Mississippi State alums Chad Ramey, Ford Clegg continue PGA Sanderson Farms Championship run

It meant a lot for Chad Ramey to play well in front of family, friends and the local Mississippi supporters.

Ramey carded a 5-under 67 during the third round Saturday at the Sanderson Farms Championship at The Country Club of Jackson.

“It was a great day, I hit it well all day,” he said. “I had a close of stretch of holes that I hit a little wayward. Overall it was a great day, I hit a lot more good putts like I did on No. 18 that just didn’t fall, but I’ll get them rolling in.”

It was his lowest round of the week, and he carded just one bogey, on No. 14. He shot a 32 on the front nine.

“I mean, it’s great to play here [in Mississippi],” he said. “Other than the (FedEx) St. Jude, this is like a home event for me. To come down and play well in front of friends, it’s really nice.”

Ramey, who is from Fulton and a Mississippi State alum, noticed Ford Clegg making the cut after carding a 7-under 65. The two, who share the same swing coach, bonded over nine holes together on Monday.

Ramey lauded Clegg, who is making his PGA Tour debut, after an impressive Friday round.

“To shoot 7 under to make the cut on your Tour debut, you can’t ask for more than that,” he said.

Ford Clegg

Score after three rounds: -1

After a disappointing Saturday for Clegg, who shot a 6-over 78, he said he needs to enjoy this tournament, and most importantly, gain experience from it.

“It’s awesome [to have his debut],” Clegg said. “It’s hard, I want to be frustrated on myself, but I need to enjoy it and gain experience. Still got important golf to play coming up. . . . Just need to learn from today and use that to fuel me going forward.”

LOCALS MAKE CUT: Two ex-Mississippi State golfers make cut at 2023 Sanderson Farms Championship

The recent Mississippi State grad would have liked to have had a better start Saturday after making the 78-man cut by two strokes. He had a triple bogey on No. 11 and carded just one birdie, on No. 6.

“Today I tried to force a few shots,” he said. “But that’s a part of golf, it’s all a learning experience. But we’ll clean it up for tomorrow.”

The local supporters came out for Clegg, with a group following him, and he signed autographs after his round.

“It’s been awesome, I wouldn’t want to have it any other way,” he said. “I feel more comfortable. If I was somewhere else, I wouldn’t think I would’ve settled down as fast as here. It was a big help for me this week.”

Michael Chavez covers high school sports, among others, for the Clarion-Ledger. Email him at mchavez@gannett.com or reach out to him on X @MikeSChavez.