While
the main focus of the golf world is on the WGC event in China this week 10
Australians find themselves with plenty to play for at the second full field
event of the new PGA Tour season.

One
of the weaker fields of the year gathers at the Sanderson Farms tournament in
Mississippi, the lack of big name stars affording veterans and rookies alike a
major opportunity to make a strong start to the year.

For
veterans like Geoff Ogilvy and Stuart Appleby a good week can be the first step
in reinvigorating a career while for a rookie like Brett Drewitt it can be just
the confidence boost required to begin a successful campaign.

Ogilvy,
Appleby and Drewitt are joined in the field by Mark Hensby, Cameron Percy, Greg
Chalmers, Rod Pampling, Matt Jones, Robert Allenby and Cameron Smith.

Drewitt
will be keen to continue some strong play from his debut start a fortnight ago
at the Safeway Open where his T35 finish was an impressive first-up effort.

It’s
been a methodical journey to the world’s most competitive circuit for Drewitt,
a top five finish on the PGA Tour China money list in its inaugural year of
2014 sending him to the secondary Web.com Tour in
2015.

Retaining
his card there for the 2016 season was a worthy effort and to advance to the
PGA TOUR after his second season indicates a player whose game is progressing
nicely.

Second
year TOUR member Cameron Smith also finished T35 at the season opener in
California, four consecutive rounds of 70 a solid performance from a player who
many believe is capable of achieving big things in the game.

Smith
struggled for much of his rookie season in 2016 to finish outside the top 125
in the FedEx Cup but showed familiar determination in regaining his status via
the Web.com Tour’s Finals Series late in the year.

In
his short Professional career Smith has already proved a quick study at each
new level of the game and with a full year of PGA TOUR golf behind him he will
be one to watch in the new season.

While
Drewitt and Smith look to establish themselves early in their careers reigning
Australian Open champion Matt Jones will be hoping 2017 is a year of redemption.

Returning
to the US in 2016 full of confidence from overcoming Jordan Spieth and Adam
Scott at The Australian, Jones can only be disappointed with how the year
unfolded.

The
final insult came at season’s end when the 36-year-old finished 126^th
on the FedEx Cup standings, just one place out of keeping his playing
privileges for this year.

Jones
makes his first appearance for the year in Mississippi, just his third time
teeing up at the Sanderson Farms and first since it moved to Country Club of
Jackson in 2015.

Veterans
Ogilvy and Appleby also make their debut at this course, Ogilvy playing the
event for the first time in his career and Appleby not teeing up here since
2013.

Playing
on a medical extension in 2016 Appleby showed glimpses of form though after
back surgery in 2015 is yet to get back to his best.

For
Ogilvy it was a year of continued struggles with the putter, the 2006 US Open
champion finishing a lowly 174^th in Strokes Gained for the season.

That
will need to turn around if he hopes to be competitive again at this level, the
eight time PGA TOUR winner still capable of mixing it with the best in terms of
ball striking but needing improvement on the greens.

Fellow
40-something Robert Allenby has endured two horror seasons in America but with
a fresh season perhaps will come the turnaround he has been searching for in
recent years.

With
little status to fall back on Allenby may take inspiration from fellow
Victorian Aaron Baddeley who lost his card at the end of 2015 but climbed back
into the winner’s circle in 2016.

Former
TOUR winner Mark Hensby has been trying to push his way back to the top level
for the past two years with severely limited starts.

He
played twice in 2015 and managed five events last season and will try to catch
lightning in a bottle again this week.

Hensby
was a standout player in the early part of the century but injuries sustained
in a 2006 car accident severely derailed his career.

This
is his seventh appearance at the tournament but first since 2013 and, like many
in the field, a first taste of the Country Club of Jackson.