BettingPros PGA Show: 2026 CJ Cup Byron Nelson Picks & Predictions

CJ Cup Byron Nelson Preview

It’s a full-field event with, I believe, 145 players. The field isn’t great. Most of the big guns are sitting this one out, but after a seemingly endless string of majors and signature events, it’s almost refreshing to handicap this type of tournament.

The CJ Cup Byron Nelson will be played at TPC Craig Ranch in McKinney, Texas, a suburb of Dallas-Fort Worth.

This is a par 71 measuring 7,385 yards. It’s going to play about 200 yards shorter than it did last year. Last year’s Byron Nelson was played earlier in the season – in early May instead of late May – so it might be a little drier this time around.

TPC Craig Ranch is a Tom Weiskopf design, though the course has undergone significant changes since last year’s tournament. Former tour player Lanny Wadkins oversaw the redesign, which included the installation of bentgrass greens intended to play firmer and faster than before.

Fairways will feature Stadium Zoysia and remain fairly wide and generous off the tee, while the rough is now TifTuf Bermuda. It won’t be as thick as major championship rough, but it could play significantly more penal than we’ve seen at Craig Ranch in recent years.

One of the more notable redesign features is the new 4th hole, a Biarritz-style par 3. A Biarritz hole features a large green bisected by a swale running through the middle, and this one is expected to play around 215 yards.

The 12th hole was changed from a long par 4 into a short par 5, while the 13th shifted from a short par 5 into a long par 4.

Water comes into play on 13 holes. Three of the par 3s measure over 200 yards, and five par 4s stretch beyond 480 yards. As a result, players will face a heavy dose of middle and long-iron approaches from 175 yards and beyond.

Although the redesign may slightly increase the course difficulty, this event has historically produced extremely low scores.

Scottie Scheffler won last year at a staggering 31-under par, cruising to victory by eight shots. Taylor Pendrith won at 23-under in 2024, Jason Day also reached 23-under in 2023, and K.H. Lee captured the Byron Nelson in both 2021 and 2022 at 25-under and 26-under respectively.

Weather conditions this week could be volatile in McKinney, Texas. Forecasts call for warm and humid conditions with thunderstorm chances during all four rounds, particularly Thursday and Saturday. The redesigned course is expected to drain better, though it may be tested if storms arrive. Wind will also likely be a factor, as is often the case in Texas.

Bo McBrayer on TPC Craig Ranch

I just think they had to do something to that golf course, for good reason. The scoring was almost too easy for these guys, and it wasn’t attracting anybody besides the Texans we usually see. Scottie Scheffler obviously isn’t going to skip the DFW event here.

It’s an important event for the Texas golfers. It’s great for the charities involved with the CJ Cup. But this golf course needed something to give it an identity on the PGA Tour.

Putting in bentgrass greens and revamping it to be more TV-friendly makes sense. We’d get to this week and just say, “Okay, filter for birdies or better and have at it.” There really wasn’t much science to this event.

Although I think they probably did enough to make it a little tougher and more appealing for fans watching on TV – giving it a more interesting look and more of a challenge for the players – I still think it’s going to be pretty easy.

These are still wide-open fairways without a lot of penalty. You’re going to have to make a ton of birdies. Again, it’s a second-shot golf course, but most of these guys are going to be hitting approaches from 175 to 200+ yards.

It’ll still be a second-shot golf course and a bona fide putting contest on these brand-new bentgrass greens.

I don’t know how much different it’ll ultimately be. I think it’ll feel similar, but maybe more appealing as a recurring PGA Tour stop because the Tour is going to be evaluating all these events in coming years as they start to whittle down the schedule.

They’re tentatively planning on having 21 Tier 1 events with the new schedule. And the redesign is obviously part of the attempt to break into Tier 1 status for this tournament. We’ll see if that happens.