JACKSON, Miss. — As William McGirt tees it up this week on the PGA Tour, he’ll do so at a place he’s very comfortable.

The Fairmont native is in the field at the Sanderson Farms Championship in Jackson, Mississippi, an event where he’s had success in the past.

In six starts in the event, McGirt has three top-seven finishes, and has never placed worse than a tie for 27th.

This includes his last three starts in the event, at the Country Club of Jackson, where the event is being held this week. He finished tied for second in 2015, finishing at 17 under one stroke behind winner Peter Malnati. He also finished seventh in 2014 and tied for 25th in his last tournament appearance in 2017.

He did not play the event in 2018 or 2019 due to injury.

When the event was held at another course, McGirt finished tied for 26th in 2013, tied for fifth in 2012 and tied for 27th in his tournament debut in 2011.

In 24 career rounds in the Sanderson Farms Championship, McGirt has never shot an over-par round, and 22 of the 24 rounds have been under par. This includes three rounds of 66 at Country Club of Jackson, where McGirt has a 69.17 scoring average. His average in the event overall is 68.75.

McGirt begins his tournament at 9 a.m. Thursday, when he tees off on the first hole alongside Jason Dufner and Chez Reavie. The trio will start their second round Friday at 1:55 p.m.

McGirt is making his third start after the PGA Tour granted him a major medical extension of 29 starts after he missed the entire 2019 season and most of the 2020 season with hip injuries. McGirt will need 375 FedEx Cup points in those starts to retain his Tour status at the end of the extension; he has earned six total points through his first two starts, with three each at the Memorial Tournament in July and the Safeway Open three weeks ago.

Henrik Stenson, Brandt Snedeker, Scottie Scheffler and Sungjae Im are among the 144 players in the field, which also includes defending champion Sebastián Muñoz.

Former Wake Forest golfer Will Zalatoris is also in the field after a tie for 8th at last week’s Corales Puntacana Championship, which extended his sponsors exemption an additional week. Zalatoris, a regular on the developmental Korn Ferry Tour, has consecutive top 10s after a tie for 6th in the U.S. Open.