By Doug Milne,
Sanderson Farms Championship Correspondent
Maya Angelou once noted, “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
With 2025 serving as the final iteration of the PGA TOUR event under its current title sponsor, the Sanderson Farms Championship has, by leaps and bounds, positively impacted the feelings and even lives of all who’ve ever experienced the Jackson, Mississippi event.
The Sanderson Farms Championship has changed the lives of those who’ve won it, enhanced the lives of those who’ve worked it, volunteered for it, and saved the lives of countless via its charitable nature.
In short, the Sanderson Farms Championship will be forever highly regarded by all who’ve ever had a hand in the historic event, dating to Hattiesburg in 1986.
To illustrate the far-reaching impact it has had on people, places, and things, what follows are just a few of the countless stories from individuals who feel a deep connection to and/or because of Mississippi’s only-ever PGA TOUR event.
Kacie Lindsley
Following her 2015 graduation from Ball State University, Indianapolis native Kacie Lindsley ended up cutting her golf teeth at the Shriners Open in Las Vegas, as well as West Virginia’s Greenbrier Classic.
After deciding in the summer of 2016 that the golf industry was the fairway down which she hoped to stroll professionally, she pursued – and got – the open volunteer coordinator position at the Sanderson Farms Championship.
Lindsley moved to the area in August 2016, shortly after Sanderson Farms had signed a 10-year extension.
“I was single and on my own, fresh out of college, and didn’t know a single person here in Jackson,” Kacie said. “I had come from the Midwest to the heart of SEC country, which was quite the culture shock.”
It didn’t take Kacie long, however, to make friends…and even find the hand of the man she would marry in 2021.
“When I got this job and moved here, I was really homesick because I knew nobody,” Kacie said. “It was just me and my dog.”
Once Kacie met Eric and got engaged, those longings for home in Indiana became much more manageable, resulting in an even stronger commitment to her job at the Sanderson Farms Championship.
To help sweeten the pot, Kacie learned of a “little piece of home” right here at The Country Club of Jackson.
“Not many people know that our Executive Director, Steve Jent, is also from Indianapolis,” she said. “In fact, his parents and my grandparents taught at the same high school.”
In addition, Jent lived less than a mile away from where Kacie grew up.
“Steve is such a wonderful person, boss, and friend, who really made being here and working for the Sanderson Farms Championship feel a little more like being home,” she said. “Not to mention Wayne-Sanderson Farms being such a great title sponsor.”
She found the combined graces of Century Club Charities, Wayne-Sanderson Farms, and Jent to combine for a product that made anything possible.
“None of this would’ve ever been possible without Century Club Charities and the support from all the members. They have been such an incredible host organization,” Kacie said. “I echo the comments Steve made every year about Wayne-Sanderson Farms in that they are the greatest title sponsor on the PGA TOUR. They could not have been more amazing to us. I can easily speak on behalf of every volunteer in that they have loved and appreciated all that Wayne-Sanderson Farms brought to the table and allowed us to do over the years.”
Kacie’s passion for her work environment even reached her parents back home in Indianapolis, who have come each of the last five years to volunteer their time and energy for the event.
“I am just amazed every year by how willing and helpful the volunteers are to give of their time and money to help manage the event, raise money, and maintain a fluid operation across all levels. I tell them all the time that I couldn’t have done my job without them. They have all been so amazing, and quite a number of them have become friends of mine that I will forever stay in touch with.”
Clay Neely
PGA TOUR Senior Referee Clay Neely grew up 30 miles from Jackson and volunteered at the event decades ago as a youngster when it was held at Annandale Golf Club in Madison as the Deposit Guaranty Classic.
“I started as a standard bearer in the early ‘90s when I was only 12 or 13 years old,” Neely said. “Those remain really great memories, and I credit this tournament for getting me interested in golf.”
In fact, Neely would go on to play two years of junior college golf here at Holmes Community College before moving on to Ole Miss.
“The impact this event has had – not only locally, but statewide – is unbelievable,” Neely said. “Last year alone, the Sanderson Farms Championship delivered nearly $2 million to area charities. Much of that went to Children’s of Mississippi, which, as the state’s only children’s hospital, touched every corner of the state. This event also had a positive impact on many smaller charities, such as First Tee of Central Mississippi. It’s amazing to think of the impact these donations can have for some of these charities in the state.”
Like Lindsley, Neely understands the value of Century Club Charities with the utmost respect.
“The Century Club is an outstanding group of people to be associated with,” he said. “The marriage of those two entities – Century Club Charities and Wayne-Sanderson Farms – to get this event here at The Country Club of Jackson has been nothing short of fantastic. The impact those local leaders make by pushing those charity dollars out has been terrific.”
Like Lindsley’s story, Neely’s involvement with the Sanderson Farms Championship has been a family affair, as his father-in-law, Tom Rice, was the head of walking scorers for the event for more than three decades before he passed this past summer. As a show of love and support, Jent and his Sanderson Farms Championship team created the Tom Rice Volunteer Center.
“We were lucky enough to present it to him in June, before his passing,” Neely said. “So, he was able to see his name displayed on the volunteer center sign. He could not have been happier and prouder. He meant a great deal to all the volunteers here over the years. He was a special man who loved what he did out here for this special event.”
Davis Riley
“Wayne-Sanderson Farms has done a really good job over the course of their title sponsorship,” said Hattiesburg native and two-time PGA TOUR champion Davis Riley. “This is one of my favorite events on the calendar, and being so close to home is a bonus. But, beyond that, any TOUR player who has been here will agree that it’s a first-class tournament and one of their favorites all year.”
The Country Club of Jackson gave Riley his first taste of high school golf as a 13-year-old who “could hardly hit it out of my shadow.”
“This has been one of the best run tournaments year after year,” Riley said. “It’s a testimony to Wayne-Sanderson Farms, Century Club Charities, and Steve Jent to see how well they operate. Everyone involved is very player-friendly and always asking for feedback to try to improve. The event is really good for this area, which is always hungry for good golf.”
Peter Malnati
In addition to Rice, the 2015 Sanderson Farms Championship winner, Peter Malnati, will forever hold the Sanderson Farms Championship in a special place in his heart.
Following a 2013-14 rookie season on TOUR defined by few made cuts, Malnati returned the following season with uncertainty as to how, or even if, he would maintain his position as a PGA TOUR member.
“When I got my card back for the 2015-16 season, Sanderson Farms Championship was my second start of that season,” Malnati said. “I was still battling questions of whether I even belonged out here on TOUR. So, in practical matters, the win here gave me at least three more seasons on TOUR. But, more importantly, because of that first TOUR win here, I realized I’d be a member of this TOUR for the rest of my life. That was just amazing, and it absolutely changed my life, as well as the lives of my family.”
While every detail of that maiden TOUR win will forever remain in his heart and mind, it was something Joe Sanderson told Malnati after his victory that resonated even brighter.
“Joe told me he didn’t need television coverage of the event to help him sell chicken, but that he instead wanted to have the event here to do some good for Friends of Children’s Hospital,” Malnati recalled. “Just knowing where his priorities were and why this mattered so much to him was really special. Joe Sanderson really liked this event and wanted it to be right here because he saw how much good it did for his home state. That felt really, really good to hear.”
Four individuals…unique to each other, with one exception. While their pasts and journeys all unraveled independently of one another, Kacie, Clay, Davis, and Peter are now inextricably linked and represented by one common factor: the way the Sanderson Farms Championship made each of them feel. It’s a remarkable feeling that has also transcended to countless other individuals, families, and organizations.
