Braden Thornberry Prepares to Tee Off at Sanderson Farms Classic

Braden Thornberry takes to the Links at the Sanderson Farms Classic. Photo Ole Miss Athletics.

Former Ole Miss golfer and 2017 NCAA National Champion Braden Thornberry will take to the links this week at the Sanderson Farms Championship at the Country Club of Jackson.

The Sanderson Farms Championship is an annual stop on the PGA Tour and is now in its sixth year as a part of the FedExCup. This year marks the first year the event has a stand-alone date, and the winner will receive a record purse ($6.6 million) with 500 FedExCup points.

Thornberry earned a sponsor’s exemption into the field, the tournament announced Sept. 4. He will be competing in the event for the first time.

The Southaven, Mississippi native made the decision to turn pro last December. It did not take long for him to earn a sponsor’s exemption on the PGA Tour. Thornberry was invited to Torrey Pines for the Farmers Insurance Open in January, making the cut in his first PGA Tour start as a pro and finishing tied for 52nd. In his first year as a pro, Thornberry appeared in 14 Korn Ferry Tour events and made the cut six times. He put together two top-10s in his first season.

Thornberry can be found all over the Ole Miss men’s golf record book. He is first in program history with 11 individual titles, most notably the 2017 NCAA Individual Championship and had his hand in five team titles, including the Hootie at Bulls Bay in 2018 when he took home medalist honors as well. As a Rebel, he posted a top-five finish at the 2017 FedEx St. Jude Classic – his PGA Tour debut.

HottyToddy.com staff report