Four players share lead after opening round of Sanderson Farms Championship

JACKSON, Miss. — Sam Ryder played bogey-free and Danny Walker finished with a pair of birdies, each posting a 7-under 65 to join a four-way tie at the top Thursday and each in need of a good week at the Sanderson Farms Championship.

Eric Cole managed 10 birdies, which helped offset a a double bogey from the trees late in the round, and Garrick Higgo continued to show strides since a torn labrum slowed his progress after a win earlier this year. They also were at 65.

Ryder is at No. 110 in the FedExCup, while Walker is at No. 104. The Sanderson Farms Championship is part of the Fall Series where players who did not reach the PGA Tourâ€s postseason have to finish in the top 100 to keep their full cards.

“Iâ€m very aware where Iâ€m at. You know it all year,†Ryder said. “You get a text every single week that tells you exactly where you are on FedEx. You canâ€t hide from it. But it doesnâ€t dictate my schedule. If I was in a better position I would still like to think that I would be working hard on my game and trying to win and check other boxes.

“Right now Iâ€m trying to play for my status but still trying to play for bigger goals, too.â€

Walker tied for sixth in The Players Championship, but the last five months have been miserable. He showed up at the Country Club of Jackson having missed eight straight cuts to fall out of the top 100.

He bounced back from a soft bogey on the 15th to finish with two straight birdies. Much like Ryder, heâ€s trying to not get wrapped up in scores and position.

“Itâ€s really hard when youâ€ve missed a bunch of cuts to not go into a week and all youâ€re thinking about is hoping you make the cut, and thatâ€s kind of where it got to,†Walker said. “When all youâ€re thinking about is results … it really got in my head, and I felt like going into this week I finally got in a place where I just wasnâ€t really worried about that.â€

He had two weeks off because of the Ryder Cup and worked hard at learning to trust his game and see where it takes him.

NCAA champion Michael La Sasso was chasing the leaders until he was assessed a two-shot penalty after his par on the sixth hole. The PGA Tour said he violated Rule 8.1a for improving conditions of the shot he was playing.

It was not clear what he did. A tour official said La Sasso, who is playing on a sponsor exemption, declined to speak to the media.

Mac Meissner at No. 86 in the standings and defending champion Kevin Yu were at 66. Yu won last year to earn a spot in the Masters. Winners of Fall Series events no longer get an automatic invitation to Augusta National.

Rasmus Hojgaard was at 69, coming straight from New York and Ryder Cup victory in his debut for Team Europe. He is at No 87 and now turns his attention toward keeping his card.

“Still a bit low on energy, so Iâ€m going to manage myself the next couple days and hopefully restore some of it,†Hojgaard said.

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