CJ Cup Byron Nelson: Cole the sole selection at 69/1

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CJ Cup Byron Nelson tournament history

Originally known as the Dallas Open and first played in 1944, the inaugural CJ Cup Byron Nelson was won by the man that the event is now named after.

As a measure of how big a tournament this once was, Sam Snead and Ben Hogan won the next two editions and the likes of Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson, Fred Couples and Payne Stewart all took the title in the 1970s and 80s.

A three year spell in the mid-90s saw Ernie Els, Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods victorious and since the turn of the century, major winners Vijay Singh, Adam Scott, Jason Day, Jason Dufner and Sergio Garcia have all also won but the tournament started to lose a bit of its lustre when it moved to TPC Four Seasons - a venue unpopular with many of the pros.

The tournament switched to Trinity Forest in 2018 but after just two editions there and a year off due to the pandemic, the tournament moved again five years ago, this time to TPC Craig Ranch in McKinney, 25 miles north of Dallas, and last year's edition was won by the world number one, Scottie Scheffler.

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Venue

TPC Craig Ranch, McKinney, Texas.

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Course Details

Par 71, 7,414yards
Stroke average in 2025 - 69.13 

Designed by Tom Weiskopf and opened in 2004, TPC Craig Ranch has minimal rough, generous zoysiagrass fairways and bentgrass greens that have previously been set at 11.5 on the stimpmeter. That's not overly fast but we're in Texas so they can't be set too speedy in case the wind gets up.

Water is a constant feature with the Rowlett Creek criss-crossing the course numerous times.

In addition to the last five editions of this event, TPC Craig Ranch was also used a couple of times on the Korn Ferry Tour for the Korn Ferry Tour Championship in both 2008 and 2012.

The par five 12^th was turned into a par four in 2023 and that's been the hardest hole on the course over the last two years so the overall par is now 71, but Craig Ranch is still a very easy track, and we might just see a round in the 50s this week.

Sebastian Munoz opened the event with a 12-under-par 60 in 2022, Seung-Yul Noh matched his feat three years ago and with rounds of 61, 62, 66 and 63, Scheffler won by eight strokes last year with a whopping 31-under-par total, which tied the record for the lowest 72-hole total on the PGA Tour.

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Weather Forecast

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TV Coverage

Live on Sky Sports all four days, starting at 12;45 on Thursday.

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Last 10 winners with pre-event Betfair Exchange prices

2025 - Scottie Scheffler -31 4.03/1
2024 - Taylor Pendrith -23 130.0129/1
2023 - Jason Day -23 21.020/1
2022 - KH Lee -26 200.0199/1
2021 - KH Lee -25 250.0249/1
2019 - Sung-Hoon Kang -23 180.0179/1
2018 - Aaron Wise -23 80.079/1
2017 - Billy Horschel -12 (playoff) 200.0199/1
2016 - Sergio Garcia -15 (playoff) 30.029/1
2015 - Steven Bowditch -18 500.0499/1 

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What will it take to win the CJ Cup Byron Nelson?

Here are the leaderboards with traditional stats for the two editions of the Korn Ferry Championship held here, as well as the last five editions of this event.

(Key: DD - Driving Distance; DA - Driving Accuracy; GIR - Greens in Regulation; SC - Scrambling; PA - Putting Average)

2008 Korn Ferry Championship
Matt Bettencourt -17  DD 8^th, DA 39^th, GIR 12^th, SC 17^th, PA 1^s
Jeff Klauk -16   DD 31^st, DA 4^th, GIR 19^th, SC 1st, PA 12^th
Colt Knost -15   DD 28^th, DA 2^nd, GIR 2^nd, SC 5^th, PA 27^th
Bryce Molder -15   DD 25^th, DA 11^th, GIR 3^rd, SC 10^th, PA 8^th
Peter Tomasulo -14   DD 24^th, DA 20^th, GIR 6^th, SC 38^th, PA 17^th

2012 Korn Ferry Championship
Justin Bolli -16  DD 43^rd, DA 48^th, GIR 4^th, SC 39^th, PA 6^th
James Hahn -14   DD 14^th, DA 15^th, GIR 11^th, SC 5^th, PA 1^st
Adam Hadwin -13   DD 24^th, DA 15^th, GIR 11^th, SC 1^st, PA 9^th
Morgan Hoffman -13   DD 7^th, DA 19^th, GIR 11^th, SC 11^th, PA 1^st
Justin Hicks -12   DD 28^th, DA 2^nd, GIR 1^st, SC 47^th, PA 8^th

2021 CJ Cup Byron Nelson Championship
KH Lee -25   DD 35^th, DA 41^st, GIR 5^th, SC 18^th, PA 2^nd
Sam Burns -22   DD 27^th, DA 49^th, GIR 5^th, SC 18^th, PA 27^th
Daniel Berger -21   DD 25^th, DA 9^th, GIR 4^th, SC 60^th, PA 7^th
Patton Kizzire -21   DD 17^th, DA 66^th, GIR 11^th, SC 10^th, PA 22^nd 
Charl Schwartzel -21   DD 7^th, DA 53^rd, GIR 8^th, SC 5^th, PA 46^th
Scott Stallings -21   DD 8^th, DA 49^th, GIR 17^th, SC 38^th, PA 1^st

2022 CJ Cup Byron Nelson Championship
KH Lee -26   DD 49^th, DA 22^nd, GIR 18^th, SC 4^th, PA 33^rd
Jordan Spieth -25   DD 13^th, DA 33^rd, GIR 49^th, SC 13^th, PA 23^rd 
Hideki Matsuyama -24   DD 39^th, DA 22^nd, GIR 10^th, SC 11^th, PA 8^th
Sebastian Muoz -24   DD 34^th, DA 17^th, GIR 1^st, SC 65^th, PA 13^th

2023 Byron Nelson Championship
Jason Day -23   DD 23^rd, DA 37^th, GIR 10^th, SC 10^th, PA 19^th
Austin Eckroat -22   DD 7^th, DA 33^rd, GIR 24^th, SC 6^th, PA 1^st 
Si Woo Kim -22   DD 69^th, DA 25^th, GIR 55^th, SC 1^st, PA 2^nd 
C.T Pan -21   DD 31^st, DA 14^th, GIR 15^th, SC 8^th, PA 31^st

2024 Byron Nelson Championship
Taylor Pendrith -23   DD 4^th, DA 28^th, GIR 26^th, SC 4^th, PA 1^st
Ben Kohles -22   DD 57^th, DA 5^th, GIR 22^nd, SC 7^th, PA 11^th 
Alex Noren -21   DD 38^th, DA 15^th, GIR 26^th, SC 4^th, PA 17^th 

2025 Byron Nelson Championship
Scottie Scheffler -31   DD 30^th, DA 4^th, GIR 3^rd, SC 24^th, PA 1^st
Erik Van Rooyen -23   DD 26^th, DA 12^th, GIR 17^th, SC 63^rd, PA 2^nd   
Sam Stevens -20   DD 31^st, DA 41^st, GIR 28^th, SC 8^th, PA 7^th 

Although the 2024 winner, Taylor Pendrith, ranked as high as fourth for Driving Distance, and Scheffler ranked fourth for Driving Accuracy last year, we can ignore the driving metrics with neither length nor accuracy really proving key in any of the seven events staged here.

Greens In Regulation has been an important stat over the years and accurate iron play is clearly important, but this is basically a low scoring birdie-fest and although Putting Average wasn't a key stat in 2022, the last two winners have topped the PA stats and the player that has ranked first for PA has finished either first or second in five of the seven events stage here.

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Overseas players have a great record

Texans usually fare well in their home state, and they have an outstanding record in the Valero Texas Open, but they don't have a great recent record in this particular event, although they should have won the last two editions.

Scheffler won last year's edition very easily and Ben Kohles really should have sealed the deal in 2024.

Matched at a low of just 1.111/9 when he birdied the 17^th to tie the lead, Kohles looked set to get into a playoff at least standing on the par five 18^th tee, but he made a complete mess of the easiest hole on the course to leave Canada's Taylor Pendrith holding the trophy.

Overseas players have a strong record in the tournament and only 10 of the 25 winners this century have been American. And, if recent history is to be believed, it's the Australians and the Koreans that deserve most respect.

Aussies always tend to do well in windy Texas, and we've seen three recent winners from Down Under - Adam Scott, Steven Bowditch and Jason Day (twice).

K.H Lee, who won back-to-back in 2021 and 2022, was the third Korean to win in eight renewals when he took the title for a first time five years ago and Byeong Hun An finished tied for fourth two years ago.

The Koreans were also in-the-mix in 2023 - Sung-yul Noh led after round one and it was an Aussie-Korean one-two with Si Woo Kim finishing tied second behind Day.

Like the Aussie contingent, the Koreans clearly enjoy the usual windy conditions.

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Could Mexican venue provide clues?

The last three editions of the World Wide Technology Championship have been staged at El Cardonal Golf Course in Mexico and it's a low scoring track that looks like it may correlate with Craig Ranch.

Last year's winner, Ben Griffin, who amassed a total of 29-under-par in Mexico, has mixed TPC Craig Ranch figures reading MC-13-MC but the previous two winners at El Cardonal, Austin Eckroat and Erik Van Rooyen, have both finished runners up here.

Last year's third here, Sam Stevens, was sixth in Mexico two years ago, Ryan Palmer has finished fifth at both venues and Eric Cole has top 10 finishes at both tracks so form at El Cardonal may be noteworthy when assessing this event.

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Great event for long-shots

Although Scheffler was the 3/14.00 favourite last year and Day was a well-backed 20/121.00 shot three years ago, outsiders have a great record in the Byron Nelson CJ Cup.

Sergio Garcia is the only other recent winner that's been fairly-well fancied, going off at 30.029/1, and this has been a terrific tournament for long-shots with nine of the last 12 winners all being matched at a triple-figure price before the off.

Aaron Wise only went off at 80.079/1 eight years ago but he was well-supported having been matched for plenty at between 100.099/1 and 120.0119/1 and the other eight winners all went off at huge odds.

I've listed the exchange prices for the last 10 winners above, and it's perhaps worth noting that Lee was matched at as high of 500.0499/1 before the off five years ago.

Kohles, who really should have won two years ago, was a 600.0599/1 chance before the off and the three winners before Sergio Garcia in 2016 all went off at a big price.

The 2015 winner, Steven Bowditch was a 500.0499/1 chance, Brendan Todd went off at 170.0169/1 12 years ago and another Korean champ, Sang-Moon Bae, was a largely unconsidered 200.0199/1 chance 12 months earlier.

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Winner's position and Betfair Exchange price pre-round four

2025 - Scottie Scheffler - led by eight 1.011/100
2024 - Taylor Pendrith - led by a stroke 3.02/1
2023 - Jason Day - tied fourth, trailing by two 8.615/2
2022 - KH Lee - tied sixth, trailing by four 50.049/1
2021 - KH Lee - solo second, trailing by one 6.411/2

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In-play trends at TPC Crag Ranch

Low scoring birdie-fests tend to suit frontrunners, so it makes sense to concentrate on the leaders from early on.

Although a 50.049/1 chance on Sunday morning four years ago, Lee was inside the top six places all week long, and so too were the last three winners, Scheffler, Pendrith and Day.

The front two were in the van throughout in 2021 (inside the front three from halfway) and it was a similar story here on the Korn Ferry Tour.

Matt Bettencourt was four off the lead after rounds one and two in 2008, but he was never outside the top ten places and he was tied for the lead with a round to go and four years later, Justin Bolli won from two back after three rounds, having led after round one and having been inside the front three places all week.

Although the track appears to suit frontrunners, it's clearly not an easy place to close.

We've seen 11 men lead or tie for the lead with a round to go here and Scheffler, Pendrith and Bettencourt are the only three to convert.

Bettencourt, who had begun round four tied with Bryce Molder, survived a late scare, parring 17 and 18 to win by a stroke after double-bogeying the 16^th, and Pendrith had Kohles' dreadful finish to thank for his victory so it may be worth taking on the leader or leaders on Sunday morning.

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Cole the sole selection

Scottie Scheffler won here with so much authority last year that he's trading at less than 2/13.00 to double up but that feels a bit short.

I was happy to back him at 3/14.00 last year but, given he's now gone nine starts without success since he won the American Express in January, the 2.915/8 looks a tad skinny. It's far from a deep field, however, and it wouldn't be any sort of surprise if he were to hack up again.

With the world number one so short, there's value further down the list and the one I like is last year's fifth, Eric Cole, who arrives back in Texas in fair form.

In his last three starts, he's finished 14^th in the Texas Open, sixth in the Zurich pairs, alongside Hank Lebioda, and sixth last time out in the Myrtle Beach Classic, where he ranked seventh for Putting Average and sixth for Strokes Gained: Putting.

In addition to finishing fifth last year, he finished 23^rd on his only other previous visit here in 2023 and on the only occasion he played in the World Wide Technology Championship at El Cardonal he finished 10^th.

All things considered, he ticks enough boxes to worthy selection at 70.069/1.

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