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2023 AT&T Byron Nelson Primer: History, TV, Field, Odds

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May 8, 2023

Jordan Spieth AT&T Byron Nelson — Jordan Spieth and caddie on the 2nd tee box during the third round of the AT&T Byron Nelson on May 15, 2021 at TPC Craig Ranch in McKinney, Texas. (Photo by Andrew Dieb / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

The PGA Tour travels from North Carolina down to Texas for the annual AT&T Byron Nelson, the final stop before the season’s second major: the 2023 PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club.

Contested for the third year at TPC Craig Ranch, the Byron Nelson field will be headlined by Texans Scottie Scheffler and Jordan Spieth.

The Lonestar State natives will be joined by three other top-25 ranked players: Tyrrell Hatton (17), Tom Kim (19) and Hideki Matsuyama (22).

What follows is a round-up of information and historical data to get you prepped for a weekend of golf in Texas.

2023 AT&T Byron Nelson

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PGA Tour: At-a-Glance

K.H. Lee is presented a cowboy hat during the trophy ceremony of the AT&T Byron Nelson at TPC Craig Ranch in McKinney, TX. (Photo by Andrew Dieb / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Name: AT&T Byron Nelson
Title Sponsor: AT&T
Tour Debut: 1944
Debut Name: Texas Victory Open
Dates: May 11-14, 2023
Where: McKinney, Texas
Course: TPC Craig Ranch
Distance: Par 72, 7468 yards
Format: 72-holes, Stroke play
Field: 152 Players (36-hole cut)
Purse: $9,500,000
Winning Share: $1,710,000
FedExCup: 500
Defending Champion: K.H. Lee

How to Follow the AT&T Byron Nelson

Brooks Koepka watches a replay on the monitor after playing his shot on the seventh hole during the third round of the AT&T Byron Nelson at Trinity Forest GC on May 11, 2019 in Dallas, TX. Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images

TELEVISION: Thu-Fri: 4-7 p.m. (GOLF); Sat-Sun: 1-3 p.m. (GOLF), 3-6 p.m. (CBS)

PGA TOUR LIVE: Thu-Fri: 7:45 a.m.-7 p.m. (ESPN+); Sat-Sun: 8 a.m.-6 p.m. (ESPN+)
Watch on ESPN+

PGA TOUR RADIO: Thu-Fri: 1-7 p.m.; Sat-Sun: 1-6 p.m.
(PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.com/liveaudio)

LINKS: Web | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook

AT&T Byron Nelson History

Jack Nicklaus Byron Nelson Golf Classic — Jack Nicklaus receives the winner’s trophy from Byron Nelson after Nicklaus defeated Arnold Palmer on the first hole of sudden death playoff to take the $20,000 top prize of the 1970 Byron Nelson Golf Classic at Preston Trail Golf Club in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Bettman via Getty Images)

The Byron Nelson has traditionally been contested in the Dallas-Fort Worth area since 1944. It is one of two PGA Tour stops in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex (the other being the Colonial stop) – the only metropolitan area to host two events.

Called the “Texas Victory Open,” the $2,000 first-prize check in that inaugural 1944 tournament was awarded to Dallas native Byron Nelson, who claimed a 10-shot victory over 17-time PGA Tour winner Jug McSpaden. At 8-under par, Nelson was the only player in the field to finish in the red.

Sam Snead and Ben Hogan won the next two editions before it was halted for the second world war.

After a 10-year absence, the tournament returned in 1956, and due to infighting over the tournament name, it held two iterations just a month apart – in May (Dallas Centennial Open) and June (Texas International Open), both at Preston Hollow Country Club.

Along with Nelson, Hogan, and Snead, who won twice more (1957-58), the tournament produced an impressive list of winners in its infancy, with major champions Don January, Peter Thomson (his only victory in the U.S.), Julius Boros, and Roberto De Vicenzo all taking home a trophy in the tournament’s first 10 editions following its sabbatical.

Byron Nelson presents the winner’s trophy to Payne Stewart at the conclusion of the GTE Byron Nelson Golf Classic on May 6, 1990 at TPC at Las Colinas in Dallas, TX. Credit: PGA TOUR Archive via Getty Images

Since then, winners have included legends such as Jack Nicklaus, Lanny Wadkins, Raymond Floyd, Tom Watson, Payne Stewart, Ben Crenshaw, Vijay Singh, Ernie Els, Phil Mickelson, Sergio Garcia, and Tiger Woods.

Watson holds the tournament record for most victories with four – including three-straight titles (1978-80), followed by a hat trick of trophies from Snead, and two apiece by Nicklaus, Garcia, Bruce Lietzke and K.H. Lee.

In 1968, the tournament officially incorporated Nelson into its name, becoming the Byron Nelson Golf Classic. It was the first time a tournament was named after a player. Some 20 years later, in 1988, the tournament brought on GTE as its first title sponsor: the GTE Byron Nelson Golf Classic. GTE/Verizon remained the title sponsors through the 2002 edition, with EDS/HP paying for the tournament title until 2014. AT&T has been the title sponsor since 2015.

History: Tournament Names

AT&T Byron Nelson (2015-Present)
HP Byron Nelson Championship (2009-14)
EDS Byron Nelson Championship (2003-08)
Verizon Byron Nelson Classic (2001-02)
GTE Byron Nelson Classic (1999-2000)
GTE Byron Nelson Golf Classic (1988-98)
Byron Nelson Golf Classic (1968-87)
Dallas Open Invitational (1957-67)
Texas International Open (June 1956)
Dallas Centennial Open (May 1956)
Dallas Invitational (1946)
Dallas Open (1945)
Texas Victory Open (1944)

History: Records

WINS:
4 – Tom Watson (1975, 1978-80)
3 – Sam Snead (1945, 1957-58)
2 – Jack Nicklaus (1970-71)
2 – Bruce Lietzke (1981, 1988)
2 – Sergio Garcia (2004, 2016)

SCORING:
261 – Rory Sabbatini (2009), Aaron Wise (2018), Sung Kang (2019)
26-under – K.H. Lee (2022)

History: Recent Winners

2022: K.H. Lee (-26)
2021: K.H. Lee (-25)
2020: No tournament (COVID)
2019: Sung Kang (-23)
2018: Aaron Wise (-23)
2017: Billy Horschel (-12)
2016: Sergio Garcia (-15)
2015: Steven Bowditch (-18)
2014: Brendon Todd (-14)
2013: Bae Sang-Moon (-13)
2012: Jason Dufner (-11)

AT&T Byron Nelson Field

Scottie Scheffler Wins 2023 WM Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale — Scottie Scheffler plays his shot from the 7th tee during the final round of the WM Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale on Feb 12, 2023 in Scottsdale, AZ. (Photo by Steph Chambers via Getty Images)

The field teeing it up this week at TPC Craig Ranch in McKinney, Texas is headlined by Texan superstars Scottie Scheffler (world No. 2) and Jordan Spieth (10).

Scheffler is back after skipping the Wells Fargo. He has two victories in 2023 and only one result outside the top 12 all season… Spieth enters off a missed-cut at the Wells Fargo. He has five top-10s this season, including a playoff loss at Hilton Head a few weeks ago. Spieth finished runner-up at last year’s Byron Nelson.

The two Texans will be joined by top-ranked stars such of Tyrrell Hatton (17), Tom Kim (19), Hideki Matsuyama (22), Tom Hoge (30), Jason Day (35), Adam Scott (37) and Si Woo Kim (42).

Top-5 Betting Favorites

1. Scottie Scheffler (+400)
2. Jordan Spieth (+1000)
3. Tyrrell Hatton (+1600)
4. Jason Day (+1800)
5. Tom Kim (+2000)

Full Field & Odds

Up Next: PGA Championship

Phil Mickelson and caddie Tim Mickelson celebrate with a fist pump after making a birdie putt on the 9th hole during the second round of the PGA Championship on The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort on May 21, 2021, in Kiawah Island, SC. (Photo by Keyur Khamar PGA TOUR via Getty Images)

The PGA Championship, the season’s second major, gets underway next week at Oak Hill CC in Rochester, NY where fan favorite Phil Mickelson returns after missing last season’s edition.

Credits: PGA Tour Media, Getty Images