Sanderson Farms Championship Wrap Up

(JACKSON, Miss.) — The 2015 Sanderson Farms Championship has wrapped up after rain delays pushed the tournament into Monday. Peter Malnati was crowned the new champion Monday afternoon after shooting a 67 in the final round, making his final score 18-under par.

“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.”

With his first PGA TOUR win, Malnati walked away with a check for $738,000 dollars. The overall purse for the Sanderson Farms Championship was $4,100,000. The tournament, held at The Country Club of Jackson, was worth 300 FedExCup points to the winner.

William McGirt and David Toms tied for second place with a score of 17-under, each just one stroke behind Malnati. Five other golfers were just two strokes behind Malnati: Aaron Baddeley, Patton Kizzire, Roberto Castro, Bryce Molder and Jhonattan Vegas.

“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.”

“The rain slowed down play a bit, but the grounds crew worked tirelessly to assure the course was ready,” said Steve Jent, Executive Director of the Sanderson Farms Championship. “It was truly a team effort from The Country Club of Jackson, Stanley Reedy and his crew, Century Club Charities members, tournament staff and countless volunteers to make the Sanderson Farms Championship a success. I’m very proud of my team.”

More than four inches of rain fell in less than a 24-hour period during the the course of the tournament, causing rain delays both Friday and Saturday. Players were only able to get a total of 40 minutes of play in on Saturday before the horn blew, halting play for the day. However, play was able to resume on Sunday, and the final two rounds were completed on Monday.

“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.”

A native of Dandridge, Tenn., Malnati attended the University of Missouri, where he was a member of the golf team. He is an avid Kansas City Royals fan and typically wears a royal blue golf shirt during his final round of play.

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.