Peter Malnati named 2015 Sanderson Farms Champion

(JACKSON, Miss.) — Peter Malnati has been named the 2015 Sanderson Farms Champion. He posted a final round score of -18 to clinch the win on Monday, after play was delayed a day due to inclement weather.

“It’s important for me to be in the moment,” said Malnati. “My goal was to have a birdie putt on every hole, and that didn’t need to change, no matter who was on top of the leaderboard.”

“Rain or shine, it’s about raising money for the children at Batson Children’s Hospital, and we were able to do that this weekend,” said Joe F. Sanderson, Jr., Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Sanderson Farms. “Despite the rainy weather, it was a wonderful week of golf for everyone who came out to watch.”

“Even though it took an extra day to do so, we are excited to be able to announce our champion,” said Steve Jent, Executive Director of the Sanderson Farms Championship. “We had a phenomenal group of players. A big ‘congratulations’ to Peter Malnati for coming out on top.”

“I get excited just knowing that I have a healthy place to play golf,” said Malnati, “and knowing that this event is going to be here for the next 10 years is a really big deal to me. It’s a big deal to all of us.”

Roberto Castro jumped out to an early lead after a first round 10-under par course record and held on through three rounds. However, Malnati gained momentum in the final round and overtook the lead in the final round with a score of 67, one stroke ahead of the second and third place winners, William McGirt and David Toms.

Five other golfers were just two strokes behind Malnati: Aaron Baddeley, Patton Kizzire, Roberto Castro, Bryce Molder and Jhonattan Vegas.

Proceeds from the Sanderson Farms Championship go to Friends of Children’s Hospital, benefitting children at Batson Children’s Hospital, as well as other Mississippi charities. The total amount raised by the tournament for Mississippi charities will be announced in the coming weeks.