JACKSON, Miss. – Don’t blink, you’ll miss another birdie.
Moving day lived up to its mantra on Saturday at the 2022 Sanderson Farms Championship at The Country Club of Jackson. From the opening tee shot to the final cup rattling in the hole, there were plenty of birdies in the third round, leading to numerous players making big moves up the leaderboard. The scoring average has dropped every day through the first three rounds.
Among those at the top include a past champion, one looking to end a winless drought and someone looking for their first PGA Tour win.
Here are five takeaways from the third round of the Sanderson Farms Championship.
Sanderson Farms: Third-round live updates from the Clarion Ledger
Mark Hubbard, after a close call with a knife, in position for first win
Mark Hubbard has played 164 events in his PGA Tour career. His best finish is second.
Come Sunday, that could change.
Hubbard sits atop the leaderboard with 18 holes to go at 15 under. During the third round, he shot 7-under 65, which was the second-lowest round of the day.
“It was great,” Hubbard said. “I hit my irons great again. I feel like I actually did a better job with that today in terms of just leaving myself more makeable putts.”
The highlight came on the back nine when he went on a birdie barrage. Hubbard carded five consecutive birdies on Nos. 11-15, positioning himself near the top. He capped his day with an excellent approach shot on 18, hitting it from 203 yards to 4 feet and making birdie.
Beauty and a twirl at the last for @HomelessHubbs 🎯
He'll take the solo lead into Sunday eyeing his first TOUR title @Sanderson_Champ pic.twitter.com/nVEWv5bBgi
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) October 1, 2022
Hubbard said he didn’t have high expectations coming into the week. He has being a parent and a scary situation to thank for that.
“I had last week off,” Hubbard said. “My daughter got my sick, and then I accidentally knocked off a kitchen knife off the counter and stabbed me in the foot, so I had a hole in my foot this whole week, and I didn’t get to practice at all last week. I was just kind of coming here trying to get ready for Vegas.”
If Hubbard holds on, he would be the 14th first-time winner at the event and the first since Sebastian Munoz in 2019.
Mackenzie Hughes, who shot 9 under on Friday and was tied for the lead before the third round, is in second at 14 under. After making bogey on the second hole, he rebounded with five birdies before a bogey on the 17th, the result of a bad tee shot.
Yet he rebounded with a great birdie putt from the fringe behind the 18th green to get back within a shot of Hubbard.
“I felt like I let one get away on 17, made a bad swing, kind of had a little distraction there on the tee, so that was unfortunate,” Hughes said. “But I knew coming up 18 that that was going to be a big hole for me for tomorrow, and making a 3 there was huge. It keeps me within striking distance of Mark, and he’s been playing great, so it’ll be a tough battle tomorrow.”
If Hughes were to find the winner’s circle, it would be his first victory since 2016 at the RSM Classic.
Thomas Detry, who was tied for the lead following the second round, shot a 2-over 74.
Keegan Bradley makes a move
Keegan Bradley wasn’t close to the lead when he teed off Saturday morning. By the time his round finished around 2 p.m. ET, he was the leader in the clubhouse.
Bradley had a huge leap up the leaderboard, moving to T-6 after an 8-under 64 on moving day to sit at 11 under for the tournament. When he finished his round, though it was before the leaders had teed off, he was the solo leader.
He birdied Nos. 1, 3 and 6 on the front, but the back nine is where he caught fire. He birdied Nos. 10-14, including a pair of par 3s.
“That stretch there is gettable for sure,” Bradley said. “You’ve got a lot of wedges to a couple par 5s and a short par 3. I got on a roll there. I made a couple nice putts, and then I hit a couple to tap-in, which was a lot of fun.”
Five straight birdies for @Keegan_Bradley 💪
He's the solo leader by 1 @Sanderson_Champ pic.twitter.com/XtcCtQL1UX
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) October 1, 2022
Bradley said he had a session with coach Darren May via FaceTime on Friday night after his round. That paid off with Bradley finding more fairways, which led to more birdies.
And how did he spend Saturday after his round finished?
“I’m excited to watch some football,” Bradley said. “I’m going to go hit a few balls, and hopefully I’m around where I can sniff for this lead to hopefully contend for the tournament tomorrow.”
S.H. Kim looking to win in fourth start on Tour
Rookie S.H. Kim held the lead before a couple of bogeys to end his round, including a bad drive on the 18th hole. In only his fourth PGA Tour start, he’s near the top of the leaderboard.
Kim shot 6-under 66 on Saturday, which included two different stretches where he recorded four birdies in five holes.
The 24-year-old from South Korea finished T-36 in Napa two weeks ago at the Fortinet Championship. He’s five shots back of the lead heading to Sunday.
-4 thru 5.
TOUR rookie S.H. Kim is off to a hot start in Round 3 @Sanderson_Champ. pic.twitter.com/7ybWoBvXCE
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) October 1, 2022
Scott Stallings looking for another Mississippi victory
It has been a decade – and at a different golf course – but Scott Stallings has had plenty of success at the Sanderson Farms Championship.
He won the tournament in 2012 when it was called the True South Classic. And now, he’s in contention again.
Stallings shot 4-under 68 and sits at 12 under for the tournament. He birdied Nos. 14 and 15 to get to 14 under before dropping shots on Nos. 16 and 18, his first bogeys of the tournament.
“Happy with the way I hung in there, continued to kind the put the ball in front of me and capitalized with some wedges a little bit better today,” Stallings said. “But continuing to put some good rounds together and good shots, and I just need that one big full round at the right time, and hopefully tomorrow will be it.”
Far from your standard birdie at the drivable 14th 😮@StallingsGolf co-leads at -14 pic.twitter.com/qmTRWYHG4P
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) October 1, 2022
Stallings is in the midst of a strong stretch of golf, including a second-place finish at the BMW Championship in the FedEx Cup Playoffs.
“I did a lot of really good things last year, and hopefully continue to carry on the learning experience from being in contention and doing that, and hopefully kind of feed off that tomorrow,” Stallings said.
Along with Stallings in a tie for third are Sepp Straka, who last year became the first Austrian to win on Tour, and Garrick Higgo, who has one PGA Tour victory at the Palmetto Championship.
“I’m going to have to play well (tomorrow),” Higgo said. “I think I’m going to have to make a few birdies. Keep the bogeys off the card and see where that gets me.”
Checking in on the locals
Earlier in the week, Davis Riley called the Sanderson Farms Championship his fifth major. He opened with a 6-under 66, but since then has managed only 3 under in his past 36 holes. He’s tied for 11th.
Defending champion Sam Burns hasn’t been able to find his rhythm this week. He’s at 6 under and tied for 34th, but he has shot under par in every round.
