BlogTHE CJ CUP Byron Nelson Preview and Picks

The Buzz:

The CJ Cup Bryon Nelson field has about the same marquee players as last year, but I wonder if Craig Ranch is hurting them. Last year, the event didn’t catch a break with the timing of Scottie Scheffler’s kid being born; Scottie, being from the Dallas area, was a regular but wasn’t able to play. The good news is that Scottie is in the field and is the big name that the event needs.

The CJ Cup Byron Nelson had a unique niche on the PGA Tour. Since 1968, it has been the most financially successful charity event on the PGA Tour, raising $190 million for its charity, the Salesmanship Club. Between 1983 and 2017, it was played at TPC Las Colinas, a course that many PGA Tour players may not have loved, but was an excellent spot for those who attended the tournament. For the fans, they loved all of the locations where they could watch golf in comfort, either under shady trees or in stands around the course. They also loved the big party pavilion off the 2nd hole, so for years, the CJ Cup Bryon Nelson was the place for fans to watch golf. The course also had excellent infrastructure, with a Four Seasons hotel behind the 18th Green and the Las Colinas Sports Club. These tended to erase the fact that the course wasn’t the gem-like Colonial Golf Club, 40 miles down the road in Fort Worth, and the home to the Charles Schwab Challenge was.

Between 1990 and 2006, the year Byron Nelson passed away, this event always attracted a great field with many marquee names. That’s because Byron Nelson spent a lot of time recruiting players, always being a part of the tournament, and sitting behind the 18th green to thank all the players for coming. So, even though players didn’t like the course, they felt that they owed Byron Nelson their support each year. Hey, even Tiger Woods showed up year after year. But in 2007, after Byron Nelson passed away, that all changed. Players started skipping the Nelson, and even though the lack of marquee names didn’t affect the bottom line of the tournament, fans still sold out the week before, and the course just became a dirty secret for organizers.

So, for years, the Salesmanship Club was always looking for a better facility, and the opportunity came knocking on their door when a new course was built in Dallas, Trinity Forest. For years, they watched the development of this course and finally worked out a deal to move the Byron Nelson to the new home in 2018. The last year that the Nelson was played at TPC Las Colinas, they raised $6.8 million for charities. So when they moved, they expected to roll along and not only be loved by those who attended the tournament, but they were hoping that players would love the course and, in future years, gain more marquee names.

That never happened.

Despite the course being better than TPC Las Colinas, the tournament got a lousy slot in the schedule, and players avoided it. On top of that, poor weather and the lack of a party atmosphere for those who attended the tournament created lower attendance. Trinity Forest may have been a good course, but it had very few trees to shade the fans from the 95+ days in the first year. So this event, which is a money tree for its charities, struggled. In 2018, it netted $4.8 million, then $3 million in 2019. So tournament officials gave up on Trinity Forest when COVID-19 canceled the Byron Nelson in 2020. They first looked into returning to TPC Las Colinas, but they lost the tournament’s parking. So they decided on a new course, TPC Craig Ranch, which had held two Korn Ferry Tour events and had some excellent infrastructure and many shady trees. Not only did the very private club want to keep the event, but the town of McKinney, Texas, has stepped up to help this tournament succeed. The first year was ok, as more people attended, even though officials put limits due to COVID-19 protocols. But its charity profit went up as $5.5 million was raised in 2021 and $7.5 million in 2022 and ’23.  In 2024, the event raised $5 million. With no limitations to the gallery, the event hopes for a more extensive take on its charity.

Things you need to know about the CJ Cup Bryon Nelson Classic:

This will be the 70th edition of the CJ Cup Bryon Nelson Classic, formerly the Dallas Open. The TPC at Four Seasons Resort Las Colinas was the primary site of the tournament between 1983 and 2017, when it moved to Trinity Forest Club. After two unsuccessful years and COVID-19 canceling the 2000 event, the tournament moved to TPC Craig Ranch.

Byron Nelson won the inaugural Dallas Open in 1944 by 12 strokes. Three annual tournaments were staged, with Nelson winning the first, Snead winning the next, and Hogan winning in 1946. After that, the city needed help finding a sponsor for the tournament, and after a lapse of 10 years, James Ling sponsored the event beginning in 1956. The tournament has been played every year since then, except for 1963 when the PGA Championship was played in Dallas, and 1965 when the tournament was switched from September to the spring. In 1967, the Salesmanship Club took over sponsorship, and the following year, the tournament was renamed after Byron Nelson, who was born just outside of Dallas and had a 630-acre ranch in Roanoke, Texas. The tournament is the 9th oldest active event on the PGA Tour and, along with the Arnold Palmer Invitational, is the only event named after former players.

This is another drastic change for fans of this event; they enjoyed everything about TPC Four Seasons but wanted something other than Trinity Forest. So, with the shift to TPC Craig Ranch, tournament organizers ensure that TPC Craig Ranch will be even bigger and better for the fans and their charities. This is the second year the CJ Cup group will sponsor the event. They signed a ten-year deal with the tour, hoping to break into the US market. For those who don’t know, the CJ Group is a South Korea-based holding group with a presence in food, retail, logistics, media, and biotechnology. Many don’t remember, but the CJ Group has sponsored PGA Tour tournaments for six years. First, it is in South Korea, Las Vegas, and South Carolina. They will be part of this Dallas event for the next decade.

Course information:

• TPC Craig Ranch
• McKinney, Texas
• 7,569 yards     Par 36-35–72

This is the fifth year of the CJ Cup Bryon Nelson being changed to its new home, TPC Craig Ranch. Tom Weiskopf designed the course, which opened in 2004. In the years of planning and constructing it, the PGA Tour gave input on what the course needed to hold a tournament. Frankly, the original owners wanted to have a regular PGA Tour on it. The property is massive and large enough to handle big crowds. Each hole is framed with many trees down the side of it and looks very mature despite being under 20 years old. The Rowlett Creek runs through the property, which creates more challenging shots. The greens are an average size of 6,800 feet and are fair, with slight undulation. The greens are bent, which will give players a more appealing feel. 83 bunkers dot the course, and for the players, if the weather is good, they can have their way with this course. Before the event’s first year in 2021, the growing season suffered from a hard freeze in the weeks before the tournament, which stopped the rough growth and helped make the course a layup. So, in looking at the stats, 70.55% of the greens were hit by the field, as it ranked 39th in most greens hit. One of the reasons that happened was the lack of rough, and that won’t be the case this year. In 2021 and ’22, the course played to a par 72. But in 2023, they changed the 12th hole from a par 5 to a par 4.

So now the course will play to a par 71 and, at 7,569, will be classified as a “Bombers Delight.”  So we are seeing a lot of long hitters on the field, and they think this course will be perfect for their game. The secret to TPC Craig Ranch will still be hitting fairways and greens. In looking at the stats for those last year, seven of the top 6 players were in the top 12 in greens hit. Another vital statistic is that those who scramble well and find a way to get it up and down on greens missed. 65.36% of the field got it up and down on greens missed.  Another reason long hitters have an advantage is that 1,980 birdies were made last year at TPC Craig Ranch; only two other courses on the PGA Tour, TPC Deere Run and Keene Trace, saw more. So this translates to those that are the best in Par Breakers doing well; last year, 25.55% of the course had eagles and birdies made on the course, and only nine other courses had a higher average.

The one thing that many agree on is that the winner will have to use a lot of imagination to get around the course. The course is a par 71 and will play at 7,569, and Weiskopf has added a gambling aspect to the design. All three par 5s are accessible in two, giving players a chance for eagles, as last year, the par 5s played to a 4.45 average, and eight courses saw easier par 5s. Last year’s champion, Taylor Pendrith, took advantage of it, playing the par 5s in eleven under, but players took advantage of it in previous years when there were 4 par fives. In 2022, the top two in the standings took advantage of this; winner K.H. Lee was 16 under, while runner-up Jordan Spieth was 11 under. In 2021, winner K.H. Lee was 11 under, and runner-up Sam Burns played them in 15 under. Along with the par 5s, three par 4s, #3, #6, and #14, could lead to birdies or even eagles. If the PGA Tour moves up the tees on holes 6 & 14, they could be drivable, but the 14th hole with water down the left side could lead to double bogeys or more. You can see why we are calling this a bomber’s delight; there could be some great excitement with this course.

One significant change to the course for last year’s tournament was to the par 3 17th. The Salesmanship Club put in stands all around the par 3, giving it a touch of the 16th hole at WM Phoenix Open. They call it the “Ranch 17,” and the hole created a “buzz” with the 6,000 spectators on the hole. Still, it would help if you had marquee names, which is still lacking in this event, two weeks before a major and a week before a designated event, meaning most of the marquee players are taking this week off.

Let’s take a look at vital stats that are important for those playing in TPC Craig Ranch.

Most DraftKings points earned

We have compiled a database covering the last 51 events on the PGA TOur, beginning at the start of the 2024 season and ending with the 2025 Zurich. The database includes the number of points a player won during each event and its cost. From the database, we can determine the total DraftKing points earned, the players’ average points earned per event, and the average points based on the number of rounds played.

Of the players in the field, here are the top 60 playing in at least eight events:

DraftKings Picks

*Here are the guys that cost the most on DraftKings this week:

• Scottie Scheffler – $13,300
• Jordan Spieth – $10,500
• SungJae Im – $10,000
• Sam Burns – $9,800
• Byeong Hun An – $9,700
• Taylor Pendrith – $9,600
• Si Woo Kim – $9,400
• Stephan Jaeger – $9,300
• Ben Griffen – $9,200
• MacKenzie Hughes – $9,100

First of all, I wouldn’t say I like many of the prices of our top players. Scottie Scheffler at $13,300 is a lot of money, but he always scores a lot of points and you are just about guaranteed 90 points.  Scheffler has played at TPC Craig Ranch four times and only has one top ten, a T-5th in 2023.  Still think this is the perfect week for him to break his winless season.  Jordan Spieth at $10,500 is a big no; he hasn’t shown us much this year, his only top tens in nine starts were T-4th at Phoenix and T-9th at Cognizant.  Think Spieth will get a top 20, but at his cost, you don’t want to take him.  SungJae Im at $10,000 is a maybe, he was T-5th at the Masters and T-11th at Heritage, my problem is he has never played at TPC Craig Ranch and isn’t a bomber, best to pass on him.  Sam Burns at $9,800 is a bomber and someone to think about.  He was 2nd at Craig Ranch in 2021 and, despite some struggles on the Florida swing, was T-13th at Heritage.  I think the course suits him, and I feel he will do well.  Byeong Hun An at $9,700 is priced too high for me. Yes, it was T-4th last year at Craig Ranch, but since then, it has only finished in the top ten twice, the last being a T-8th at the Arnold Palmer.  Taylor Pendrith at $9,600 is priced high, but this is the type of course he plays well at.  Was T-5th at Houston, which makes me think he can get another top five this week.  Si Woo Kim at $9,400 is also a choice, was runner-up in 2023 and T-13th last year.  He was T-8th at the RBC Heritage, but also has missed three cuts in his last four starts.  Stephan Jaeger at $9,300 is worth a look, the course suits him, he was T-11th in 2023 and T-20th last year.  The game was okay in 2025; he was a bomber and could be a force this week.  Ben Griffen at $9,200 is also a good choice, he teamed up with Andrew Novak last week to win the Zurich.  He played ok in 2025 and was T-15th last year at Craig Ranch, so he could be a good choice this week.  MacKenzie Hughes at $9,100 is a no for me, yes, he was T-3rd at Heritage, but Hughes plays his best on tight courses and is not considered a bomber.

*Which players are in that $7,600 to $8,900 price range are worth the money? Not much in the way of choices: 

I like Tom Kim at $8,700 just because he hasn’t been great in 2025, but is long overdue.  The course suits his game, and this is his time to win.  Ryan Gerard at $8,600 is the next big surprise on the PGA Tour.  Has played great of late, was 2nd at the Valero Texas Open, and I think Craig Ranch will suit his game.  Jake Knapp at $8,400 is perfect for Craig Ranch, hits it long, and has had his best finishes on bomber courses.  Was 8th last year in Byron Nelson.  Ryo Hisatsune at $8,300 is worth a look at, in his last five starts has played well, including a T-4th at Valspar and T-5th at the Valero Texas Open.  Matt McCarty at $7,500 plays well on long courses, he has played well since the west coast swing.

Are there any bargains out there?

Gary Woodland at $7,400 is a good pick on this course.  He is playing it for the first time, but his length will help him; he was T-2nd in Houston, a course similar to Craig Ranch.  Alejandro Tosti at $7,300 is a great choice, played well in the last couple of weeks, including a T-5th at Houston and T-2nd at Corales Puntacan.  Nico Echavarria at $7,200 is worth a look at, he has played well since winning in Japan in October.  He was runner-up at RSM and Sony and will play well this week.  Henrik Norlander at $7,100 has been consistent and played well, finishing T-12th at Valero.  Justin Lower at $7,100 is a very good pick, he is a bomber that plays well on long courses.  He was T-24th last year at Craig Ranch and was T-3rd at the American Express.  Erik Van Rooyen at $6,700 plays his best on long courses, was T-9th at Cognizant

So, what will it take to play well at TPC  Craig Ranch?

You can hit it long and leave yourself with a wedge into the greens. Once you get them onto the green, you can make some putts. This is a course that long hitters and those who score under par will love.

So, what will it take to play well at TPC  Craig Ranch?

The ability to hit it long and leave yourself with a wedge into the greens. Once you get them onto the green, make some putts. This is a course that will allow a lot of birdies and eagles, so look for some low scoring.

Weather, that will be the key.

Look for some poor weather early in the week. Every day will be in the mid-70s, with scattered Thunderstorms on Friday. So anything could happen early, but the weekend will be rain-free.