The CJ Cup Byron Nelson 2026: Dave Tindall's each-way picks from 33/1 to 50/1

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Introduction to the CJ Cup Byron Nelson

After Aaron Rai escaped a packed field to clinch a brilliant victory in the US PGA Championship, the PGA Tour pitches up again in Texas.

The CJ Cup Byron Nelson was originally the Dallas Open but later took on the name of one of the game's greats. If you thought Tiger Woods or Scottie Scheffler ran up some streaks, Byron Nelson once won 11 tournaments in a row.

Local Texas resident Scheffler returns as the defending champion after he romped to an eight-shot win 12 months ago.

Scheduled in early May last year, that win came two weeks before he won the US PGA.

He'll hope to make a better defence of this title having had to settle for tied 14th at Aronimink on Sunday.

TPC Craig Ranch, which has played host since 2021, is a par 71 measuring 7,385 yards and has bentgrass greens.

Scheffler ranked first for SG: Approach last year, with runner-up Erik van Rooyen third in that category.

The last three winners were all in the top 12 for SG: Off The Tee while every champion at TPC Craig Ranch has ranked in the top five for Tee To Green.

Winning scores reading back from Scheffler show what we're dealing with - an out-and-out birdie-fest: -31, -23, -23, -26, -25.

Since last year, the course has undergone a Lanny Wadkins redesign. That should tilt us even more towards the tee-to-green merchants as the new putting surfaces will take some learning.

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Davis Thompson each-way @ 33/134.00

Two years ago, Davis Thompson gave this column a 20/121.00 winner at the John Deere Classic.

Shooting 28-under and winning by four showed he could come out on top in a birdie-fest. One of the keys to getting him onside was that he was in really good form.

It's a similar story this week.

After flashing some good play with a fourth place in Puerto Rico, Thompson has really found a consistent groove in recent weeks.

He was 14th at the nearby Texas Open, sixth in the Zurich Classic pairs event and 13th at the Myrtle Beach Classic last time out.

His Tee To Green stats show Thompson ranked third in that category at the Texas Open and 10th at Myrtle Beach. He was in the top 12 for SG: Approach in both.

At the start of his good recent run, the 26-year-old was asked about the state of his game. His answer: "Feel like I'm doing a lot of really good things, just hadn't really seen the results yet. Just got to be patient with myself, patient with what I'm working on. Hopefully we can get things turned around and start putting some rounds together."

That is starting to happen and hopefully it continues and goes up another notch here.

While his record on the pre-renovated course looks disappointing, he shot rounds of 66 and 67 on debut and a Friday 68 when missing the cut last year.

Over the last eight weeks, he ranks third in this field for SG: Tee To Green and that's far more trustworthy than course form on a track that has had a serious revamp.

The season-long stats add further weight to Thompson's credentials as he's 18th Tee To Green and 17th for Approach in 2026.

Back him at 33/134.00 with five places (1/4 Odds).

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Bet 2: Blades Brown each-way @ 50/151.00

Blades Brown looks a special talent and one whose big breakthrough can't be far away.

For most, the 18-year-old came onto the radar when shooting a stunning second-round 60 in The American Express in January.

That helped get him into a final-round three-ball with Scottie Scheffler and Si Woo Kim - the two favourites here.

Those who were on to Brown even earlier will know about him breaking Bobby Jones' 103-year-old record as the youngest medalist at stroke play in US Amateur history.

Since that flash of brilliance at The American Express where he eventually finished 18th, Brown has mixed between the PGA Tour and Korn Ferry Tour.

In the latter he's had a second at April's Tulum Championship and a third at March's Club Car Championship.

On the PGA Tour he was third in the Puerto Rico Open and ninth at the Myrtle Beach Classic earlier this month (12th Tee To Green).

All those look good markers.

Beyond that, it's also worth noting he has some regional form after finishing runner-up in the Veritex Bank Championship last year.

In that Texas event he opened with a 61 and closed with a 63, further reminders that he can shoot the lights out.

This isn't the strongest field so if Scheffler is a little off it, who knows what Brown could do.

Back him at 50s in the 10-place market (1/5 Odds).

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Bet 3: Austin Eckroat each-way @ 45/146.00

While the value of past course form can be questioned, it hardly hurts that Austin Eckroat finished runner-up at TPC Craig Ranch in 2023 when shooting 65-63-65 over the final three rounds.

A return to the property and the area should certainly stir some good memories.

Eckroat was also 10th in much tougher conditions at last month's Texas Open so the 27-year-old clearly likes this part of the USA. More on that below.

Let's remember that he was a two-time winner on the PGA Tour in 2024 after landing the Cognizant Classic in Florida and the World Wide Technology Championship in Mexico.

After a disappointing 2025 and slow start to 2026, Eckroat is finding his form again.

As well as that Texas Open top 10, he's since added sixth in the Zurich Classic pairs event and 19th at Myrtle Beach.

Eckroat ranks 13th for Approach this season which goes a long way to explaining the improved results and, Tee To Green, he was ninth at the Texas Open and 11th at Myrtle Beach.

In lots of ways, Eckroat's case mirrors that of Thompson's. They played together when finishing sixth at the Zurich Classic and both just failed to get in the US PGA field so are hungry.

Both have already won on the PGA Tour early in their careers and both have the form to pick up another victory soon.

Oh, and both rank in the top five for SG: Tee To Green in this field over the last eight weeks.

Beyond Scheffler, local resident Si Woo Kim, a close-but-not-there Jordan Spieth and a can't-putt Brooks Koepka, there isn't that much to beat.

Back in 2023 when second here, Eckroat revealed: "Played a tournament out here when I was 10 or 11 years old. Been a while.

"But I came down to Texas, I mean, almost every weekend to play in junior events. I'm only three hours away.

"So I have a ton of family here this week and friends, so it's good week to put myself in a good spot for the friends and family."

A man named Austin winning in Texas seems very appropriate.

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Now read Steve Rawlings' CJ Cup Byron Nelson preview

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*You can follow me on Twitter @DaveTindallgolf

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