When the PGA Tour returns to Jackson this week for the Sanderson Farms Championship, the Country Club of Jackson will once again take its place on the national golf stage. For one week each fall, Mississippi’s capital becomes the center of professional golf, with Tour stars competing for FedExCup points, exemptions, and the chance to etch their names into the history books. But the story of professional golf in the Magnolia State is much larger than the Sanderson Farms Championship. It stretches back nearly eight decades, weaving through war-era tournaments, PGA Tour stops in Hattiesburg and Madison, a Champions Tour home on the Gulf Coast, and even one of the most memorable U.S. Women’s Opens ever staged. Taken together, these chapters reveal a state with a golf history as rich and varied as any in the South.
The 1944 tournament was won by Harold “Jug” McSpaden, one of the most prolific pros of his era. McSpaden was known for his machine-like consistency, finishing runner-up 13 times in 1945 alone. His Gulfport victory gave the young event instant credibility.
But it was the 1945 Gulfport Open that secured the tournament’s place in history. That year, Byron Nelson arrived on the Mississippi Gulf Coast during what would become his record-shattering season. Nelson won 18 tournaments that year — a feat that remains unmatched — and his triumph in Gulfport became one of the stepping stones in that legendary campaign. For locals, it was a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see a Hall of Famer at the peak of his powers. Though the Gulfport Open lasted just two years, it proved that Mississippi could host the best players in the world and gave the state its first taste of big-time professional golf.
(Above: Byron Nelson, one of the top golfers in the world in the 1940’s, won the 1945 Gulfport Open. The final professional golf tournament played at the Great Southern Club)
Mississippi’s permanent place on the PGA Tour calendar began in 1968 with the launch of the Magnolia Classic at Hattiesburg Country Club. Initially a satellite event, the tournament was played opposite majors like The Masters, meaning it rarely attracted golf’s elite. But it gave younger professionals and journeymen a chance to compete, earn checks, and build careers.
The inaugural Magnolia Classic was won by Mac McLendon, who edged the field with steady play. Over the years, winners included respected names such as George Archer (the 1970 Masters champion), John Mahaffey, and Craig Stadler, nicknamed “The Walrus,” who brought star power when he triumphed in Mississippi.
While the Magnolia Classic may have been viewed nationally as a secondary stop, in Hattiesburg it was a community highlight. The event brought fans out in droves, lined the fairways with families, and injected a festive spirit into Pine Belt life each spring.
(Above: Hattiesburg Country Club hosted the Magnolia Classic from 1968-1993, before moving to Annadale Golf Course in Madison)
The tournament began to grow in stature during the 1990s when it gained full PGA Tour sanctioning. A new sponsor, Deposit Guaranty, boosted prize money and visibility, and in 1994 the event moved north to Annandale Golf Club in Madison.
The shift to Annandale marked a turning point. The first edition there, in 1994, was won by Brian Henninger, who used the victory as a stepping stone to a long Tour career. Other winners at Annandale included Fred Funk (1998), Luke Donald (2002), and Heath Slocum (2005). Each year, more notable names added their imprint, and the Mississippi stop became a reliable stage for rising stars and seasoned pros alike.
(Annadale Golf Club in Madison hosted the Tournament from 1994 until 2012)
In 2013 the event found its current home at the Country Club of Jackson and was rebranded as the Sanderson Farms Championship. The timing could not have been better. That same year, the PGA Tour transitioned to a wraparound schedule, and the Jackson stop became a full-field FedExCup event in the fall.
The change elevated the tournament’s profile overnight. Suddenly, the Sanderson Farms Championship wasn’t just an alternate-field event — it was a gateway to the Masters, the PGA Championship, and a place to earn valuable FedExCup points.
Champions in Jackson have underscored the tournament’s new stature. Peter Malnati (2015) delivered an emotional victory. Cameron Champ (2018) blasted his way to a win with prodigious driving. Sergio García (2020) ended a three-year drought with a win that reminded fans of his world-class talent. And Sam Burns (2021) turned his Jackson triumph into a springboard for Ryder Cup selection and consistent top-10 finishes on Tour.
Equally important has been the tournament’s charitable mission. Proceeds from the Sanderson Farms Championship support Children’s of Mississippi Hospital and other local causes, making the event one of the state’s most impactful annual fundraisers. The combination of elite golf and community impact has given Jackson a tournament to be proud of.
While the PGA Tour carved its legacy in Hattiesburg, Madison, and Jackson, the Mississippi Gulf Coast also secured its place in professional golf lore with the Champions Tour. From 2010-2021, the Rapiscan Systems Classic has been staged at Fallen Oak Golf Club in Biloxi, a Tom Fazio design partnered with the Beau Rivage Resort & Casino. And in 2022 the Rapiscan Systems Classic moved to Grand Bear Golf Club in Saucier.
Fallen Oak is routinely praised as one of the finest venues on the Champions Tour, with oak-lined fairways, pristine greens, and sweeping views of the Gulf Coast landscape. Over the years, the Rapiscan has welcomed legends such as Bernhard Langer, Fred Couples, Miguel Ángel Jiménez, and Davis Love III, Ernie Els and John Daly.
The event became a springtime tradition on the Coast, bringing Hall of Famers and major champions to Mississippi. For fans, it offered an intimate chance to see their heroes up close, with a relaxed atmosphere that contrasted with the intensity of the PGA Tour.
(Above: Fallen Oak Golf Course, just north of Biloxi)
No account of Mississippi’s golf history would be complete without highlighting the 1999 U.S. Women’s Open, held at Old Waverly Golf Club in West Point. The event remains one of the most memorable in the history of the championship and a defining moment for women’s sports in Mississippi.
The tournament drew a world-class field, but it was 20-year-old Australian Karrie Webb who emerged victorious. Webb displayed nerves of steel on Old Waverly’s demanding layout, capturing her first U.S. Women’s Open title and cementing her place among the game’s greats.
For Mississippi, the championship was a watershed moment. It proved that the state could not only host PGA and Champions Tour stops, but also stage a major championship of global significance. Thousands of fans lined the fairways, and the event brought unprecedented national attention to West Point and Old Waverly.
From the short-lived but historic Gulfport Opens of the 1940s, to the Magnolia Classic and Deposit Guaranty years in Hattiesburg and Madison, to the Sanderson Farms Championship’s rise in Jackson, and the Rapiscan Classic’s home on the Gulf Coast, professional golf has long had roots in Mississippi. Add to that the drama of the 1999 Women’s Open at Old Waverly, and the picture is clear: the Magnolia State has consistently punched above its weight in golf history.
This week, as Tour professionals tee off in Jackson, they are not just playing for a title. They are adding another chapter to a story that began in wartime Gulfport, grew in the pines of Hattiesburg, thrived in Madison, shone in West Point, and continues today on both the PGA and Champions tours. Mississippi may not have the glamour of Augusta or Pebble Beach, but it has something just as valuable: a proud, enduring tradition of welcoming the game’s best and celebrating the sport at every level.
References
- Getty Images. American golfer Byron Nelson follows through on a swing before a field of spectators at the U.S. Open in Ladue, Missouri. June 16, 1947. Bettmann Archive. Accessed [Sept 29, 2025]
- Hattiesburg Area Historical Society. (n.d.). Original Hattiesburg Country Club facility [Photograph]. Hattiesburg Area Historical Society Museum.
- Annandale Golf Club. (n.d.). [Golf course scenery, Madison, MS] [Photograph]. Getty Images / Annandale Golf Club.
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