Ben Crane at 125/1 (1/5 1,2,3,4,5,6,7)

1pt e.w. Brian Stuard at 80/1 (1/5 1,2,3,4,5,6,7)

For details of advised bookmakers and each-way terms, visit our transparent tipping record

While many of the world's best are in China to battle it out for the WGC-HSBC Champions, the Sanderson Farms Championship offers the opportunity for some of the PGA Tour's lesser lights to flourish.

Last year it was the turn of Ryan Armour, the archetypal journeyman, to win here at Country Club of Jackson and this short, straight hitter, who caught fire with the putter to win hard-held, is a fairly solid yardstick when it comes to working out what is required.

While Armour's chief weapon is his ability to pick his spot from the tee, a quality which just isn't rewarded at certain other courses, this is one rare event which has generally been dominated by excellent putters. That's a comment which applies to Peter Malnati and Cody Gribble, both top-20 putters during the year of their win, and it also covers Nick Taylor even if more recently he's begun to struggle on the greens.

Predicting who will putt well on any given week is extremely difficult, which perhaps goes some way to explaining a run of big-priced winners, so the general advice here is to tread carefully. There is, however, a notable exception, with Sungjae Im considered well worth the risk at the standout 28/1 with anything upwards of 20s worth a good bet.

We are probably talking about a world-class player in the making. That alone isn't enough to expect success here, but he's contesting favouritism with Armour and it's obvious when you study this field that there's a lack of depth, for all that there's potential among the likes of Wyndham Clark, Kramer Hickok and Maverick McNealy.

Im earned his PGA Tour card by becoming the first player in Web.com Tour history to win the very first event and never be headed in the money list, and his final tally of 397 birdies was the highest produced by anyone since JJ Killeen managed 398 back in 2011.

Two wins, one as recently as August, saw the 20-year-old named both rookie and player of the year and in terms of potential, the sky appears to be the limit. Certainly, that is the collective view of those who were in vain pursuit of him throughout the season and he's been on the radar since shooting 60 at Qualifying School last year.

So, we know he's got talent. We also know he's ready to contend at this level, because he's done it already, on his debut as a PGA Tour cardholder, when finishing fourth in the Safeway Open, ending every round inside the top five.

On the back of that, he was a best of 40/1 for the CJ Cup last week, played at what was his home course in Korea. Finishing 41st might therefore look like a step backwards, but Im - who received his Web.com Tour accolades in the build-up - was right in the media spotlight throughout the week. He had Jack Nicklaus tweeting out his praise and expectations, Ernie Els answering questions on him and already talking Presidents Cup and it's little wonder he couldn't quite deal with the hype.

Even so, 19 birdies and an eagle confirm that he's making and taking opportunities and this quality ball-striker is fancied to get back in the mix as he returns to the calmer waters of Mississippi.

Last week, he was as short as 28/1 in a place with Brooks Koepka, Justin Thomas, Jason Day and Hideki Matsuyama among his rivals. This week, he's the same price as Aaron Baddeley, who would've surely been 100/1 in Korea. In fact, Armour - also 28/1 here - was 125/1, so we don't even need to speculate.

Such a shift because he was playing on home soil is absurd and there's a strong argument that he's more likely to win here, without so much pressure, than he ever was on Jeju Island. Accurate enough off the tee and deadly thereafter, this could be the perfect time to back Im.

Baddeley is hugely respected, even if he looks a tad short. The Australian is a proven winner, including in this sort of company, and he produced an awesome display of ball-striking last time. Yes, you read that right: this once deadly putter was exemplary from tee-to-green but continues to struggle with the club which has made his living for two decades now.

If Baddeley finds something on the greens he'll be a major player but the malaise shows no sign of ending and for that reason he's left alone.

Patrick Rodgers is into favouritism having been advised at a much bigger price in the Safeway Open and he's respected, but this wouldn't perhaps be the ideal course for him and of those towards the front of the market, the one who tempted me most was Bill Haas.

A former winner of the event before graduating to the world's top 20, Haas started to catch the eye towards the end of a flat 2018 season and began the 2019 campaign with 10th place in the Safeway Open, striking the ball really well. If building on that, one of the class acts in the field ought to feature at some stage.

That said, atypically cool, often breezy conditions could throw a spanner in the works here so while Im rates a bet regardless, the rest of my selections are more speculative, starting with Roberto Castro.

The Texas-born Georgia resident loves playing in this part of the world and owns the course record here, a stunning 62 in the first round of the 2015 edition. He went on to finish fourth, leading the field from tee-to-green, and had also played well in patches when down the field on debut.

In earning back his PGA Tour card, Castro ranked 16th in birdie average and seventh in driving accuracy on the Web.com Tour and they're stats which stack up well with previous winners here, notably Armour, who was second only to Henrik Stenson in fairways hit last season.

The fact he's yet to win in over 200 starts is a concern but it's factored into three-figure prices and with all his best form on old-fashioned, classical golf courses, the 33-year-old is fancied to go well.

Another reason for siding with Castro is his strong record at the Wyndham Championship, where Sanderson champs Armour and Taylor tied for eighth earlier this year. That points towards the prospects of Johnson Wagner and Richy Werenski and the latter would be interesting but for six poor rounds from six here, including an 80 on his last visit.

Sky Bet specials

All four selections to make the cut - 3/1

Any of this week's tips (including WGC-HSBC) to win - 100/30

Any Sanderson Farms Championship tip to win - 12/1

Instead, it's to a pair of decidedly un-sexy golfers next with Ben Crane and Brian Stuard preferred.

Crane was 34th in putting and 18th in driving accuracy last year and this former winner of the FedEx St Jude Classic in neighbouring Tennessee looks exceptional value.

He's been 23rd and 43rd in two starts at the course, both times ranking inside the top 10 for fairways and top 20 for greens, and while his seasonal debut at the Safeway Open wasn't out of the ordinary he did continue to putt really well.

Before that, Crane had contended at various points throughout the competitive Web.com Tour Finals and this five-time PGA Tour winner is always worth considering in waters such as these at a big price.

Crane's penultimate victory came at this time of year in the McGladrey Classic while he also won October's CIMB Classic before it became an official PGA Tour event. In fact, this will be his 50th start in the month of October and he's going for his fourth win.

Regardless of how valid that is as a pointer towards success in this event, Crane looks an ideal fit on paper and if it does turn into more of a grind than has been the case previously, that will only enhance his prospects at a course which allows short hitters of his skill set to compete.

Stuard's sole success came courtesy of a sublime putting display in New Orleans two years ago and he could double-up here.

At fifth in driving accuracy and 71st in putting last year he fits the profile on paper and his course form is similar to Castro's, an eye-catching 39th on debut followed up by fourth place on his second visit where he struck the ball with real authority.

On both occasions he also putted well on greens which suit, ranking fifth and 15th, and Stuard has always been the type to repeat performances at the shorter courses which suit his game. He's been second twice at the OHL Classic, played at this time of year, as well as fourth, fifth and sixth at the Sony Open.

In terms of recent form, a mid-pack finish in the CIMB Classic reads just fine before he was unable to keep pace with the bombers at the CJ Cup, and the only slight negative for me would be that he's been busy to start the year, turning up for every dance so far as he looks to improve his ranking.

Still, at prices close to the 100/1 mark that's a concern worth taking on board as he otherwise has precisely the profile which so often contends in an event where everyone is in the conversation.

Finally, Ricky Barnes is worth considering for those looking to build an arsenal of longshots.

He was the only player who ranked in the top 25 in birdie average not to finish in the FedEx Cup top 125 last year, evidence that he makes too many mistakes and usually because he's become one of the most crooked drivers on the circuit.

However, he's also become one of the most reliable putters and course form of 33-10 combined with a second-round 61 last time out puts him onto the radar to some degree, albeit I was happy enough to leave him out of the staking plan.

Posted at 1145 BST on 23/10/18

Related links

• Sky Bet - paying six places each-way
• WGC-HSBC Champions preview