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PGA TOUR Power Rankings: 2019 Sanderson Farms Championship

By Mike Randleman

JACKSON, MS - OCTOBER 30: The trophy during the Final Round of the Sanderson Farms Championship at the Country Club of Jackson on October 30, 2016 in Jackson, Mississippi. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)
JACKSON, MS - OCTOBER 30: The trophy during the Final Round of the Sanderson Farms Championship at the Country Club of Jackson on October 30, 2016 in Jackson, Mississippi. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images) /
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JACKSON, MS – OCTOBER 30: Cameron Smith of Australia plays his shot on the 10th hole during the Final Round of the Sanderson Farms Championship at the Country Club of Jackson on October 30, 2016 in Jackson, Mississippi. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)
JACKSON, MS – OCTOBER 30: Cameron Smith of Australia plays his shot on the 10th hole during the Final Round of the Sanderson Farms Championship at the Country Club of Jackson on October 30, 2016 in Jackson, Mississippi. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images) /

Cameron Smith was sharp in his lone appearance at the Sanderson Farms Championship. As a 23-year-old in 2016, the Aussie recorded a T-11 finish with rounds of 67-70-67-72 and was just four shots back of second.

Despite hitting just 48.21% of fairways, he hit 73.61% greens in regulation that week and averaged 303.3 yards off the tee.

Smith has continued to rise since then. He nearly won his native Australian Open that year and was the Australian PGA Championship winner in 2017 and 2018. He teamed with Jonas Blixt to win the 2017 Zurich Classic of New Orleans team event and has 16 worldwide top-10s since 2017.

Last season in his third year on the PGA Tour, Smith was fairly quiet without a top-five. He only missed five cuts and made the weekend in all four majors highlighted by a T-20 at the Open Championship.

He also played well at the World Golf Championships where he finished T-6 in Mexico and T-12 in Memphis.

These results were huge as it helped him secure the eighth and final automatic qualifying spot into the Presidents Cup in his native Australia. It will be his event debut.

Smith was 21st on Tour around the greens (.286) in 2018-198 and 59th in putting (.157).

Hitting the tight fairways this week will be key. He was 141st in driving accuracy (59.36%) and 148th in proximity out of the rough (46’7”). When he found the short grass, he had no problem from there as he was 34th in fairway proximity (30’5”).

Smith brings in good form to this week after a T-24 last week at A Military Tribute at the Greenbrier (67-64-72-69) where he was in the mix through 36 holes.

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