Coming home to roost

September draws to a close with the tournament of tournaments, the Sanderson Farms Championship, and its iconic trophy. If you’re a PGA Tour pro and you aren’t fighting for the rooster this week, you need to take a hard look at your life choices.

Is it his time?

Like last weekend’s event in the Dominican Republic, the Sanderson Farms Championship provides a unique opportunity for less established players to earn their first win. The event has produced six consecutive first-time winners, and we won’t be surprised if a seventh is added this week. Sanderson Farms Championship Tee Times

There are lots of intriguing up-and-comers at the “Peacock Classic” (as our own Andy Johnson has dubbed the event), but our focus is on Will Zalatoris and his quest for a PGA Tour card. Following top 10s at the U.S. Open and the Corales Puntacana Resort and Club Championship the past two weeks, he needs somewhere in the neighborhood of a solo-sixth finish at the Sanderson to gain temporary PGA Tour membership. Given that Zalatoris also has seven sponsor exemptions available to him, his promotion to the PGA Tour would appear to be imminent. The kid hasn’t finished outside the top 20 in any event since June.

Return to greatness?

Another story close to our hearts is the reopening of Yale Golf Course. On Tuesday morning, limited numbers of Connecticut residents were allowed on the course for the first time since November 2019.

In case you missed the backstory, Yale University’s Seth Raynor-designed golf course shut down completely during the pandemic and lost both its superintendent and general manager. That series of setbacks led to overgrowth, unplayable conditions, and an uncertain future. In late August, however, the university hired Peter Palacios Jr. as the new general manager of the course. According to a report in the Yale Daily News, Palacios has an ambitious vision for the course and a desire to mend the historically distant relationship with the university. Full Story

Quick Hooks

The LPGA returns this week with the Shoprite LPGA Classic. Sei Young Kim, Nelly Korda, Brooke Henderson, and Lexi Thompson headline the field in New Jersey. Tee Times

A surprisingly robust field is set to tee it up at the Aberdeen Scottish Open on the European Tour. Eddie Pepperell, Matt Wallace, Haotong Li, Thomas Pieters, Danny Willett, and John Catlin are among the standouts at the Renaissance Club. Scottish Open Tee Times

Canadian sensation Taylor Pendrith headlines the Savannah Golf Championship this week on the Korn Ferry Tour. Tee Times

A limited number of tickets will be available for the Bermuda Championship at the end of October. It will be the first PGA Tour event with fans since the Tour returned in June. Will the galleries be bigger than they were at the Payne’s Valley Cup? Who can say.

The Ladies European Tour announced the addition of two new events in Saudi Arabia this fall. The Aramco Saudi Ladies International—previously scheduled for March of this year—and the Saudi Ladies Team International will take place in November, both sporting large purse sizes. Press Release

The Latest from The Fried Egg

Paulie’s Picks: 2020 Sanderson Farms Championship – See who Fried Egg fantasy guru Paulie likes at the Country Club of Jackson this week.

Superintendent Series, Episode 11: Stephen Britton

Stephen Britton, Superintendent at Chevy Chase Country Club joins the podcast this week. He discusses his beginnings at Royal Melbourne and how it spurned an eventual move to America, his time working for TPC Potomac and hosting PGA Tour events, and what it was like to work at Wimbledon. Listen on iTunes, Stitcher, and Spotify.

Shotgun Start: Milk Carton Crew, Mississippi trivia, and the honourable backboard

Celebrate this week’s National Coffee Day with a subscription to the Shotgun Start Blend at Bixby, and Andy might be sending you a free bag of beans this week. After some brief comments on Carson moderating the Presidential debate, the MLB postseason, and all these “national days,” Brendan and Andy get down to golf and begin with the Scottish Open. They discuss the field, the Renaissance Club venue, and some intel from on the ground about honourable backboards, which prompts the proposal of the “ANA Rule.” Then they likely spend more time talking about the Sanderson Farms Championship and the state of Mississippi than anyone else will this week. Brendan re-hashes why he loves this event, Andy quizzes him with some Mississippi state trivia, they have a brief debate on geography, and they run through some Milk Carton veterans who are making a start. They more seriously talk about motivation for those veterans, like Sean O’Hair, who have banked millions at this point. There’s a fun history lesson on Atlantic City golf while discussing this week’s LPGA Shoprite event. They close with news of Jordan Spieth getting sponsor’s exemptions into the Zozo and CJ Plaque and an inane debate on whether you can just be “whelmed.” Listen on iTunes, Stitcher, and Spotify.

Instagram Reels – If you don’t follow us on Instagram or haven’t been to our page in a while, we’ve added a bunch of new reels this week that highlight some of our favorite courses. Head over there to see miniature tours of Sand Valley, Prairie Dunes, Pasatiempo, Meadow Club, and more!

Pro Shop

It’s Sanderson Farms Championship week, and that means you have to look your best. Make sure you’re dressed to the nines with our Fried Egg polos and quarter zips. Shop today!