Ryder and Walker lead Sanderson Farms; Cole and Higgo tie

Sam Ryder and Danny Walker Lead Sanderson Farms Championship

In the Sanderson Farms Championship, Sam Ryder and Danny Walker are at the top of the leaderboard after a standout performance on Thursday. Both golfers achieved an impressive 65, with a bogey-free round from Ryder and two consecutive birdies from Walker. Eric Cole and Garrick Higgo also joined the fight, both with a 65. Cole stood out with 10 birdies, despite a double bogey, while Higgo continues to show progress after overcoming an injury. Both Ryder and Walker are in a crucial position in the FedEx Cup standings, seeking to secure their place among the top 100 to maintain their full PGA Tour cards.

I am very aware of where I am. You know it all year. You get a text message every week telling you exactly where you are in FedEx. You can’t hide from that. But it doesn’t dictate my schedule. If I were 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.

Sam Ryder

Walker, after a complicated period with several failed cuts, focused on trusting his game and putting aside the pressure of the results.

It’s really difficult when you’ve missed a bunch of cuts not to go into a week and all you’re thinking about is hoping to make the cut, and that’s where it got to. When all you’re thinking about is the results… it really got in my head, and I felt like going into this week I finally got to a place where I really wasn’t worried about that.

Danny Walker

Michael La Sasso, NCAA champion, suffered a two-stroke penalty for a rules infraction, tarnishing his performance. Mac Meissner and defending champion Kevin Yu were positioned with a 66. Rasmus Hojgaard, fresh from victory at the Ryder Cup, shot a 69 and now focuses on keeping his tour card.

Still a little low on energy, so I’ll manage in the next two days and hope to restore some of it.

Rasmus Hojgaard